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Calafat
The monument commemorating the soldiers who fought in the War of Independence in 1877
The monument commemorating the soldiers who fought in the War of Independence in 1877
Coat of arms of Calafat
Coat of arms
Calafat is located in Romania
Calafat
Calafat
Location in Romania
Country  Romania
County Dolj
Area
103.59 km2 (40.00 sq mi)
Elevation
35 m (115 ft)
Population
 (2011)
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Time zone EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
205200

Calafat (Romanian pronunciation: [kalaˈfat]) is a city in Dolj County, southern Romania, in the region of Oltenia. It lies on the river Danube, opposite the Bulgarian city of Vidin, to which it is linked by the Calafat-Vidin Bridge, opened in 2013. After the destruction of the bridges of late antiquity, for centuries Calafat was connected with the southern bank of the Danube by boat, and later by ferryboat.

The city administers three villages: Basarabi, Golenți, and Ciupercenii Vechi.

History

It was founded in the 14th century by Genoese colonists. These colonists generally employed large numbers of workmen (Calafatis) in repairing ships. This industry gave the town its name.

In January 1854, during the Crimean War, when Russian forces were headed up the Danube, Ahmed Pasha, commanding the Turkish forces at Calafat, made a surprise attack on the temporary Russian garrison nearby Cetate, which was under the command of Colonel Alexander Baumgarten [ru; de]. This diverted the initial Russian attack and allowed Ahmed Pasha to consolidate his forces in Calafat. On 28 January, the Russians under the command of General Joseph Carl von Anrep, reached Calafat and began the siege which lasted until May. Riddled by disease and unable to take the town, Anrep withdrew.

Calafat was declared a municipiu in 1997.

Climate

Climate data for Calafat
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3
(37)
5
(41)
12
(54)
18
(64)
23
(73)
27
(81)
29
(84)
29
(84)
24
(75)
17
(63)
10
(50)
4
(39)
17
(62)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1
(30)
2
(36)
6
(43)
12
(54)
18
(64)
21
(70)
23
(73)
23
(73)
18
(64)
12
(54)
6
(43)
1
(34)
12
(53)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4
(25)
−3
(27)
1
(34)
6
(43)
11
(52)
15
(59)
17
(63)
16
(61)
11
(52)
7
(45)
3
(37)
−3
(27)
6
(44)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 38.1
(1.50)
43.2
(1.70)
45.7
(1.80)
48.3
(1.90)
58.4
(2.30)
66.0
(2.60)
40.6
(1.60)
33.0
(1.30)
33.0
(1.30)
38.1
(1.50)
50.8
(2.00)
48.3
(1.90)
543.5
(21.4)
Source: weather.com
Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1900 7,113 —    
1912 7,608 +7.0%
1930 7,633 +0.3%
1948 8,251 +8.1%
1956 8,069 −2.2%
1966 9,483 +17.5%
1977 15,568 +64.2%
1992 20,445 +31.3%
2002 21,227 +3.8%
2011 16,247 −23.5%
2021 13,807 −15.0%
Source: Census data

Transport

Primaria calafat
Calafat City Hall

Calafat lies on the river corridor VII-Danube and the pan-European corridor IV, which starts in Germany and ends in Istanbul and Thessaloniki. The city is at the crossroads of National Roads DN56, DN56A, and DN55A and European route E79. The city of Calafat and its neighbour, Vidin (Bulgaria), are linked by a bridge over the Danube in the area called Bașcov (Danube Bridge 2), built by the Spanish company FCC. The project of constructing a Danubian bridge in the area of Calafat–Vidin dates back to 1925. Road traffic between Vidin and Calafat was doubling every year, so it became necessary to construct a bridge with four lanes of road traffic, a railway line, a lane two meters wide for bikes and a pavement for pedestrians. The bridge has a total length of 1,971 m (6,467 ft) and its cost is estimated at US$200 million. It was officially opened on 14 June 2013.

Newspapers

Poșta Calafat
Old post office

Calafat has several city newspapers. One of them is called Ziarul De Calafat, which is also maintained online; another one is Calafat Live.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Calafat is twinned with:

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