Târgovişte

Infobox Settlement
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = ROU
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
map_caption = Location of Târgovişte

|official_name=Târgovişte

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image_shield=coa_targoviste_ro.gif
subdivision_type1=County
subdivision_name1=Dâmboviţa County
subdivision_type2=Status
subdivision_name2=Autolink|County capital
settlement_type=County capital|
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name=Iulian Furcoiu
|leader_party=Social Democratic Party
area_total_km2=
population_as_of=2002
population_total=89429|latd=44|latm=55|lats=27|latNS=N|longd=25|longm=27|longs=24|longEW=E|
website=http://www.pmtgv.ro/

Târgovişte (old spelling: "Tîrgovişte"; IPA2|tɨr.ˈgo.viʃ.te) is a city in the Dâmboviţa county of Romania. It is situated on the right bank of the Ialomiţa River. As of 2003, it has an estimated population of 89,000.

History

First attested in 1396, in the "Travel Accounts" of Johannes Schiltberger, it became the capital of the Wallachian voivodship, probably during the reign of Mircea cel Bătrân, when the Royal Court ("Curtea Domnească") was built. Vlad III Dracula later added the Chindia Tower, now a symbol of the city.

In 1597 Mihai Viteazul fought and won a decisive battle against the Ottoman Empire in Târgovişte.

After Constantin Brâncoveanu moved the capital to Bucharest, Târgovişte lost its importance, decaying economically as its population decreased.

Târgovişte was the site of the trial and execution of Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena in December 1989. Interestingly, there are towns with the same name (albeit with different spellings as they are written in our days in the Cyrillic alphabet) in both Bulgaria and Serbia. The Romanian and Bulgarian towns are twinned. The name is of Slavic origin, from the root "-trg-" or "-tǎrg-" ("trade") and the placename suffix "-ište", and means "marketplace".

Population

*16th century: 60,000
*1900: 9,400
*1977: 61,300
*2002: 89,930

Twin cities

* Kazanlak, Bulgaria
* Targovishte, Bulgaria
* Trakai, Lithuania
* Orvault, France
* Miami, United States
* Corbetta, Italy
* Santarem, Portugal
* Vellinge, Sweden
* Castellon de la Plana, Spain

Famous natives

* [http://www.vblendea.targoviste.ro Vasile Blendea] [http://www.muzee-dambovitene.ro/en/vasile_blendea.php] (1895 - 1988), painter, sculptor artist
*Alexandru Brătescu-Voineşti (1868 - 1946), writer
*Iulian Chiriţă (1967), football player
*Cornel Dinu (1948), football player
*Ion Heliade Rădulescu (1802 - 1872), writer, philologist, politician
*Laurenţiu Reghecampf (1975), football player
*Laura Stoica (1967 - 2006), singer, composer, actress
*Theodor Stolojan (1943), economist, politician
*Claudiu Voiculeţ (1985), football player
*Tony Bulandra, actor

External links

* [http://www.patzinakia.ro/wallachiamediaevalis/targoviste-index.htm A presentation of the Medieval Princely Court of Târgovişte] - includes 25 contemporary photos, 3 ancient images, 2 layouts, a reconstruction of the Court, bibliography and many other info (in Romanian).
* [http://www.muzee-dambovitene.ro/en/index.php Museums of Targoviste and of Dambovita county (in Romanian and in English)]
* [http://www.targoviste.ro/index_harta.php Interactive Map of the city] [http://www.primariatargoviste.ro/harta.html Map of the city]
* [http://www.targoviste.ro Târgovişte Online] [http://www.primariatargoviste.ro Official site]
* [http://www.panorama.targoviste.ro the 360 panorama view of Târgovişte]
* [http://www.targbazar.ro free classifieds for Târgovişte]
* [http://estar.raceclub.ca ESTAR RACING TARGOVISTE MOTORCYCLE CLUB]