Curtea de Argeș

Curtea de Argeș is a city in Romania on the right bank of the Argeş River, where it flows through a valley of the lower Carpathians (the Făgăraș Mountains), on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part of Argeș County. The city also administers one village, Noapteș.On July 7, 1947, the total rainfall in Curtea de Argeș was 205.7 mm (8.10 in.) in 20 minutes, which is a world record.Etymology and namesThe present name, literally The Court upon Argeș, refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify the river with ancient "Ordessos", however the name is unlikely to be derived from this name. The oldest Slavonic documents use an "Arghiș" form, which might suggest a Cuman or Pecheneg etymology, from the root arghiš . The original name was Argeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.HistoryCapital of WallachiaOne of the oldest towns in Wallachia, Curtea de Argeș was the capital of a small local state which was the start for the unification of the lands south of the Carpathians. The oldest archeological evidence of it being the seat of such a ruler date from the 13th century.Câmpulung was the seat of Basarab I, the voivode of Wallachia, who was first mentioned in a document written in 1324 at the court of Charles I of Hungary. The next year, a conflict broke out between the two and in 1330, Charles I organized an expedition against the "unfaithful" Basarab and destroyed the Argeș stronghold.