Craiova is the chief commercial city west of Bucharest the surrounding uplands are very rich in grain, pasturage and vegetable products, and contain extensive forests. In the town, which is the headquarters of the First Army Corps, there are military and commercial academies, an appeal court and a chamber of commerce, besides many churches, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant, with synagogues for the Jews.
Craiova, which occupied the site of the Roman Castra Nova, was formerly the capital of Little Walachia (Oltenia). Its ancient bans or military governors were, next to the princes, the chief dignitaries of Walachia, and the district is still styled the banat of Craiova. Among the holders of this office were Michael the Brave (1593-1601), and several members of the celebrated Bassarab family. The bans had the right of coining money stamped with their own effigies, and hence arose the name of bani (centimes). The Romanian franc, or leu ('lion'), so called from the ima~it bore, came likewise from Craiova. In 1397 Craiova was the scene of a victory won by Prince Mircea over Bayezid I, sultan of the Turks; and in October 1853, of an engagement between Turks and Russians.
In Craiova are currently living 320,000 people,
In 1900 it had a population of 45,000 and in 1950 it had 85,000.
History
Population
Initial text from a 1911 encyclopedia. Please update as needed.