Târgoviște

Targoviste [ tɨrgoviʃte ] ( German: Tergowisch ) is the county capital of the district Dâmboviţa in Romania; the former capital of Wallachia. She had about 90,000 inhabitants in 2007.

History

The first mention of the city was made in 1396 by the German world traveler John Schiltberger. The first document in the form of a handwritten letter to the monastery Tismana was created by Mircea cel Bătrân ( Mircea the Elder, 1386-1418 ).

In Targoviste was the famous Vlad III. Dracula enthroned in 1456. In 1499 the walachaische Prince Radu cel Mare mountain church of Saint Nicolae built ( Radu the Great) again, but not until 1514 under the reign of Prince Neagoe Basarab the church was consecrated. Today it is known as Dealu Monastery.

The prince Matei Basarab (1632-1654) continued the city walls repaired, renovated the old churches and built additional some new places of worship. By the year 1659 Targoviste was the capital of Wallachia, and until 1714 it was princely seat.

The leader of the revolution of 1821, Tudor Vladimirescu, was executed before the Mitropoliei Church. In the course of the year the city lost its importance as a political and social center of the country, so that today only remains of the charm of a former residence of the prince.

In Târgoviste the ousted Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed on December 25, 1989, in the judgment of a military tribunal.

Personalities

Born

• Theodor Stolojan ( born October 24, 1943), politician
• Cornel Dinu ( born August 2, 1948), football player and coach
• George Balint ( born February 11, 1961), composer, conductor and pianist
• Iulian Chiriţă ( born February 2, 1967), football player
• Laurentiu Reghecampf (born 19 September 1975), football player
• Bogdan Pătraşcu ( born May 7, 1979), football player
• Claudiu Voiculet (born 8 August 1985), football player
• Cosmin Matei ( born September 30, 1991), football player