Hârșova (also spelled ''Hîrșova''; ; bg, Хърсово, ''Harsovo'') is a town located on the right bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

, in

Constanța County Constanța () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Dobruja region. Its capital city is also named Constanța. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 684,082 and the population density was 96/km2. The degr ...

, Northern Dobruja,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. The village of Vadu Oii is administered by the town. The village is linked with

Giurgeni Giurgeni is a commune located on the left bank of the Danube, in Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Giurgeni. Giurgeni is linked with Vadu Oii–Hârșova over the Danube via the Giurgeni–Vadu Oii Bridge ...

commune over the Danube via the Giurgeni-Vadu Oii Bridge.

Etymology

The relationship between the current name of Hârșova and the ancient name of the city, ''Carsium'' has long been a matter of debate among historians and linguists. According to

Iorgu Iordan Iorgu Iordan (; also known as ''Jorgu Jordan'' or ''Iorgu Jordan''; –September 20, 1986) was a Romanian linguist, philologist, diplomat, journalist, and left-wing agrarian, later communist, politician. The author of works on a large variety of ...

the ancient name may have been kept under the influence of the Slavic word ''Круш'', cliff, rock. The current name may also derive from the ancient

Slavic god The pagan Slavs were polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods and goddesses. The gods of the Slavs are known primarily from a small number of chronicles and letopises, or not very accurate Christian sermons against paganism. Addi ...

Hârs (''Хърс'') and Slavic suffix " -ova" and it is still under debate whether it is in any way linked with the ancient name, or perhaps a common

proto-indo-european Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo- ...

root related to "ecstasy"/"desire", ultimately also related to the

vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

rta RTA may refer to: Media * Radio and Television Arts, program at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada * Radio Television Afghanistan ** RTA TV, an Afghan channel * Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne * Real time attack, a game speedrun Scienc ...

and

avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the lit ...

n arta.

History

In ancient times, a Roman settlement named ''Carsium'', belonging to the

Scythia Minor Scythia Minor or Lesser Scythia (Greek: , ) was a Roman province in late antiquity, corresponding to the lands between the Danube and the Black Sea, today's Dobruja divided between Romania and Bulgaria. It was detached from Moesia Inferior by th ...

province, lay on the current site of the town. In 1853, ''The Times'' of London reported that "Hirsova"

is defended by a fortified castle, and has a garrison of abouit 2,000 men. This place was taken by the Russians in 1809 and 1828. Though small, it is of considerable importance from its position on the very spot where the Berchicha returns to the Danube. . . . It is in many parts inundated, but has good
pasturage Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
for the excellent horses which constitute the sole wealth of the
Tartars Tartary ( la, Tartaria, french: Tartarie, german: Tartarei, russian: Тартария, Tartariya) or Tatary (russian: Татария, Tatariya) was a blanket term used in Western European literature and cartography for a vast part of Asia bound ...
who inhabit it."The Seat of War on the Danube," ''The Times,'' December 29, page 8
/ref>

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Hârșova had 7,476 Romanians (84.47%), 6

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

(0.07%), 490 Roma (5.54%), 829

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

(9.37%), 9

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

(0.10%), 27

Lipovans , flag = Flag of the Lipovans.png , flag_caption = Flag of the Lipovans , image = Evstafiev-lipovane-slava-cherkeza.jpg , caption = Lipovans during a ceremony in front of the Lipovan church in the Romanian village of Slava Cercheză in 200 ...

(0.31%), 4 others (0.05%), 9 with undeclared ethnicity (0.10%).

Gallery

File:Carsium 01.jpg, Ruins of Carsium File:Carsium 02.jpg, Ruins of Carsium File:Lippovani church of Hirsova.JPG,

Lipovan , flag = Flag of the Lipovans.png , flag_caption = Flag of the Lipovans , image = Evstafiev-lipovane-slava-cherkeza.jpg , caption = Lipovans during a ceremony in front of the Lipovan church in the Romanian village of Slava Cercheză in 200 ...

Church File:RO CT Harsova buildings.jpg, Residential buildings in Hârșova File:Maisons incendiées et démolies par les bulgares à Hârsova, région de Dobroudja - Hârsova - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - AP62T099833.jpg, Houses burned down by Bulgarian troops in 1916, during the Romanian Campaign of World War I

References

External links