Ploieşti; also: Plo(i)escht(i) and numerous variants: Plojescht, Plojesti, Ployest (Pierer’s Universal Lexicon, 1861), Ploĕsci (Meyer’s Great Encyclopaedia, 1911), etc.

around Ploiești

The most convincing interpretation appears to be that of Leonida S. Georgescu, who traces the place name back to‘plăieșii’(singular‘plăiaș’:border guard, soldier) to a border guard post;^[1] this derivation is also supported by the place name ‘Plăieșii de Jos’ in Harghita County. A derivation from the name of the legendary founder of the village, Moș Ploaie, must be dismissed as mere legend. The obvious derivation from‘ploaie’(rain) finds no basis whatsoever in the village’s actual microclimate.

Ploiești, at 44° 56′ north latitude and 26° 2′ east longitude, is approximately 60 km (north) of Bucharest/București.

Ploiești lies at the southern foot of the Carpathian Bend, between the river valleys of the Prahova and the Teleajen, in the Wallachian Plain (Câmpia Română). The Prahova County is characterised in the south by its mineral resources (particularly oil) around Câmpina-Ploiești, and in the north by tourism in the Prahova Valley (winter sports, local recreation).

Greater Wallachia (Muntenia, also known as Țara Românească)

Romania; administrative centre (county town) of Prahova County (Județ).

The town’s coat of arms depicts two golden lions rising from a blue shield, uprooting a silver oak tree. These symbolise the legendary founding of the town through the clearing of woodland (see below). Below this is a red scroll bearing the initials of Michael the Brave (‘M.V.V.’ = Mihai Viteazul Voievod), to whom the town’s foundation is attributed. The helmet is crowned with a seven-pointed mural crown, symbolising Romanian municipal law.

Based on evidence of prehistoric settlements (Mesolithic in the west and Neolithic in the north of the town’s area, as well as isolated finds dating from the Roman Empire), it is assumed that the town was settled intermittently. The beginnings of historical settlement lie in the establishment of transhumant shepherds who abandoned their migratory pastoral lifestyle. According to legend, the town’s founder, Moș Ploaie, is said to have established the town with his seven sons by clearing a plot in the Vlășia Forest, which at that time stretched from the mountains to the Danube; Ploiești’s location on the sheep-driving route – Calea Oilor – suggests such a founding. The place name also suggests the presence of a garrison (see etymology). The rural settlement gradually developed into a market town with a local catchment area. Under Michael the Brave (1558–1601), Ploiești was granted market rights (‘târg domnesc’), became a princely seat (similar to the medieval imperial palaces) and gained military significance as a staging post and garrison town. Military affairs and trade subsequently shaped the town’s history. In the 17th century, Ploiești became a regional economic centre; owing to its favourable location, an increasing number of merchants and craftsmen settled there. Ploiești became a centre for the wool trade and successfully held its own against the neighbouring markets of Târgșorul and Ghergița. During the Phanariot rule, the previously free market of Ploiești was granted as a hereditary estate by the Voivode of Wallachia, Alexandru Ipsilanti (Alexander Ypsilantis, 1725–1807), to the boyar Ianache Muruz as a hereditary estate (1774). A period of legal battles and skirmishes against boyar rule began, which only ended with the establishment of the Principality of Romania. A severe flood in 1837 and a major fire in 1843 destroyed significant parts of the town’s built environment.

The oil fields around Ploiești-Câmpina, which have been commercially exploited on a large scale since the mid-19th century, continue to be of economic importance to this day. In the 1850s, the first refinery for the production of petroleum was built. In 1857, Romania was listed as the first country with regular oil production (250 tonnes). In the same year, the capital, Bucharest, became the first city in the world to install street lighting using kerosene lamps (fuelled by kerosene from Ploiești). By 1900, Romania was the country with the third-largest volume of oil production (250,000 tonnes) after the USA and Russia, with Ploiești – as the rapidly established centre of oil production in Romania – playing a significant role in this.

The oil boom led to the early and rapid industrialisation of the city and its surrounding area. The emerging industrial culture, based on foreign capital (following the switch to mechanised drilling methods and large-scale operations from 1890 onwards)^[2] formed the basis for the now-developing urban structure of the prosperous upper middle class, with its city-centre villas and the poor working-class neighbourhoods on the outskirts.^[3]

Romania’s oil wells and refineries were fiercely contested as vital sources of raw materials and industries during both world wars. During the First World War, large parts of oil production were paralysed by acts of sabotage carried out by British agents, but were quickly restored to operation following the conquest and occupation by the Central Powers. During the Second World War, Romania was a vitally important supplier of oil to the German Reich and was repeatedly targeted by Allied air raids. Following minor operations by Soviet air forces in 1941, the refineries arranged in a star-shaped formation around Ploiești were targeted by British and US forces between 1942 and 1944. Due to errors in planning and execution on the part of the attackers (the best-known operation, ‘Tidal Wave’, on 1 August 1943, is regarded as one of the most costly bombing missions of the war) and the defenders’ elaborate camouflage and defensive measures, some 20 missions failed to significantly weaken or disable the refineries’ production capacity. The city and its surrounding area, however, were severely damaged by the attacks. Around 2,000 residents lost their lives or were injured, and approximately 10,000 buildings within the city limits were destroyed.

The town’s Jewish population was subjected to persecution by Romania’s fascist rulers and the German troops stationed there. Numerous acts of reprisal took place, including deportations, forced labour, torture and executions. In January 1941, the synagogues in the town were destroyed by the fascist ‘Iron Guard’.^[4]

In the Socialist Republic of Romania, alongside the now nationalised oil extraction and processing industries, the establishment of further industrial enterprises was promoted; the city experienced a boom, particularly in the 1960s, as reflected in its population growth. In communist Romania, Ploiești was the second-largest industrial centre after Bucharest.

In the post-revolutionary period up to the present day, the city has maintained its position as an economic centre, characterised by a decline in the primary and secondary sectors in favour of the tertiary sector (see Economy).

In terms of population, Ploiești is currently the ninth-largest city in Romania. Owing to its development as an industrial centre and economic hub, Ploiești, together with Bucharest and Constanța, has experienced the highest rates of population growth. In line with the national trend, a decline in population has been recorded in the post-reunification period.

Population figures in the 20th and 21st centuries^[5]

Development in the 19th century was just as rapid, and the start of the oil boom is clearly evident.

Population figures in the 19th century

The ethnic composition of the population is dominated by Romanians of the Orthodox Christian faith; according to the 2011 census, they accounted for around 90 per cent. In addition to 3 per cent Roma (5,048), there were smaller numbers of, amongst others, Hungarians (172), Germans (90), Turks (78), Greeks (53) and Jews (28). In 1930, of a total population of 79,149, 69,139 were Romanians (87.3 per cent), 3,708 were Jews (4.6 per cent), 1,591 Hungarians (2.0 per cent) and 1,307 Germans (1.6 per cent); in terms of religious affiliation, 69,458 were Orthodox (87.7 per cent), 3,843 were Jewish (4.8 per cent), 2,629 Roman Catholics (3.3 per cent), 1,115 Protestants (1.4 per cent) and 1,076 Greek Catholics/Uniates (1.3 per cent).

Historically, the Jewish community represented an important demographic factor in Ploiești.

Jewish population^[6]

After the end of the war, the majority of the deported Jews initially returned to the city. Following decades of out-migration and emigration (primarily to Israel) from communist and post-communist Romania, the Jewish communities in Ploiești have been virtually non-existent since the turn of the millennium.

Germans came to Ploiești primarily as part of labour migration to the Principality of Romania (founded in 1861), which was becoming an economically attractive destination. There is evidence of Catholic and Protestant diaspora communities in the city dating back to the mid-19th century.

Members of the Protestant congregation in Ploiești^[7]

A few examples of historic urban architecture have survived: the Casa Hagi Prodan, built in 1785 for a merchant, displays typical architectural features of the Phanariot period (a blend of indigenous architectural styles with Oriental elements) and has been converted into a museum. The Casa Dobrescu was also built at the end of the 18th century; it currently houses a museum dedicated to the Romanian playwright and novelist Ion Luca Caragiale (1852–1912).

The Regional Museum of History and Archaeology is housed in the building of the city’s first secondary school, the Peter and Paul Boys’ Grammar School (Gimnaziul de băieți ‘Sfinții Petru și Pavel’, founded in 1864). The National Petroleum Museum (Muzeul Național al Petrolului) and a clock museum (Muzeul Ceasului) are situated in historic 19th-century buildings. The Palace of Culture was built as a Palace of Justice in the neoclassical style between 1905 and 1930 by Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960), an architect of great importance to Ploiești; amongst other things, it houses the County Library (Biblioteca județeană). The Central Market Hall (Halele centrale), also built by Socolescu between 1929 and 1935, is a landmark of the city.

Ploiești has twelve secondary schools and the Universitatea Petrol-Gaze (Oil and Gas University), a technical university specialising in petrochemicals.

The Ploiești Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys an international reputation.

• Hans Durlesser: History of the German Protestant Parish of A. B. in Ploiești, Romania, 1843–1942. Ploiești 1942.
• Eugen Paveleţ: Ploiești of Yesterday, Ploiești of Today. Ploiești 2007.
• Paul Popescu: The Municipality of Ploiești: History and the Present Day. Ploiești 2000.
• Mihail Sevastos: Monografia orașului Ploiești [A Monograph on the City of Ploiești]. Bucharest 1937. (Reprinted in Ploiești 2002).

• muzeuvirtualploiesti.cimec.ro/?page_id=31 (website featuring numerous historical studies, historical images, etc.)
• www.ploiesti.ro/ (Official website of the city council)

[1] Leonida S. Georgescu: Orașul Ploiești sau Plăieșii [The Town of Ploiești or Plăieșii]. Ploiești 1928.

[2] See Carol Gustav Rommenhöller: Greater Romania, its economic, social, financial and political structure, with particular reference to its natural resources. Berlin 1926, p. 415; see pp. 413–461 for a detailed account of oil production and processing, their history, companies, economic output, etc., in Romania up to 1925.

[3] Bernhard Kellermann (1879–1951) provides an exemplary description of the oil boom and its upheavals in a fictional Balkan city, strongly modelled on Ploiești, in his novel *Die Stadt Anatol* (1932).

[4] See ‘Ploiești, Romania’. In: Jean Ancel, Theodore Lavi, Aviva Broshi, Zvi Shal (eds.): *Pinkas Hakehillot. Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities in Romania*. Vol. I. Jerusalem 1969, pp. 218–224, translated by Jerrold Landau. URL: www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/pinkas_romania/rom1_00218.html (accessed 4 September 2015).

[5] The population figures given here and in the following are based on census data. See www.recensamantromania.ro/istoric/lista-recensafmintelor-populaaiei/ (accessed 18 December 2015).

[6] See Ploieşti, Romania (note 4), p. 219.

[7] Chronologies on the history of the German Protestant urban parishes in Old Romania (c. 1840–2010). In: Christa Stache, Wolfram G. Theilemann (eds.): Protestantism in Old Romania. Research and Sources on the History of German-speaking Protestant Parishes in the Romanian Regat. Sibiu, Bonn 2012 (Publications of the Protestant Central Archive in Berlin 9), pp. 603–629, here pp. 621–623.

[8] Wolfram G. Theilemann: Migrant Workers, ‘Agents’ and ‘Traitors to the Nation’ – the Protestant urban congregations of Old Romania between ethnicity and the Church. In: Stache, Theilemann (eds.): Evangelical in Old Romania (note 7), pp. 65–97, here p. 95.

[9] The statue is associated with the ‘Republic of Ploiești’ (‘Republica de la Ploiești’), which was proclaimed on 8 August 1870 and lasted for just one day. This was a revolt by liberal political forces inspired by French republicanism and exemplified the strong republican and anti-monarchist tradition in Ploiești; in addition, due to the large number of industrial workers active there, communist-socialist currents also shaped political life; the Second Party Congress of the Communist Party of Romania took place in Ploiești in 1922.

Thomas Schares: Ploieşti. In: Online Encyclopaedia on the Culture and History of Germans in Eastern Europe, 2015. URL: ome-lexikon.uni-oldenburg.de/p32511 (accessed 21 December 2015).