Râul Doamnei
Encyclopedia
Râul Doamnei is a left tributary
of the Argeş River
(the two rivers meet just north of Piteşti
). It is formed at the junction of headwaters Valea Rea
and Zârna River
. It is 98 kilometers in length and frequently dries up in summer, owing to the works upstream that have redirected part of its water supply toward a reservoir serving the hydroelectric plant
on the Argeş.
Râul Doamnei flows through a hilly region, forming narrow strips of fertile plain on both of its banks.
for "The river". As such, it may form part of the Romanian names given in full for virtually all rivers. However, since Doamnei is the genitive
of Doamnă ("a lady"), Râul is part of the name itself in this case.
n Prince Vlad III the Impaler
died during the 1462 siege of Poenari Castle by an Ottoman
army led by Vlad's half-brother Radu cel Frumos
.
A former servant of Vlad, held as a prisoner and servant to the Ottomans but still loyal to the Prince, having seen the shadow of Vlad's wife behind a window and shot an arrow in that direction, with a message informing that the Ottoman army was going to attack the castle the next morning. Upon reading the message, Vlad's wife flung herself off the castle's tower and into the stream below the castle, preferring death to Ottoman captivity. The stream was then named in recollection of the event. A fictionalized version of these events is depicted in the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, although in the film, the river the princess throws herself into is the Argeş itself.
The ecosystem of the river was affected by the building of the reservoir. Before its building, Romanichthys valsanicola
, an endemic fish species, used to populate this river. Currently this species, listed as critically endangered
, is only found along a 1 km stretch of the Vâlsan River
.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Argeş River
Arges River
Argeș is a river of Southern Romania. It starts at the junction of headwaters Buda and Capra in the Făgăraș Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Danube at Oltenița.The main city on the Argeş is Piteşti...
(the two rivers meet just north of Piteşti
Pitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
). It is formed at the junction of headwaters Valea Rea
Valea Rea River (Râul Doamnei)
The Valea Rea River is a headwater of the Râul Doamnei in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971-Maps:...
and Zârna River
Zârna River (Arges)
The Zârna River is a headwater of the Râul Doamnei in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971-Maps:* Harta Judeţul Argeş...
. It is 98 kilometers in length and frequently dries up in summer, owing to the works upstream that have redirected part of its water supply toward a reservoir serving the hydroelectric plant
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
on the Argeş.
Râul Doamnei flows through a hilly region, forming narrow strips of fertile plain on both of its banks.
Name
The stream's name literally means the lady's river", or "the princess's river". Râul is RomanianRomanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
for "The river". As such, it may form part of the Romanian names given in full for virtually all rivers. However, since Doamnei is the genitive
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of Doamnă ("a lady"), Râul is part of the name itself in this case.
History
According to legend, a wife or concubine of WallachiaWallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
n Prince Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
died during the 1462 siege of Poenari Castle by an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
army led by Vlad's half-brother Radu cel Frumos
Radu cel Frumos
Radu III the Fair, Radu III the Handsome or Radu III the Beautiful , also known by his Turkish name Radu Bey , was the younger brother of Vlad Ţepeş and voivode of the principality of Wallachia, of the four brothers he converted to Islam and entered Ottoman service...
.
A former servant of Vlad, held as a prisoner and servant to the Ottomans but still loyal to the Prince, having seen the shadow of Vlad's wife behind a window and shot an arrow in that direction, with a message informing that the Ottoman army was going to attack the castle the next morning. Upon reading the message, Vlad's wife flung herself off the castle's tower and into the stream below the castle, preferring death to Ottoman captivity. The stream was then named in recollection of the event. A fictionalized version of these events is depicted in the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, although in the film, the river the princess throws herself into is the Argeş itself.
The ecosystem of the river was affected by the building of the reservoir. Before its building, Romanichthys valsanicola
Romanichthys valsanicola
Romanichthys valsanicola is the scientific name of the fish known as the sculpin-perch, asprete, or Romanian darter, the only member of the Romanichthys genus of the fish family Percidae....
, an endemic fish species, used to populate this river. Currently this species, listed as critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
, is only found along a 1 km stretch of the Vâlsan River
Valsan
Vâlsan is a main tributary of the Argeş River in Romania.The fish species Romanichthys valsanicola is endemic to this river....
.