Craiova is one of the Romanian cities located within the region of Wallachia, towards the southwestern area of the country. This city has the peculiarity of being built on the same site where a Roman settlement used to be, being this way very interesting from the pint of view of history and anthropology. Due to this and several other reasons, this is one of the most attractive destinations tourists could meet in Wallachia during a vacation in Romania.
The city of Craiova is the industrial and administrative center of the Oltenia region. Besides this, it is one of the main providers of grain in Wallachia as well as an important producer of processed food and special equipment for mining. Due to these factors, as well as to others such as its fertile lands, during the last centuries this city has shown a very rapid growth and development which can be reflected in not only its economy but its amount of inhabitants as well.
According to historians, Craiova was formally named capital Oltenia in the year 1492, becoming since then one of the most popular cities in that area of Romania. During the 15th and 16th centuries, this city was known as The Great Banat of Craiova and was a village rather than a city, but its great political importance caused it to become the capital of the region.
Towards the end of the 18th century, Craiova went through dramatic and disastrous moments. During this époque, this city went through several fires and epidemics, an earthquake, and invasions. Craiova could not completely overcome these series of problems until beginnings of the 19th century, when its economy started to become very prosperous and the city started becoming one of the main commercial centers in its region.
It might be interesting to know that, during the last centuries, the population of Craiova has shown a fast and steady increase. According to a census made around the year 1736, this city was inhabited by about 835 families. A century later, around the year 1850, it had approximately 20,000 inhabitants, and at beginnings of the 21st century, it has a population of about 302,000.