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The History of Caracal City

The territory of the Olt county,situated in the South of Romania between the Danube and the southern extremity of the Getic plateau,crossed from the North to South by the large valley of Olt river,important artery of communication between southern Danube and the inside of the Carpathic arc, has been inhabited since the ancient times.

The more important cities of the Olt county appear situated on two parallel axis North-South;on both sides of Olt river:Slatina And Bals-where the plateau meets the valley;Caracal and Draganesti in the lowlands and Corabia Danube shore.

If Slatina and Caracal had taken form and had developed themselves as borouhgs the other three urban centres of the county took form more recently;and the becoming of Draganesti as a city took place in the last decades.

Tha archeological researchers mention in Caracal the existence of prehistorical,ancient settlements,near the important Roman city,Romula.

The passing from a rural settlement to a borough is made later, by the same time with the importance growth of the comercial route between Craiova and Bucharest;through the development of agriculture and trade in this part of the country.

The first documentary attestation of Caracal figures in an act belonging to Radu Paisie,in 17 nov.1538,through which a few villages were bought from the Mistress Marga from Caracal.

The detachament of Caracal as a local center of its sourrounding valley was in connection with its selection by Michael the Great as a royal court;in the middle of a fertile zone in which the lord owned a larg area,22 villages.A certain period of the year,Michael the Great was living at this courtyard,he even advarced some documents from here,and also here “in the village of Caracal in the year of 1597 he will vanquish the Turkish invaders.”

At this period of time,the information about Caracal are decreasing.

Frederich von Bawer during his visit through the city in 1778 writes down: “it was a city and a princely residence,with three churches,a and a fairsituated in a valley.”

Parts of the architectural complex were the church,the princely yards,a watch-tower and other buildings.

The princely yard,rebuilt and extended during Matei Basarab,was also used in the period to be,replacing even residences fron Targoviste and Bucharest.

Between 1770-1790 the development from fair to town is felt,but its full development is marked only by the next century.

Constantin Brancoveanu pays a great attention to the Brancoveni yard;his and his families native hometown;by improoving it.

During the reign of Michael Sutu the princiary estate from Caracal is given to Constantin Filipescu.Shortly after that,in 1793,Constantin Filipescu gives up his rights on the estate,to the Caracal city,after he founds a “school for the education of children”,near the church of the princiary yard,the very first public school in Caracal.

According to a census from 1810 Caracal is made of ten outskirts ;each of them settled near a church,most of them founded at the beginning of 18^th century,on the place of other wooden churches.

In the second half of 19^th century,beside its center,Caracal was divided in two sections which included some districts(Potroseni,Targul d-Afara-where the yearly fair took place-,Targul din Nauntru,St.Nicholas,St.John,Boldul).Its center took a certain shape starting with the market in the Cadrilater gardens;where the authorities buildings were to be found ,café,the summer gardens,the merchant’s shops;in a word the whole enviroment of a countryside town(where the main occupation was the trade of cereals).

The merchants had their own street, “Ulita Targului”,which started from Cadrilater,where the “most shops were in Turkish style.”Here were also the famous café of Dulgherescu to be found,Savu club,Paradis gardens(where famous actors of that time performed0,the three hotels(the oldest of them since 1896),the townhall;buildings that even today stand by the square,keeping this way a little from the oldtown’s image alive.

Because of the innovations of economical life,between the two centuries in Caracal was built a lot,the whole city expressing its life conception and fashion from the last century.

Among the signifiant edifices in the urban enviroment of Caracal the theatre and parc can be mentioned.

The documents confirm that in the second half of the 19^th century the theatre representations performed by wondering groups and later famous actors of the Romanian scene are quite often frequent.At first these were played in the yards of buildings,in winter on improvised stage,in summer in gardens,where the audience was proved to be receptive and numerous. After 1880 famous actors came to perform,such as:Matei Millo,Grigoriu,Nottara,Galusca.

Since 1883 a theatre is being arranged;first improvised in some of Iancu Jianu’s stables.

At 14 July 1896,based on the plans of the Austrian Franz Bileck “the basic stone of the National Theatre from Caracal was put,in order to carry the inhabitants of the city’s progress”.The theatre has many and various ornaments(on th inside as well as on the outside)

Columns,statues,balconies,cupolas,an “elegant theatre decorated with stucco works and inscriptions,which calls for grpups;and a goos intention which should be taken in consideration”.(Nicolae Iorga)

Until the arrangement of the parc,the main entertainment place was the public garden of the Administrative Palace.This public garden became in time

Unfunctional,so the the work from the initiative of the townhall began,simultaneous with the subterranean sewerage works of the brook which crossed over the park and the city;the two French peisagists(Pinard and Redont)start the arrangements and embelishment of the parc;one of their most remarkable acomplishments in this field.