Baragan Plain
Encyclopedia
The Bărăgan Plain is a steppe
plain
in south-eastern Romania
. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing area.
It is bounded on the south and east by the Danube, and in the North by the Buzău
and Călmăţui
rivers, both tributaries of the Danube
. The western limit is a line joining the cities of Buzău
, Urziceni
, Budești
& Oltenița
.
The city of Bucharest is not part of Bărăgan but is on the Vlasiei Plain
.
The cities of Buzău
, Urziceni
and Oltenița
border the Plains, but can not be considered part of the Plains proper.
The Baragan Steppe was traditionally used as pasture by the shepherds in the Carpathians (including Transylvania) during transhumance
, but was converted to arable land in the second half of the 19th century.
It was used as a depot for mass deportations
by the Communist authorities
during the 1950s. About 40,000 political prisoners were relocated here from the west of the country.
wind, known as "crivăţ
" (this feature also gives the plain its name, derived from the Cuman language
for "place where the blizzard is raging").
Due to its climate, it is one of the most inhospitable areas in Romania.
In his novel, Ciulinii Bărăganului
, the Romanian writer Panait Istrati
describes the Bărăgan Plain as follows:
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
in south-eastern Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing area.
It is bounded on the south and east by the Danube, and in the North by the Buzău
Buzau River
Buzău is a river in eastern Romania, tributary of the Siret River. Its total length is 302 km. Its source is in the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains, east of Braşov. The Buzău flows through the Romanian counties Braşov, Covasna, Buzău and Brăila...
and Călmăţui
Calmatui River (Braila)
The Călmăţui River is a tributary of the Danube in Romania. Its source is a few km southwest of Buzău. It flows generally eastwards and flows into the Danube at Berteştii de Jos.-References:...
rivers, both tributaries of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. The western limit is a line joining the cities of Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
, Urziceni
Urziceni
Urziceni is a town in Ialomiţa County, Romania, located around 60 km north-east of Bucharest. It has a population of 17,090.Founded by Romanian shepherds, its name is derived from the word "urzică" . It was mentioned for the first time in a written document on 23 April 1596, during the reign...
, Budești
Budesti
Budeşti is a small provincial town in Călăraşi County, approximately 30 km south-east of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Aprozi, Buciumeni and Gruiu. Budeşti was the birthplace of famous Romanian violin player Ion Voicu. It has a population of...
& Oltenița
Oltenita
Olteniţa is a city in Romania in the Călăraşi County on the left bank of the Argeş River where its waters reach the Danube through a network of streams and marshes.Oltenita stands just across the Danube from the Bulgarian city of Tutrakan.-History:...
.
The city of Bucharest is not part of Bărăgan but is on the Vlasiei Plain
Codrii Vlasiei
Codrii Vlăsiei was the forest that once covered parts of southern Romania, including the territory of today's Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov County....
.
Major urban centers
- BrăilaBrailaBrăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
- 216.292 (2002) - CălărașiCalarasiCălăraşi , the capital of Călăraşi County and Sud-Muntenia Region in the Wallachia region, is situated in south-east Romania, on the bank of Danube's Borcea branch, at about 12 kilometers from the Bulgarian border and 125 kilometers from Bucharest....
- 73.823 (est. 2005) - SloboziaSloboziaSlobozia is the capital city of Ialomiţa County, Romania, with a population of 52,710 in 2002.-Geography:Slobozia lies roughly in the middle of the county, on the banks of Ialomita River, at ca. east of Bucharest and west of Constanţa, important port at the Black Sea...
- 52.710 (2001) - FeteștiFetestiFeteşti is a city and municipality in Ialomiţa County, Romania, with a population of 34,076. It is located in the Bărăgan plain, on the Borcea branch of the Danube. Feteşti has the second largest population in Ialomiţa, after Slobozia....
- 33.294 (2002)
The cities of Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
, Urziceni
Urziceni
Urziceni is a town in Ialomiţa County, Romania, located around 60 km north-east of Bucharest. It has a population of 17,090.Founded by Romanian shepherds, its name is derived from the word "urzică" . It was mentioned for the first time in a written document on 23 April 1596, during the reign...
and Oltenița
Oltenita
Olteniţa is a city in Romania in the Călăraşi County on the left bank of the Argeş River where its waters reach the Danube through a network of streams and marshes.Oltenita stands just across the Danube from the Bulgarian city of Tutrakan.-History:...
border the Plains, but can not be considered part of the Plains proper.
History
Due to lack of forest in the past, the Baragan was an important route for the migratory peoples who roamed the area that is south-eastern Romania today.The Baragan Steppe was traditionally used as pasture by the shepherds in the Carpathians (including Transylvania) during transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
, but was converted to arable land in the second half of the 19th century.
It was used as a depot for mass deportations
Baragan deportations
The Bărăgan deportations were a large-scale action of penal transportation, undertaken during the 1950s by the Romanian Communist regime. Their aim was to forcibly relocate individuals who lived within approximately 25 km of the Yugoslav border to the Bărăgan Plain.-Reasons:After relations...
by the Communist authorities
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
during the 1950s. About 40,000 political prisoners were relocated here from the west of the country.
Climate
The Bărăgan Plain has a harsh climate with hot and dry summers and includes the location where the highest-ever temperature in Romania was recorded (44.5 °C, at Ion Sion). Winters are cold, and subject to the effects of a blizzardBlizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
wind, known as "crivăţ
Crivat
Crivăţ is a north-easterly wind in Moldavia, Dobruja, and the Bărăgan Plain parts of Romania. In the winter, it blows at speeds of up to 30-35 m/s , creating blizzard conditions....
" (this feature also gives the plain its name, derived from the Cuman language
Cuman language
Cuman was a Kipchak Turkic language spoken by the Cumans and Kipchaks; the language was similar to the today's Crimean Tatar language...
for "place where the blizzard is raging").
Due to its climate, it is one of the most inhospitable areas in Romania.
In his novel, Ciulinii Bărăganului
Ciulinii Baraganului
Ciulinii Bărăganului is a 1958 Franco-Romanian film directed by Louis Daquin and Gheorghe Vitanidis, based on a novel of the same title by Panait Istrati....
, the Romanian writer Panait Istrati
Panait Istrati
Panait Istrati was a Romanian writer of French and Romanian expression, nicknamed The Maxim Gorky of the Balkans. Istrati was first noted for the depiction of one homosexual character in his work.-Early life:...
describes the Bărăgan Plain as follows:
No trees grow here, and it's so far from one water well to the next that you can die of thirst half-way. The inhabitant of Bărăgan constantly hopes that one day someone will come and teach him how to live better in the Bărăgan, in this dreadful wilderness where water is hidden in the deepest bowels of the earth and where nothing grows except thistles. They cover the land in less than a week. It's the only thing the Bărăgan will tolerate, except for the sheep who lust after these thistles and devour them greedily. Come winter, the shepherd abandons this God forsaken land and returns home. Then the Bărăgan dons its white fur coat and lays to rest for six months. Nothing lives here any more. That's the Bărăgan.
See also
- ChirpiciChirpiciChirpici is a Romanian term for adobe bricks. Chirpici is a traditional construction material made out of clay and straw, used especially on the steppes of southern Romania, in the Bărăgan Plain, but also in other lowlands of Oltenia, Moldavia and Dobruja....
- Ciulinii BărăganuluiCiulinii BaraganuluiCiulinii Bărăganului is a 1958 Franco-Romanian film directed by Louis Daquin and Gheorghe Vitanidis, based on a novel of the same title by Panait Istrati....
- The Bărăgan deportationsBaragan deportationsThe Bărăgan deportations were a large-scale action of penal transportation, undertaken during the 1950s by the Romanian Communist regime. Their aim was to forcibly relocate individuals who lived within approximately 25 km of the Yugoslav border to the Bărăgan Plain.-Reasons:After relations...
- Romanian (Wallachian) Plain