Durostor County

{{Infobox settlement  | official_name = Județul Durostor | other_name = | settlement_type = County (''Județ'') | image_skyline = | image_caption = | image_flag = | flag_link = | image_shield = Interbelic Durostor County CoA.png | shield_link = | image_map = Romania 1930 county Durostor.png | map_caption = | subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]] | subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag of Romania.svg|25px]] [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] | subdivision_type2 = Historic region | subdivision_name2 = [[Southern Dobruja]] | subdivision_type3 = County seat (''Reședință de județ'') | subdivision_name3 = [[Dârstor]] | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_party = | leader_title = [[Prefect (Romania)|Prefect]] | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | established_title = Established | established_date = After the [[Treaty of Bucharest (1913)]] | established_title2 = Ceased to exist | established_date2 = ''Administrative and Constitutional Reform'' in 1938 | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 =3226 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | latd = | latm = | lats = | latNS = | longd = | longm = | longs = | longEW = | population_as_of = 1930 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 211433 | population_density_km2 =auto | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_note = | timezone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]] | utc_offset = +2 | timezone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] | utc_offset_DST = +3 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | footnotes = | website = }} '''Durostor County''' was a county (''[[județ]]'') of the [[Kingdom of Romania]], in [[Southern Dobruja]], with the seat at [[Dârstor]].

The county was located in the south-eastern part of [[Greater Romania]], in the southern Dobrogea region, known as [[Cadrilater]]. Currently the territory of the former county is split between [[Bulgaria]] and Romania; in Bulgaria, the former county's territory belongs to [[Silistra Province]], the eastern part of the former county remained within territory of Romania constituting the territory around [[Ostrov, Constanța|Ostrov]] in today's [[Constanța County]].

The county consisted of 4 districts (''[[Plasă|plăși]]''): [[Dulovo, Bulgaria|Accadânlar]], [[Tervel (town)|Curtbunar]], [[Silistra]], and [[Tutrakan|Turtucaia]]. The county was neighbored by the counties of [[Ilfov County|Ilfov]] and [[Ialomița County|Ialomița]] to the north, [[Caliacra County|Caliacra]] and [[Constanța County|Constanța]] to the east, and the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria]] to the south.

==History== As a result of Romania's involvement in the Second Balkan War, the part of the Cadrilater north of the [[Turtucaia]] – [[Balcic]] line was annexed by Romania in 1913, despite criticism on the a part of the political opposition, e.g., the socialist [[Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea]], who appreciated that this act would create for Romania a new and fierce enemy over a {{convert|600|km|mi|abbr=on}} frontier on its southern flank, in Bulgaria which had, until then, been a friendly country whose independence had been obtained simultaneously with Romania's.<ref name=CD_Gherea>Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea - ''„Opere Complete”'' (Ed. Politică, 1976-1983, cited in Catherine Durandin: ''"Istoria Românilor"'', translation by L. Buruiană-Popovici, Ed. Institutului European, București, 1998)</ref>

After the annexation of the Cadrilater to Romania, Durostor County, headquartered in Silistra, was established in the same year. Bulgaria managed to regain it between 1916 and 1918, but then lost it again after the end of [[World War I]] (''see [[Treaty of Neuilly]]''). Durostor County, together with the rest of the Cadrilater, remained with Romania until 1940, when the [[Treaty of Craiova]] of September 7 returned to Bulgaria as an indirect consequence of [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] political pressure on the Romanian government.

==Etymology== The county was named after the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] name of Silistra, ''Durostorum''.

==Coat of arms== The Coat of Arms depicted [[Mircea I of Wallachia|Mircea the Elder]].

==Population== According to the Romanian census of 1930 the population of Durostor County was 211,433, of which 42.8% were ethnic [[Turkish people|Turks]], 34.2% ethnic [[Bulgarians]], 19.0% ethnic [[Romanians]], 1.4% [[Romani people|Romanies]], as well as other minorities.<ref name=Rec_1930_186>Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 186-187</ref> Classified by religion: 54.0% [[Eastern Orthodox|Orthodox Christian]], 45.1% [[Islam]], as well as other minorities.<ref name=Rec_1930_614>Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 614</ref>

By 1937, the population was estimated to have risen to 230,309.

==Administrative organization== [[File:1938 map of interwar county Durostor.jpg|thumb|right|385px|Map of Durostor County as constituted in 1938.]] The county's capital was the town of [[Silistra]] (sometimes referred to by an antiquated [[Romanian language|Romanian]] name, Dârstor). Other urban centres were the towns of [[Ostrov, Constanţa|Ostrov]] and [[Turtucaia]]. The territory of the county was divided into five districts (''[[plasă|plăși]]''):<ref name=Memoria>[http://romaniainterbelica.memoria.ro/judete/durostor/ Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Durostor]</ref> #Plasa Accadânlar, headquartered in [[Dulovo, Bulgaria|Accadânlar]] (with 48 villages) #Plasa Curtbunar, headquartered in [[Tervel (town)|Curtbunar]] (with 41 villages) #Plasa Silistra, headquartered in [[Silistra]] or [[Sitovo, Silistra Province|Doimușlar]] (with 33 villages) #Plasa Turtucaia, headquartered in [[Tutrakan|Turtucaia]] (with 43 villages) #Plasa Ostrov, headquartered in [[Ostrov, Constanţa|Ostrov]] (with 30 villages)

==After 1938== After the 1938 ''Administrative and Constitutional Reform'', the county was merged with the counties of Constanța, Caliacra, and Ialomița to form [[Ținutul Mării]].

On September 7, 1940, the former county (except for the north-eastern corner comprising [[Ostrov, Constanța|Ostrov]] and [[Lipnița]] communes) with the whole Southern Dobruja was returned to Bulgaria (''see [[Treaty of Craiova]]'').

==See also== * [[History of Romania]] * [[History of Bulgaria]] * [[Silistra Nouă County]]

==References== <references />

==External links== {{commonscat|Interwar Durostor County}} * {{in lang|ro}} [http://romaniainterbelica.memoria.ro/judete/durostor/index.html Durostor County on memoria.ro]

[[Category:Dobruja]] [[Category:Former counties of Romania]] [[Category:1938 disestablishments in Romania]] [[Category:1913 establishments in Romania]] [[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1938]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1913]] [[Category:Bulgaria–Romania border]]