Corabia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corabia
Coat of arms of Corabia
Coat of arms
Location of Corabia
Location of Corabia
Coordinates: 43°46′25″N 24°30′12″E / 43.77361, 24.50333
Country Flag of Romania Romania
County Olt County
Status Town
Government
 - Mayor Ştefan Pârlea (National Liberal Party)
Area
 - Total 92.84 km² (35.8 sq mi)
Population (2002)
 - Total 21,932
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website: http://www.corabia.net/
Corabia in Olt County
Corabia in Olt County

Corabia is a small Danube port located in Olt County, Romania, which used to be part of the now-dissolved Romanaţi County before World War II. Across the Danube from Corabia lies Bulgaria.

Its name reflects the fact that the original settlement was built from the remains of wrecked Genoan ship (corabia is the Romanian language term for "sailing ship, specifically used for "galley"). It became a great port in the 1880s.

Under the communist regime, Corabia developed as a considerable manufacturing town, with a sugar mill, furniture factory, tannery, a fiber manufacturing plant, and various other facilities. However, in more recent times the town's population has dwindled. Many inhabitants have migrated to larger towns in the wake of the closure of many of Corabia's factories.

Corabia is still one of the central spots of Olt County, with other small hamlets such as Tudor Vladimirescu and Vârtop depending on it as an administrative centre. The town houses a football club, several shops and bars, the remains of the Roman castrum Sucidava, dating back to the Roman period and featuring the "Secret Fountain" (an unusual piece of engineering); the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral (one of the largest buildings of its kind in Romania), as well a monumental statue in the middle of the town square commemorating the use of Corabia's facilities in the initial attack during the Romanian War of Independence. Corabia also has an important archaeological museum with, inter alia, a remarkable collection of Roman pottery.

[edit] Natives

[edit] External links

[edit] Gallery