Calafat
Calafat | |
|---|---|
 The monument commemorating the soldiers who fought in the War of Independence in 1877 | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Calafat Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:43°59′09″N22°57′27″E/ 43.98583°N 22.95750°E | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Dolj |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2024) | Dorel Mitulețu[1](PNL) |
| Area | 103.59 km2(40.00 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[2] | 13,807 |
| • Density | 130/km2(350/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST(UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 205200 |
| Vehicle reg. | DJ |
| Website | municipiulcalafat |
Calafat(Romanian pronunciation:[kalaˈfat]) is acityinDolj County,southernRomania,in the region ofOltenia.It lies on the riverDanube,opposite the Bulgarian city ofVidin,to which it is linked by theCalafat-Vidin Bridge,opened in 2013. After the destruction of the bridges of late antiquity, for centuries Calafat was connected with the southern bank of the Danube by boat, and later by ferryboat.
The city administers three villages: Basarabi, Golenți, and Ciupercenii Vechi.
History
[edit]It was founded in the 14th century byGenoese colonists.These colonists generally employed large numbers of workmen (Calafatis) in repairing ships. This industry gave the town its name.
In January 1854, during theCrimean War,whenRussianforces were headed up the Danube,Ahmed Pasha,commanding theTurkishforces at Calafat, madea surprise attackon the temporary Russian garrison nearbyCetate,which was under the command of ColonelAlexander Baumgarten.[3]This diverted the initial Russian attack and allowed Ahmed Pasha to consolidate his forces in Calafat. On 28 January, the Russians under the command of GeneralJoseph Carl von Anrep,reached Calafat and began thesiege which lasted until May.Riddled by disease and unable to take the town, Anrep withdrew.[4]
Calafat was declared amunicipiuin 1997.[5]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Calafat | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
5 (41) |
12 (54) |
18 (64) |
23 (73) |
27 (81) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
24 (75) |
17 (63) |
10 (50) |
4 (39) |
17 (62) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1 (30) |
2 (36) |
6 (43) |
12 (54) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
18 (64) |
12 (54) |
6 (43) |
1 (34) |
12 (53) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4 (25) |
−3 (27) |
1 (34) |
6 (43) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
16 (61) |
11 (52) |
7 (45) |
3 (37) |
−3 (27) |
6 (44) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 38.1 (1.50) |
43.2 (1.70) |
45.7 (1.80) |
48.3 (1.90) |
58.4 (2.30) |
66.0 (2.60) |
40.6 (1.60) |
33.0 (1.30) |
33.0 (1.30) |
38.1 (1.50) |
50.8 (2.00) |
48.3 (1.90) |
543.5 (21.4) |
| Source: weather[6] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 7,113 | — |
| 1912 | 7,608 | +7.0% |
| 1930 | 7,633 | +0.3% |
| 1948 | 8,251 | +8.1% |
| 1956 | 8,069 | −2.2% |
| 1966 | 9,483 | +17.5% |
| 1977 | 15,568 | +64.2% |
| 1992 | 20,445 | +31.3% |
| 2002 | 21,227 | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 16,247 | −23.5% |
| 2021 | 13,807 | −15.0% |
| Source: Census data | ||
Transport
[edit]
Calafat lies on the river corridor VII-Danube and thepan-European corridorIV, which starts in Germany and ends inIstanbulandThessaloniki.The city is at the crossroads ofNational RoadsDN56, DN56A, and DN55A andEuropean route E79.The city of Calafat and its neighbour, Vidin (Bulgaria), are linked by a bridge over the Danube in the area called Bașcov (Danube Bridge 2), built by the Spanish companyFCC.The project of constructing a Danubian bridge in the area of Calafat–Vidin dates back to 1925. Road traffic between Vidin and Calafat was doubling every year, so it became necessary to construct a bridge with four lanes of road traffic, a railway line, a lane two meters wide for bikes and a pavement for pedestrians. The bridge has a total length of 1,971 m (6,467 ft) and its cost is estimated atUS$200 million. It was officially opened on 14 June 2013.[7]
Newspapers
[edit]
Calafat has several city newspapers. One of them is calledZiarul De Calafat,[8]which is also maintained online; another one isCalafat Live.
International relations
[edit]Twin towns — Sister cities
[edit]Calafat istwinnedwith:
References
[edit]- ^"Results of the 2020 local elections".Central Electoral Bureau.Retrieved8 June2021.
- ^"Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021"(XLS).National Institute of Statistics.
- ^Jaques, Tony (2007)Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A guide to 8,500 battles from antiquity through the twenty-first century: A-EGreenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, Volume 1, page 247ISBN0-313-33536-2
- ^Jaques, Tony (2007)Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A guide to 8,500 battles from antiquity through the twenty-first century: A-EGreenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, Volume 1, page 184ISBN0-313-33536-2
- ^Comunele și orasele României,p. 448. Bucharest: Editura All Beck, 2005
- ^"Medii lunare pentru Calafat, Romania".weather.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-05.Retrieved2013-07-07.
- ^Announcementof the Bulgarian president as published by Focus News Agency on 22 May 2013 (in Bulgarian), retrieved 31 May 2013
- ^"Ziarul De Calafat".
External links
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