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In the centre of the historical monument area of the town of Calafat, on the left bank of the Danube, where in 1877 the Romanian people won a very important war for independence, there is a modest stone statue of a girl.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 23rd May 2010
This girl, called Maritza, was killed by the Turkish army, during this 1877 war of independence, because she gave water to Romanian soldiers.
The girl was of the Vlahian people, a brother people of the Romanians, (Vlahs or Vlachs, were descendants of the ancient Romanian people) across the Danube River.
The monument was built by the Vlahs as a reminder of the brotherhood between the two people.
Calafat town is a small town on the left bank of the Danube river, where, during the war for Independence, made by Romania, helped by Russia, against Turkey, there were a lot of acts of heroism, as Maritza did...
Even though she was very young, even though she was not a Romanian girl, but a Vlahian one, even though she did not know the entire importance of the war and its purpose, felt solidarity with the Romanian soldiers and tried to help them as a model of brotherhood across borders.
In Calafat, near the bank of the Danube, there is an entire area of monuments about this 19th Century war of independence, such as cannons, statues, and an esplanade for activities in memory of the heroes of this war.
But this monument was built by the Vlahs in our country, so maybe there are also some Romanians who feel the same sense of gratitude and brotherhood.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 23rd May 2010
An old military fighter plane in a small village near Bailestu, about 50 km south of Craiova, in the grounds of the Coanda Museum.
It looks like it is modelled on a Soviet MIG fighter, similar to the MIG 23 Flogger but smaller and with rounded air intakes instead of rectangular intakes. I'd be glad of a better identification.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
GPS coordinates of the Soviet MIG fighter at the Coanda Museum.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 9th February 2008
This monument is in Calafat, on the left bank of the Danube in the southern part of Oltenia County. This is the place where in 1877 the Romanian people started the War of Independence against the Turkish occupation, over the Danube, into Bulgaria.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
The photo on the left showing the surrender of the wounded Osman Pasha at the end of the seige of Plevna, Bulgaria, and the text below is from Wikipedia:
The Romanian War of Independence was fought in 1877 against the Ottoman Empire.
On 4 April (Old Style) / 16 April 1877, Romania and Russia signed at Bucharest a treaty under which Russian troops were allowed to pass through Romanian territory, with the condition that Russia respect the integrity of Romania. The mobilization began, and about 120 000 soldiers were massed in the south of the country to defend against an eventual attack of the Ottoman forces from south of Danube. On 12 April (O.S.) / 24 April 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire and its troops entered Romania.
At 9 May (O.S.) / 21 May, in the Romanian parliament, Mihail Kogălniceanu declared the independence of Romania as the will of the Romanian people and a day later the act was signed by King Carol I. A day later, the Romanian government canceled paying its tribute to Turkey (914 000 lei) and the sum was given instead to the War Minister.
Initially, Russia did not wish to cooperate with Romania, since they did not wish Romania to participate in the peace treaties after the war, but the Russians encountered a very strong Turkish army of 50 000 soldiers led by Osman Pasha at the Siege of Pleven (Plevna).
Due to great losses, Nikolai Konstantinovich, Grand Duke of Russia asked Carol I for the Romanian Army to intervene and fuse with the Russian Army. Carol I accepted, and became the commander of the Romanian and marshal of the Russian troops, of which the combined forces had conquered Plevna after heavy fighting. The most important battles were at Grivica, Oryahovo, Opanez and Smirdan. Romania won the war, having about 10 000 casualties.
Osman Pasha surrendered the city of Plevna, the garrison and his sword to the Romanian colonel Mihail Cerchez. The number of Ottoman prisoners-of-war captured at Pleven exceeded 2 100 officers and 43 000 soldiers. They were subjected to a death march comparable to the Germans who surrendered at Stalingrad. Only a handful of them returned to Turkey after the war. Turks rarely took prisoners and chose to kill and mutilate any russians they captured.
The armistice between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was signed in San Stefano, on 19 January 1878. Russia did not keep its promises of the 4 April 1877 treaty (signed by Russian consul Stuart Dimitri and Romanian prime minister Mihail Kogălniceanu) to respect Romania's territorial integrity. The peace treaty gave Romania its independence, the territories of Dobrogea, the Danube Delta, and Insula Serpilor, but Russia occupied the southern counties of Bessarabia (Cahul, Bolgrad and Ismail), which by the Treaty of Paris (1856, after the Crimean War) were included in Moldavia.
Old cannon at the Independence 1877 monument.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
At the Independence 1877 monument.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
At the Independence 1877 monument.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
In the middle of the town of Corabia, in the southern part of Oltenia County, on the left bank of the Danube, is an important monument to the heroes of the Romanian people.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
new Maglavit Monastery, a strange place where a shepard named Petrache Lupu from Maglavit claimed to have seen God in 1935 and where the KING CAROL II of Romania decided to build a Monastery, but only in ower days, after 70 years, Romanian businessman named George Becali decided to finish this monumental church. A problem ist hat the curch does not look like an orthodoxe one because of the huge bell tower inside the church, an unusual fact for Romanian people
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
new Maglavit Monastery, a strange place where a shepard named Petrache Lupu from Maglavit claimed to have seen God in 1935 and where the KING CAROL II of Romania decided to build a Monastery, but only in ower days, after 70 years, Romanian businessman named George Becali decided to finish this monumental church. A problem ist hat the curch does not look like an orthodoxe one because of the huge bell tower inside the church, an unusual fact for Romanian people
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
An old wooden cross at Maglavit Monastery.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
new Maglavit Monastery, a strange place where a shepard named Petrache Lupu from Maglavit claimed to have seen God in 1935 and where the KING CAROL II of Romania decided to build a Monastery, but only in ower days, after 70 years, Romanian businessman named George Becali decided to finish this monumental church. A problem ist hat the curch does not look like an orthodoxe one because of the huge bell tower inside the church, an unusual fact for Romanian people
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
new Maglavit Monastery, a strange place where a shepard named Petrache Lupu from Maglavit claimed to have seen God in 1935 and where the KING CAROL II of Romania decided to build a Monastery, but only in ower days, after 70 years, Romanian businessman named George Becali decided to finish this monumental church. A problem ist hat the curch does not look like an orthodoxe one because of the huge bell tower inside the church, an unusual fact for Romanian people
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
new Maglavit Monastery, a strange place where a shepard named Petrache Lupu from Maglavit claimed to have seen God in 1935 and where the KING CAROL II of Romania decided to build a Monastery, but only in ower days, after 70 years, Romanian businessman named George Becali decided to finish this monumental church. A problem ist hat the curch does not look like an orthodoxe one because of the huge bell tower inside the church, an unusual fact for Romanian people
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A bell and a piece of wood called a Toaca at Maglavit Monastery, a few kilometres north of Calafat in the southern part of Oltenia County. The Toaca was hit by monks with wood hammers to remember the moment when Christ was hit on the cross 2000 years ago.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A cross with a sculpture of Christ, near Maglavit Monastery.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
The road leading to Craiova, looking from the Hills of Podari, from south to north, over the city.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
This is a monument of the heroes of the First World War at Resca, near Caracal, a small town of Oltenia County, placed between Corabia and Craiova, near the Roman Castle of Romula.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A few artefacts found near the monument of WWI, near Resca.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
General view of the Roman Castle Romula at Resca, near Caracal, where there are no digs, and the people don’t care about it.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A very important statue in the middle of the town of Caracal, remembering the fight in WWI.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
A watchtower in the middle of Caracal, used by fiefighters many years ago.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
The National Theatre Building in Caracal.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe
