Home

Walachei

Walachei, also known as Wallachia in English, is a historical region in southern Romania. The German exonym Walachei appears in historical and linguistic contexts. The region lies between the Carpathian Mountains to the north and west and the Danube to the south, with its eastern boundary roughly aligning with the Danube and the Dobruja area. It comprises two main historic districts, Muntenia (the eastern part) and Oltenia (the western part), separated by the Olt River.

Wallachia emerged as a medieval principality in the 14th century, initially as separate voivodeships and later

In 1859 Wallachia united with Moldavia to form the United Principalities, the precursor of modern Romania.

Economically, Wallachia was historically oriented toward agriculture and Danubian trade, with wine production and crafts as

consolidated
under
a
single
prince.
For
centuries
it
was
a
vassal
state
of
the
Ottoman
Empire,
while
retaining
internal
autonomy.
Its
historic
centers
included
Curtea
de
Argeș
and
Târgoviște;
Bucharest
began
to
serve
as
the
principality’s
seat
in
the
early
modern
period
and
later
became
the
capital
of
Romania.
The
union
was
recognized
in
1878
as
the
Kingdom
of
Romania,
and
the
former
principality
ceased
to
exist
as
an
independent
political
unit.
Etymologically,
Walachei
reflects
the
exonym
for
the
Vlachs,
Romanians
in
medieval
sources;
in
Romanian
the
region
is
known
as
Țara
Românească,
meaning
the
land
of
the
Romanians.
important
sectors.
Notable
cultural
landmarks
include
the
Horezu
Monastery
in
Oltenia
and
the
Curtea
de
Argeș
Cathedral
in
Muntenia.