Craiova is the most important city in Oltenia and the sixth largest in Romania. Located on the right bank of the Jiu River, at the foot of the Getic Plateau, it is a cultural, university, industrial, and commercial center with a history of over 550 years.
Nicknamed „The Ban's Citadel" (Cetatea Băniei) — after the most powerful political institution in the medieval history of Oltenia, the Great Banate — Craiova played an essential role in the formation and consolidation of Romanian statehood. The Craiovești boyars, descendants of Basarab the Founder, gave Wallachia some of the most important rulers of the time and transformed Craiova into the second residence of power in the country, immediately after the reign.
Its history is legendary: temporary capital of Wallachia in 1770–1771, the military base of Tudor Vladimirescu's pandurs in 1821, the place where the Union of the Principalities was plotted in 1859, and the city where the Treaty of Craiova was signed in 1913 — the treaty that ended the Second Balkan War.
The capital of the pandurs, the city of my soul.
October 1, 1475 — Craiova appears in a document by Basarab the Elder (Laiotă Basarab). Human communities existed in the area for thousands of years before.
Wallachia's second political institution, with its own chancellery, the right to issue acts, and pronounce capital sentences. The Bans minted coins with their own effigy.
When Bucharest was disputed by Russians and Turks, Craiova took over the role of capital. Prince Emanuel Giani Rosetti ruled the country from Craiova.
The peace treaty signed in Craiova on July 28, 1913, ended the Second Balkan War during the government of Titu Maiorescu.
Craiova was the first city in Romania supplied with electric current based on internal combustion engines — a little-known fact.
University of Craiova (est. 1965) with 30,000+ students, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Law, Letters, Sciences, and others.
550 years of history
From the first Neolithic communities to today's capital of Oltenia — a fascinating story on the banks of the Jiu.
On the current territory of Craiova existed the Dacian fortress Pelendava, the capital of the Buridavenses tribe. The Romans built a Roman castrum on the same sites, identified through coins and artifacts.
Craiova is mentioned for the first time in a document by Prince Basarab the Elder. At that date, it was a market town on the Craiovești boyars' estate.
The Craiovești boyars founded the Great Banate — an institution that administered all of Oltenia, issued its own acts, minted coins, and could pronounce capital sentences.
Craiova flourished under Michael the Brave. The Buzești brothers — great Craiova boyars — were the strategic pillars of the prince who achieved the first union of the Romanian principalities.
Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu rebuilt the Ban's Houses (Casele Băniei) with taxes collected from Oltenia's counties — the building remains a monument of Brâncovenesc architecture.
When Bucharest was disputed by Russian and Turkish armies, Craiova temporarily became the capital of Wallachia. Prince Emanuel Giani Rosetti ruled the country from Craiova.
Craiova became the military base for the pandurs led by Tudor Vladimirescu. He himself called Craiova „the capital of the pandurs, the city of my soul".
In 1832, 595 shops attested to Craiova's role as the main commercial center of Oltenia. Paving with basalt brought from Switzerland and France modernized the city.
On September 29, King Carol I inaugurated Nicolae Romanescu Park — designed by Édouard Redont, winner of the Gold Medal at Paris 1900. Craiova became famous throughout Europe.
On July 28, 1913, the peace treaty ending the Second Balkan War was signed in Craiova during Titu Maiorescu's government. A diplomatic act of European importance.
Inaugurated on August 27, 1965, the University of Craiova quickly became one of the great academic centers of southern Romania, with dozens of faculties and 30,000+ students.
Craiova is today a European-level cultural center: #1 Christmas Market in Europe, Shakespeare Festival (World Record), Puppets Occupy Street (#2 Europe), IntenCity, the largest musical fountain in Romania.
Historical Identity
On the site of today's Craiova was Pelendava, the capital of the Dacian Buridavenses tribe. The Romans later built a military castrum. Roman coins from Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, and Aurelian were discovered in the Craiovița area.
The Craiovești boyars established the Great Banate — the second power of Wallachia. Craiova became the political, military, and economic center of Oltenia, with the Ban's Houses as the residence of the leaders.
Oltenia under Austrian occupation (1718–1739), then Phanariote rule. The haiduk Iancu Jianu roamed the surroundings until 1817. In 1770–1771, Craiova became the capital of Wallachia.
Craiova — the base of Tudor Vladimirescu (1821), the site of the 1848 revolution (newspaper „Naționalul"), and the center of unionist movements. The Ad-hoc Assembly of 1857 voted for the Union.
Swiss basalt paving, electrification (first city in Romania!), construction of the Jean Mihail Palace, Romanescu Park (Gold Medal Paris 1900), and the Administrative Palace. Craiova becomes the „Little Paris of Oltenia".
Shakespeare Festival (1994, World Record), IntenCity, Puppets Occupy Street (#2 Europe), Christmas Market #1 in Europe, Brâncuși Cultural Center (2022). Craiova — on the continent's cultural map.
Craiova natives who marked the world
From the inventor of the fountain pen to the twice president of the League of Nations — Craiova has given the world remarkable minds and talents.
Inventor of the fountain pen — patented in Paris on May 25, 1827, under the title „Never-ending portable pen, feeding itself with ink". Founder of Carol I National College in Craiova, personal secretary to Tudor Vladimirescu, and organizer of Romanian national education. He also designed the current national tricolor flag.
The diplomat of superlatives — the only person elected twice consecutively as President of the League of Nations (1930 and 1931). Foreign minister, exceptional orator, compared by contemporaries to Demosthenes. Supported European collective security and peaceful coexistence. Full member of the Romanian Academy. Died in exile in Cannes.
The father of modern sculpture attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Craiova (1894–1898). Craiova Art Museum holds 6 original sculptures, including The Kiss and Miss Pogany — the only permanent Brâncuși exhibition in Romania. The new Brâncuși Cultural Center (2022) honors his memory with a glass prism unique in the world.
One of the great writers of contemporary Romanian literature, poet, playwright, and prose writer whose ironic and relaxed style established him in over 20 countries with 60+ books published abroad. Minister of Culture (1993–1995). The National Theatre in Craiova bears his name — „Marin Sorescu" National Theatre.
Brilliant Craiova inventor with over 400 patents worldwide — one every two months! Founder of the theory of sonics (1912) and pioneer of reinforced concrete in Romania. Invented the synchronizer for fighter plane machine guns used in WWI. Died in England, at Coniston, Cumbria.
The tutelary figure of modern Romanian culture — literary critic, philosopher, politician, and Prime Minister of Romania (1912–1914). Founding academician of the Romanian Academy. Under his government, the Treaty of Craiova (1913) was signed, ending the Second Balkan War — a diplomatic event of European importance.
Founder of the National Bank of Romania (1880) — an institution he designed and negotiated in secret, shielding it from external influences. Revolutionary of 1848, activist for the Union, parliamentarian, and statesman. One of the most important figures in modern Romania's economic history.
The first great modern Romanian painter, founder of the National School of Fine Arts in Bucharest (1864) — today the National University of Arts. Pupil of Paul Delaroche in Paris, he painted monumental historical scenes and portraits that define the image of the Romanian modern era. His works are prominently displayed in the Craiova Art Museum.
Craiova native who became a top Hollywood director, known for „How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953), „Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954), „Woman's World" and other films starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall. Died in Marbella, Spain. A symbol of the global aspiration of the Craiova spirit.
The list is much longer: Corneliu Baba (painter, Artist of the People), Ion Țuculescu (painter and doctor), Alexandru Macedonski (symbolist poet), Ion Minulescu (poet), Adrian Păunescu (poet), Tudor Gheorghe (folk performer), Elena Teodorini (world-renowned soprano, 19th cent.), Leontina Văduva (soprano, Covent Garden), Mihai Bobonete (actor), Ramona Bădescu (model and actress).
Practical facts
South-West Romania
Oltenia Plain, Jiu bank~300,000 inhabitants
6th municipality in Romania87.27 km²
Metropolitan area: ~450 km²101 m
Above sea levelTemperate-continental
Hot summers, mild wintersCRA — International
8 km from center, EU flights2h 30min from Bucharest
InterCity North StationFounded 1965
30,000+ students, 15 facultiesFord, Enel, Electroputere
Regional auto and energy hubAwards and records
European Best Destinations 2026 — Craiova surpassing Vienna, Prague, Strasbourg. 6 themed zones, 2 million lights, 40m panoramic wheel (largest in Romania), ice rink.
World Record Academy 2024: Craiova International Shakespeare Festival (14th edition) — 380+ events in 70+ locations over 10 days. Founded in 1994 by Marin Sorescu National Theatre.
Puppets Occupy Street (est. 2014): the second most important animation theatre festival in Europe after Avignon. 400+ events, 200+ companies from 20 countries, 8 days, all free.
Architect Édouard Redont's project for Nicolae Romanescu Park won the Gold Medal at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition — two years before construction.
The choreographed artesian fountain in Mihai Viteazul Square — light, color, and water shows, night after night in summer. Transforms into an ice rink in winter.
Craiova was the first city in Romania supplied with electric current based on internal combustion engines — a little-known fact in the country's technological history.
Essential information
The first documentary mention of Craiova dates from October 1, 1475, in a deed by Prince Basarab the Elder (Laiotă Basarab). At that time, it was a market town on the Craiovești boyars' estate. However, the area was inhabited much earlier — archaeological research has identified Neolithic human communities and Dacian (Pelendava fortress) and Roman presence on the territory of modern-day Craiova.
The nickname comes from the Great Banate of Craiova — the second most important political institution in Wallachia, immediately after the reign. Founded by the Craiovești boyars in the 15th century, the Great Banate administered all of Oltenia, issued its own acts, minted coins with the Bans' effigy, and could pronounce capital sentences. It was practically a „state within a state". The Ban's Houses — the seat of this institution — are the oldest civil building in Craiova, preserved to this day (16 Matei Basarab St).
Yes — Craiova was the capital of Wallachia during the 1770–1771 period, when Bucharest was disputed between the Russian and Turkish armies during the Russo-Turkish War. Prince Emanuel Giani Rosetti ruled Wallachia from Craiova during that time. It is a little-known historical fact, but one that highlights Craiova's strategic importance in Romanian history.
The list is impressive: Petrache Poenaru (fountain pen inventor, 1799–1875), Nicolae Titulescu (the only man elected twice president of the League of Nations, 1882–1941), Titu Maiorescu (premier and founder of the Romanian Academy), Eugeniu Carada (founder of the National Bank), George Gogu Constantinescu (400+ patents, sonics theory), Theodor Aman (founder of the School of Arts), Jean Negulescu (Hollywood director), Marin Sorescu (writer with works translated into 20+ countries), Corneliu Baba (painter), Tudor Gheorghe (folk performer). Constantin Brâncuși, although born in Hobița (Gorj), studied in Craiova (1894–1898) and is closely linked to the city.
The Treaty of Craiova, signed on July 28, 1913, was the peace treaty that ended the Second Balkan War during the government of Prime Minister Titu Maiorescu. Through this treaty, Bulgaria ceded the Quadrilateral (Southern Dobruja) to Romania. It is one of the few diplomatic agreements of European importance signed on Craiova's territory — a fact that underlines the city's historical role.