The city of Pitesti is the capital of the Romanian Arges County and one of the most visited spots in this country. This city is located on the bank of the Arges River, within the region of Wallachia, and near to Bucharest. Tourists who visit Bucharest during a vacation in Romania could easily reach this city through the A1 freeway since it provides a direct connection between them, as well as they would find a variety of buses, trains, and trams connecting this city with many others.
Pitesti is at approximately 275 meters above sea level and on the right bank of the Arges River. It offers a variety of attractive landscapes composed by an interesting combination of the river with hills and green fields. Besides this, this city is famous by its vineyards and orchards, being these some of the main sources of income for its inhabitants.
According to experts, the history of Pitesti can be traced back to the Paleolithic times, since some archaeological discoveries allow affirming that, during that époque, there was a human settlement in this spot. After that, the first known fact about the city of Pitesti as such dates from the year 1385 when it was mentioned in Romanian writings.
Since its beginnings as a city, and due to a mixture of factors which would include its location, climate, and fertile lands, Pitesti became a very important commercial center. Besides this, this city was often one of the favorite spots of Romanian Rulers and especially by the Wallachian Princes. This way, during its first centuries of life as a city, Pitesti was a very popular spot, probably considered as one of the most important cities in the country.
During the 1950’s, Pitesti became widely known in Romania and the rest of the world by being the place chosen by the communist authorities for a practice they called “reeducation”. This practice would consist on stimulating and even demanding violence between political detainees as a way to brainwash them. Although these practices didn’t endure more than 5 years, they became widely known around the entire world due to their characteristics.