Piatra-Olt | ||
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Town | ||
Argeșanu mansion
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Coordinates: 44°22′N 24°16′E / 44.367°N 24.267°E | ||
Country | Romania | |
County | Olt County | |
Area | 76.83 km2 (29.66 sq mi) | |
Population (2011) | 6,299 | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Piatra-Olt is a town in Olt County, Romania. The town administers five villages: Bistrița Nouă, Criva de Jos, Criva de Sus, Enoșești and Piatra. The town is an important railway station and road intersection.
The oldest relicves are from the Neolithic, when there was a small settlement.
In Antiquity, the local Dacic population built a fortress, Acidava. The Romans conquered the area. The Romans built a road and rebuilt the fortress Acidava. The ruins of the fortress can be seen even today. The area was still inhabited after the retreat of the Roman legios.
From the Middle Ages come the first written documents about the villages that now compose the town.
In 1878, the railroad Pitești - Vîrciorova was operational and the railway station Piatra Olt (known at that time as Piatra) was built. This was the beginning of the modern history of the town, as a railway town. Later, other railways were built, along the Olt river.
Piatra Olt was officilally declared a town in 1989.
The town is situated in the Central-Eastern part of the Romanian Plain, at the eastern border of Oltenia historical provence and in the western part of the Olt County. The nearby towns are in East: Slatina (11 km), Pitești (93 km); to West: Balș (19 km), Craiova (45 km); to North: Drăgășani (31 km), Râmnicu Vâlcea (86 km) and to South Caracal (33 km)) and Corabia (74 km)). Note that these are intermediate values between road and railway distances.
The main village, Piatra, is placed near the train station and expands to South-East. It is divided into two parts: the eastern part (named Piatra Sat by the locals) and the western part, near the station, called Gară (in English, station). Enoșești is placed East from Piatra, on the 64 national road and is the road access way to Piatra. Criva is placed South-East from Piatra and has a small railway station. Bistrița Nouă is at North from Piatra, at 2 km by foot and more than 7 km by road.