Râul Doamnei

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Râul Doamnei
Countries	Romania
Counties	Argeş County
Length	98 km (61 mi)
Source
- location	Făgăraş Mountains, Junction of headwaters Valea Rea and Zârna
Mouth	Argeş
- location	Piteşti
Major tributaries
- left	Zârna, Văsălatu, Izvorul Surlei, Murgu, Jangu, Izvorul Mioarelor, Izvorul Groşilor, Slatina, Păcurarul, Râul Târgului, Făgetu, Valea Mare
- right	Valea Rea, Drăghina Mare, Cernatu, Miceşti, Budeasa

Râul Doamnei is a left tributary of the Argeş River (the two rivers meet just north of Piteşti). It is formed at the junction of headwaters Valea Rea and Zârna River. It is 98 kilometers in length and frequently dries up in summer, owing to the works upstream that have redirected part of its water supply toward a reservoir serving the hydroelectric plant on the Argeş.

Râul Doamnei flows through a hilly region, forming narrow strips of fertile plain on both of its banks.

Contents 1 Origin of the name 2 Naming conventions 3 Notes 4 References 5 Maps

[edit] Origin of the name

According to legend, a wife or concubine^[1] of Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler (Vlad Ţepeş) - her name is not recorded - died during the 1462 siege of Poienari Castle by an Ottoman army led by Vlad's half-brother Radu cel Frumos (Radu the Fair).

A former servant of Vlad, held as a prisoner and servant to the Turks but still loyal to the Prince, having seen the shadow of Vlad's wife behind a window and shot an arrow in that direction, with a message informing that the Turkish army was going to attack the castle the next morning. Upon reading the message, Vlad's wife flung herself off the castle's tower and into the stream below the castle, preferring death to Turkish captivity. The stream was then named Râul Doamnei (the Lady's River) in recollection of the event.

[edit] Naming conventions

Râul is Romanian for "The river". As such, it may form part of the Romanian names given in full for virtually all rivers. However, since Doamnei is the genitive of Doamnă ("A lady"), Râul is part of the name itself in this case.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti
• Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971
• Trasee turistice - judeţul Argeş [1]

[edit] Maps

• Harta Judeţul Argeş [2]
• Munţii Iezer [3]
• Munţii Făgăraş [4]
• Alpinet - Munţii Făgăraş [5]