Prahova Valley (Romanian: ''Valea Prahovei'') is the valley where the
Prahova river
The Prahova is a river of Southern Romania, which rises from the Bucegi Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians. It is a left tributary of the Ialomița. It flows into the Ialomița in Dridu Snagov.Bucegi and the
Baiu Mountains
The Baiu Mountains ( ro, Munții/Muntele Baiu/Baiul/Baiului/Munții Gârbova, hu, Baj-hegység) are mountains in central Romania, a few kilometers south of Brașov.
Within traditional Romanian classification the Baiu Mountains belong to the ...
, in the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretche ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. It is a tourist region, situated about north of the capital city of
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
.
World War I
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the area was the site of heavy fighting between
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
forces on one side and Romanian forces on the other. The strategic objective of the
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...
was to reach
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
via the shortest route, but they were prevented from doing so by determined Romanian resistance.
Geography
Geographically, the
Prahova river
The Prahova is a river of Southern Romania, which rises from the Bucegi Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians. It is a left tributary of the Ialomița. It flows into the Ialomița in Dridu Snagov.Eastern Carpathians chain from the
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Pr ...
. Historically, the corridor was the most important passageway between the principalities of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
and
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
. The
DN1
DN1 ( ro, Drumul Național 1) is an important national road in Romania which links Bucharest with the northwestern part of the country and the border with Hungary via Borș. The main cities linked by DN1 are Bucharest, Ploiești, Brașov, Sibiu, ...
road links Bucharest with the city of
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...
; the planned A3 freeway is currently being built along the Prahova Valley.
After failing to take part in the hosting of the 2013 European Youth festival, Prahova Valley considered making a bid for the
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Bei ...
.
The region is a popular destination for mountaineers and for winter sports fans. The most important resorts are:
* Predeal
*
Azuga
Azuga is a small resort town in the mountains of Prahova County in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania. It is located at the foot of the Baiu Mountains and contains several ski slopes, including the longest ski run in Romania, the Soric ...
Comarnic
Comarnic () is a town in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania, with a population of 13,500. Four villages are administered by the town: Ghioșești, Podu Lung, Poiana and Posada.
The town is situated along the Prahova River, in the main on the left ...
*
Breaza
Breaza () is a town in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. The town center consists of at least two former villages, ''Podu Vadului'' and ''Breaza de Sus'', which were later merged. Today, ten villages are administratively part of the town: Breaza ...
See also
*
Tourism in Romania
Romania's tourism sector had a direct contribution of EUR 5.21 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018, slightly higher than in 2017, placing Romania on the 32nd place in the world, ahead of Slovakia and Bulgaria, but behind Greece ...