| Piatra-Olt | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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Piatra-Olt
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Olt County |
| Population (2002)[1] | 6,347 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Piatra-Olt is a town in Olt County, Romania. The town administers five villages: Bistriţa Nouă, Criva de Jos, Criva de Sus, Enoşeşti and Piatra. The town is an important railway station and road intersection.
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The oldest relicves are from the Neolithic,[2] when there was a small settlement.
In Antiquity, the local Dacic population built a fortress, Acidava.[3] The Romans conquered the area. The Romans built a road and rebuilt the fortress Acidava. The ruins of the fortress can be seen even today.[4] The area was still inhabited after the retreat of the Roman legios.[5]
From the Middle Ages come the first written documents about the villages that now compose the town.[6]
In 1878,[7] the railroad Piteşti - Vîrciorova was operational and the railway station Piatra Olt (known at that time as Piatra) was built. This was the biginning of the modern history of the town, as a railway town. Later, other railways were built, along the Olt river.[8]
Piatra Olt was officilally declared a town in 1989.[9]
The town is situated in the Central-Eastern part of the Romanian Plain, at the eastern border of Oltenia historical provence and in the western part of the Olt County.[10] The nearby towns are in East: Slatina (11 km), Piteşti (93 km); to West: Balş (19 km), Craiova (45 km); to North: Drăgăşani (31 km), Râmnicu Vâlcea (86 km) and to South Caracal (33 km)) and Corabia (74 km)).[11] Note that these are intermediate values between road and railway distances.
The main village, Piatra, is placed near the train station and expands to South-East.[12] It is divided into two parts: the eastern part (named Piatra Sat by the locals) and the western part, near the station, called Gară (in English, station). Enoşeşti is placed East from Piatra, on the 64 national road and is the road access way to Piatra. Criva is placed South-East from Piatra and has a small railway station.[13] Bistriţa Nouă is at North from Piatra, at 2 km by foot and more than 7 km by road.[14]
The town is at the North-Eastern end of the Romanaţi Plain.[15] The average altitude is 100 to 120 meters.[16] Despite the relatively high altitude and a big number of valleis and smooth hills, the aria is very good for agriculture. The town is placed near the Olt River, on a terrace that protects it from floods. There are several dams on the river. There are some other small rivers, that sometimes dry up in summer, like Vaslui and Oltişor. They are all tributaries of the Olt and are formed near Piatra Olt.[17]
Like all the southern part of Romania, Piatra Olt has a temperate climate.[18] Usually, summers are hot and with little precipitations, while winters have moderate temperatures, with occasional wind intensifications. Sometimes, snow can cause several blockades on the roads and railways.[19][20]
At the 2002 census, 90.6% of inhabitants were Romanians and 9.4% Roma. 97.7% were Romanian Orthodox and 1.6% Seventh-day Adventist.[21]
There are ethnic conflicts between the Romanian and Gipsy groups.[22][23] In 2007, it was required forced intervention to calm down the population and avoid vioent conflicts.
The main way to get to Piatra Olt is by train.[24] There are 4 railways that lead to Piatra Olt:
The town is also an important road intersection.[27] The intersection is in fact in the nearby commune, Găneasa. The access way to Piatra Olt is the county road DJ 677. There are 5 km from Piatra Olt to Găneasa on the road and only 2 km on a sharp line. All national roads are asphalted, while the county road is a concrete road, like other smaller roads in the town. The roads follow nearly the same path like the railways:
The main occupation is related to the railway maintenance and transportation. There are 66 trains traveling every day through the station.[28] However, Agriculture is well represented (large-scale agriculture with grain and corn fields, fishing and pomiculture) There are big companies that work in the agricole sector.[29] The Industry is based on textiles, metallic and concrete products, alimentar industry and a wood mill.[30] There are a lot of firms that have their headquarters in other places but develop business in Piatra Olt.[31]
The institutions are placed near the train station. The town hall is on Florilor street,[32] not far from the police station.[33] Every village except Bistriţa Nouă has its own church.[34] There is also an Adventist church.[35] There are schools and a high school.[36]
The town has a stadium and a football team.[37] There is a park with a musical fountain.[38] There is a small market and there are small shops that provide goods for the local population,[39] including human and veterinarian pharmaceutical points.
There are many touristic abjectives that can be seen in the town. The following objectives can be visited in a few hours, so a traveller can see them while waiting a train to catch.
There are other touristic objectives that can be seen nearby: