Târgoviște

Târgovişte: Royal Court

Târgovişte, also spelled Tîrgovişte, city, capital of Dâmboviƫa judeƫ (county), south-central Romania. It lies along the Ialomiƫa River, in the southeastern Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians), 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Bucharest. Târgovişte was the capital of feudal Walachia from the 14th to the 17th century. Its monuments include a 16th-century watchtower and a 17th-century church founded by Vasile Lupu. The city has become a centre of the oil industry, with oil-field-equipment works and many modern residential buildings. Târgovişte has a rare-books museum that was the former residence of Princess Safta; its exhibits trace the history of printing in Romania. An archaeological museum contains artifacts from the Stone and Iron Ages and from the Greek, Roman, and Dacian occupations. Railway connections and highways radiate from Târgovişte throughout the county. Pop. (2007 est.) 89,773.