Ștefănești

Ștefănești is a town of 15,000 people (2011) in Muntenia, loaded with a numerous historical heritage. It's also the home town of Brătianu Family, who gave important figures for Romania. It is nicknamed also Mecca of the Liberals.

Location
The city is in the centre of the county, northeast of Pitești, on the left bank of the Argeș River, where it receives the waters of the tributary of the Doamnei River, in the southwestern extremity of the Cândești Plateau, a subdivision of the Getic Plateau. It is crossed by the Bucharest-Pitești highway, on which it is served by the Pitești Est junction, located on the territory of the neighbouring commune, Mărăcineni. That junction connects the highway to the national road DN7, which also connects Pitești to Bucharest and passes through the component localities of the city. The city is also a secondary railway junction, being crossed by the Bucharest-Pitești railway, which is served by Golești station, from where a railway branch to Câmpulung-Parc Krețulescu branches, a line on which the city also has Ștefănești Argeș station.

History
At the end of the 19th century, Ștefănești was a rural commune in the Argeșelul plasa of Muscel county, being formed by the villages Ștefănești and Izvorani, with 1628 inhabitants. There were three churches and a school in the commune in 1866. At that time, the communes of Golești (the residence of the Podgoria plasa) and Valea Mare (in the Râurile network) also functioned on the current territory of the commune. Golești commune consisted of the villages of Golești, Uderu and Valea Boierească, with a total of 800 inhabitants. In the commune there were the houses of the Golescu family, a church and a school with 63 students. Valea Mare commune, with the villages of Câmpul, Valea Mare, Enculești and Ploscariu, had 1172 inhabitants; there were also 3 churches and a school here.

The Socec yearbook records the three communes in the Golești network of the same county. Ștefănești commune was the residence of the plasa, having 2420 inhabitants in the villages of Florica, Izvorani, Ștefănești and Târgu Dealului; Golești commune was composed of Golești and Valea Boierească villages, with 1063 inhabitants; and Valea Mare commune had 1460 inhabitants. inhabitants, being made up of the villages of Enculești, Ploscari and Valea Mare. In 1931, in order to be distinguished from Valea Mare-Pravăț commune, Valea Mare commune took its name from Valea Mare-Podgoria.

In 1950, the communes were transferred to the regional city of Pitești, the residence of the Argeș region. During that period, political refugees from Greece, driven out of the Greek Civil War, were brought to Florica, in the house confiscated from the Brătianu family.Therefore, the village of Florica was called Partizanii at that time. However, this name lasted only until 1964, when it was changed again to Ștefăneștii Noi. In 1968, the communes were transferred to Argeș county, at the same time the communes of Golești and Valea Mare-Podgoria were abolished, their villages moving to Ștefănești commune, organized as a suburban commune of Pitești municipality. In 1989, the concept of suburban commune disappeared from the legislation, and Ștefănești commune was directly subordinated to Argeș county. The commune was declared a city in 2004, with all villages as component villages.

Climate
Ștefănești has a temperate continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cold winters with occasional periods of snowfall. Belgrade experiences all four seasons to their maximums, and those visiting are advised to dress appropriately, and keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Time
Ștefănești is in the Eastern European time zone (UTC+2, with a DST of UTC+3 from April to October).

Tourist information

 * Italian traffic signs - icona informazioni (figura II 108).svg *

Get in
Getting there is very easy from Pitești.

By train
The town is also a secondary railway junction, being crossed by the Bucharest-Pitești railway, which is served by Golești station, from where a railway branch to Câmpulung-Parc Krețulescu branches off, a line on which the city also has Ștefănești Argeș station.



By minibus
The Valea Mare-Podgoria - Blocks neighbourhood (Ștefănești Blocuri)-Pitești transport will operate from 06:00 to 20:00. The first ride will be at 06:00 from Ștefănești and at 06:30, from Pitești.

For those who go by maxi-taxi from the village of Ștefănești (Ștefănești Sat), there are rides at 06:45 and 17:00.

The minibuses on the Pitești-Topoloveni route will have departure and disembarkation in Pitești, on Calea București. Their schedule will be: 06:00-18:00, every half hour, both from Pitesti and from Topoloveni.

For Golești, is the following schedule: from Monday to Friday, the morning departures from Golești are at 05:30, 05:55, 06:30, 07:30, and from Pitești to Golești, at 07:00. In the afternoon, the departures from Golești to Pitești are at: 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, and from Pitești to Golești, they are at: 15:10, 16:00, 17:00. On Saturday and Sunday, departures from Golești are at 05:50 and 06:30, and from Pitești to Golești, at 05:30.

By taxi
Taxi service is provided from Pitești 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

By car
Ștefănești has decent road connections. Main connections are:


 * A1 runs south to Bucharest.
 * DN7 runs west to Pitești, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Sibiu, Sebeș, Deva, Arad, Nădlac, and into Hungary. Towards north, it leads to Topoloveni, Găești, Titu and Bucharest.
 * DJ740 runs north from Valea Mare-Podgoria to Mioveni, across the hills.

By plane
The nearest airport to Stefanesti is Bucharest which is a main international airport with regular flights from most European capitals and major cities. The airport is situated in Otopeni which is 11 km to the north of Bucharest centre. To Stefanesti is a further 136 km from Otopeni airport with an estimated driving time of 1hour and 30 minutes. Bucharest airport is also accessible by a combination of trains, buses and taxis.

Also close is Craiova which has few budget airlines operating regular flights from some European countries. The airport is located close to the city centre This airport is also close to the national road, but is 121 km and a 2-hours journey to Stefanesti.

By minibus
You can head out on the street and hail a minibus if headed to a particular destination. They typically have around 14 seats, with standing room for around ten extra people during busy periods. Minibuses are easily identifiable and display their basic route information (in Romanian) on the front. It should not take longer than 10 min to find a ride. According to the law minibuses should stop at bus stops only, but this is only respected if the driver sees a police car. So, in practice you can ask the driver to stop anywhere and he will drop you off at any point on their route.

Do






Outdoor activities





 * Enjoy the two parks of the town * and *

Buy
Ștefănești is well known for its wine and țuică (plum liquor). considered very fine and valuable. Several vineyards offer fine products at great prices.

A good number of stores, including Lidl, Carrefour Market, Praxis, Profi, La Doi Pași, etc.

Connect

 * Ștefănești's postal codes are 117715-117723, and the area's phone code is 48.

Phone
A large number of stores sell prepaid telephone cards. This is especially useful for international calls. Digi - Strada Coasta Câmpului nr. 55, offers competitive rates for international calls.

Stay safe
The emergency number in Romania is 112.

Ștefănești is in generally a safe town. Though you still need to pay attention if you get in the blocks area of Ștefănești, in the settlement of Streaua or some parts of Zăvoi and Golești villages, disadvantaged areas of the town that are not so safe.

Be aware of stray dogs. Some are taken care of by people from nearby houses or even housing blocks and these can be especially territorial and can sometimes attack without warning.

Always carry some ID with you (such as a driver's license) because the police will ask you for it if they stop and search you.



Stay healthy
The tap water is drinkable and restaurants will serve glasses of ice water upon request.

Pharmacy
During normal shopping hours, you won't have any problem locating a pharmacy. Common brands include Mona and Dr. Max.

Outside of these hours you will face more of a challenge. There are no 24 h pharmacies in the city.

Go next

 * Pitești
 * Curtea de Argeș
 * Mioveni
 * Topoloveni
 * Bucharest
 * Târgoviște