Murfatlar

"Basarabi" redirects here. For the village in Dolj County, see Calafat. For the village in Suceava County, see Preuteşti.

Murfatlar
—  Town  —
Location of Murfatlar
Coordinates: 44°10′25″N 28°24′30″E / 44.17361°N 28.40833°E / 44.17361; 28.40833Coordinates: 44°10′25″N 28°24′30″E / 44.17361°N 28.40833°E / 44.17361; 28.40833
Country	Romania
County	Constanţa County
Status	Town
Government
- Mayor	Gheorghe Cojocaru (Democratic Liberal Party)
Area
- Total	69.25 km2 (26.7 sq mi)
Population (2002)
- Total	10,857
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Website	http://www.primaria-murfatlar.ro/

Murfatlar (Romanian pronunciation: [murfatˈlar]) is a town in Constanţa County, Romania.

Etymology

The name of the town originates from the Turkish word murvet (meaning "generous man").^[1]

Between 1921 and 1965, and from 1975 to 2007, the locality was known as Basarabi. On June 26, 2007 the lower house of Romania's Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, approved a proposal to have the name changed back to Murfatlar,^[2] which was also ratified by the Senate and promulgated by the president of Romania on December 20, 2007.^[3]

Administration

Murfatlar is a port on the Danube-Black Sea Canal and has a population of 11,070. A complex of caves was found carved in the hills nearby, see the Basarabi Cave Complex.

The village of Siminoc (historical name: Turc-Murfat) is administered by the town of Murfatlar. The name of the village comes from the flower Helichrysum arenarium (siminoc in Romanian), which can be found abundantly in the area.^[4]

The famous Murfatlar Vineyard and Basarabi Cave Complex are located nearby.

Famous natives

Murfatlar is the birth place of the current Romanian president, Traian Băsescu.

Image gallery

• 

  Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar

• 

  Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar

• 

  Bridge over the Danube-Black Sea Canal at Murfatlar

External links

References

1. ^ (Romanian) Murfatlar's History, Murfatlar City Hall, accessed on June 23, 2008
2. ^ (Romanian) România Liberă, Oraşul natal al lui Băsescu nu se mai numeste Basarabi, ci Murfatlar (Băsescu's hometown is no longer called Basarabi, but Murfatlar), June 26, 2007
3. ^ (Romanian) Law No. 370/21.12.2007 regarding the name change of town of Basarabi, Constanţa County, into Murfatlar, Chamber of Deputies, accessed June 23, 2008
4. ^ (Romanian) Murfatlar's History, Murfatlar City Hall, accessed on June 23, 2008