Balș

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Balş is also a commune in Iaşi County, see: Balş, Iaşi.
"Bals" redirects here. For the Japanese retails company see BALS.
Balş
Town
Balş
Location of Balş
Coordinates: 44°21′0″N 24°5′58″E / 44.35000°N 24.09944°E / 44.35000; 24.09944Coordinates: 44°21′0″N 24°5′58″E / 44.35000°N 24.09944°E / 44.35000; 24.09944
Country  Romania
County Olt County
Status Town
Government
  Mayor Vitalie Staicu (Social Democratic Party)
Area
  Total 37 km2 (14 sq mi)
Population (2002)
  Total 21,195
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website http://www.bals.ro/

Balş (Romanian pronunciation: [balʃ] ( )) is a town in Olt County, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna and Teiş.

Etymology

There are three hypotheses about the town's name:

  1. The locality was named after the Balşiţa brook.
  2. The name comes from the Turkish word "Baliş" (honey) as there is a large apiculture area there.
  3. A boyar named Balş settled here in the 5th or 6th century.

Population

  • 1864 - 1,700 inhabitants.
  • 1884 - 2,500 inhabitants.
  • 1921 - 5,000 inhabitants.
  • 1938 - 5,300 inhabitants.
  • 1948 - 6,128 inhabitants.
  • 1973 - 11,578 inhabitants.
  • 1992 - 24,560 inhabitants.
  • 2002 - 21,195 inhabitants.

The composition from the last census, sorted by nationality:

* 20,552 Romanians
* 619 Romani
* 27 others

The composition from the last census, sorted by religion:

* 21,043 Eastern Orthodox
* 47 Seventh-Day Adventists
* 36 Baptists
* 19 Pentecostalists
* 8 Roman-Catholics
* 5 Atheists
* 32 other religion

History

  • 1450 - The estimated date when Balş was established.
  • 1564 - First mention of Balş in a document
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