Vlașca County

Județul Vlașca
County (Județ)
The Vlaşca County Prefecture's building from the interwar period, now a museum.
The Vlaşca County Prefecture's building from the interwar period, now a museum.
Coat of arms of Județul Vlașca
Coat of arms
Country Romania
Historic regionWallachia
County seat (Reședință de județ)Giurgiu
EstablishedSometime before 1601
Ceased to existAdministrative reform of 1950
Area
 • Total
4,494 km2 (1,735 sq mi)
Population
 (1930)
 • Total
296,412
 • Density66/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Vlașca County is a former first-order administrative division of the Kingdom of Romania, in southern Muntenia, located between Bucharest and the Danube, which is now mostly the county of Giurgiu. The county seat was Giurgiu.

The county was located in the southern part of Greater Romania, in the southern part of the historical region of Muntenia. The county was bordered on the west by Teleorman County, on the northwest by Argeș County, on the north by Dâmbovița County, on the east by Ilfov County, and to the south by the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Its surface coincides in large part with that of the present Giurgiu County, but there are small parts of it that are included in today's Teleorman County.

Administrative organization

The counties of Wallachia after 1601, including Vlașca
Map of Vlașca County as constituted in 1938.

Administratively, until the 1930s, Vlașca County was divided into five districts (plăși):[1]

  1. Plasa Călugăreni, headquartered at Călugăreni
  2. Plasa Câlniștea, headquartered at Drăgănești-Vlașca
  3. Plasa Dunărea, headquartered at Giurgiu
  4. Plasa Glavacioc, headquartered at Glavacioc
  5. Plasa Neajlov, headquartered initially at Neajlovu, and later at Corbii Mari.[2]

In 1938, the county was divided into seven districts:

  1. Plasa Călugăreni, headquartered at Călugăreni
  2. Plasa Câlniștea, headquartered at Drăgănești-Vlașca
  3. Plasa Dunărea, headquartered at Giurgiu
  4. Plasa Ghimpați, headquartered at Ghimpați[3][4]
  5. Plasa Glavacioc, headquartered at Glavacioc
  6. Plasa Neajlov, headquartered initially at Neajlovu, and later at Corbii Mari.[5]
  7. Plasa Siliștea, headquartered at Siliștea Gumești

After 1938

In 1938, the county was disestablished and incorporated into the newly formed Ținutul Argeș, but it was re-established in 1940 after the fall of Carol II's regime - only to be abolished 10 years later by the Communist regime.

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 296,412 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 97.1% Romanians, 2.2% Romanies, 0.2% Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.4% Eastern Orthodox, 0.2% Roman Catholic, 0.1% Adventist, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 31,016 inhabitants, comprising 92.7% Romanians, 2.4% Romanies, 1.0% Hungarians, 0.7% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 96.4% Eastern Orthodox, 1.3% Roman Catholic, 0.8% Jewish, as well as other minorities.

References

  1. ^ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Vlașca
  2. ^ Ghidul primăriilor
  3. ^ Ghimpati.ro commune's website
  4. ^ Google Books
  5. ^ Ghidul primăriilor
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interwar Vlașca County.