Mogosoaia Palace, Bucuresti

Mogoșoaia Palace (in Romanian: Palatul Mogoșoaia, pronounced [paˈlatul moɡoˈʃo̯aja]) is situated about 10 kilometres from Bucharest, Romania. It was built between 1698-1702 by Constantin Brâncoveanu in what is called the Romanian Renaissance style or Brâncovenesc style. The palace bears the name of the widow of the Romanian boyar Mogoș, who owned the land it was built on.

After 1714, when Constantin Brancoveanu was executed with his entire family in Constantinopole, all the family's wealth was confiscated by the Ottomans and the palace was converted into an inn. Rebought by Prince Stefan Cantacuzino, he returned it to Brâncoveanu's grandson Constantin, and remained with the family until the early nineteenth century. The palace was devastated by the Ottomans during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. Granted by prince Grigore to his daughter, Zoe Mavrocordat who had married George D. Bibescu, sovereign Prince of Wallachia. The palace remained within Bibescu family and was renovated by Nicolae Bibescu. In November 1916, the palace at Mogosoaia was bombed by the German air forces. Bought from Marie-Nicole by her cousin (and head of the Princely house), Prince George Bibesco, the Palace was given to his wife, Princess Martha. He later deeded the land to her, too. Martha spent her private fortune for the reconstruction. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, the palace became the meeting place for politicians and for the international high society. When Prince George died in 1941, he was buried in the small, white 1688 church on the grounds of the Palace.

During the second world war, Prince Antoine Bibesco (a cousin of George Bibesco) and his wife Elizabeth Bibesco refused to flee the country. When Elizabeth died of pneumonia on April 7, 1945 she was buried in the Bibesco family vault on the grounds of Mogoșoaia. Neither Elizabeth Bibesco's husband, Antoine, nor George Bibesco's wife, Martha, could be buried beside them, as they both died during the Communist regime. After 1945, the palace was forcibly nationalized by the communist authorities, and the owners, Valentina și Dimitrie Ghika-Comănești, were arrested. Some of its precious art collections disappeared during this period. In 1957, it eventually became a museum. The Palace is now a popular tourist destination, but although the grounds and gardens are beautiful, the interior of the palace itself is under reconstruction and presently houses a museum and art gallery. (Muzeul de Artă Brâncovenească).

 

 

Ploiesti, Prahova

Ploiești (Romanian pronunciation: [ploˈjeʃtʲ]; older spelling: Ploești) is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located 56 km (35 mi) north of Bucharest. The area of the city is around 60 km2. It borders the Blejoi village in the north, Bărcănești and Brazi villages in the south, Târgșoru Vechi in the west and Bucov village in the east. Ploiești has direct access to the Prahova Valley, one of the most important alpine tourism areas in Romania.

Ploiești lies in the center of Muntenia, in the central-northern part of the Romanian Plain. It lies close to the capital city Bucharest and it had close connections with the capital city throughout the centuries. Ploiești lies at the 25°E meridian and the 44°55’N parallel (north). The city occupies a total surface of around 60 km2, out of which 35 km2 is suburban settlements. There exist two rivers in the proximity of the city: Prahova river, on the south-west, briefly passes through the city through the Brazi settlement and Teleajen River passes through the Blejoi, Bucov, Berceni villages. The city lies on Dâmbu River, which springs from the hills around the Băicoi town. Nowadays the Dâmbu River doesn't have a high flow rate.

Though likely settled much earlier, Ploiești was first mentioned in documents in the 16th century, during the reign of Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave), Prince of Wallachia. It flourished as a center for trade and handicraft manufacturing in the 17th and 18th centuries. The road connecting Ploiești to Brașov opened in 1864, and the railway arrived in 1882. Many schools and hospitals date from this time. In the mid-19th century the Ploiești region was one of the world's leading oil extraction and refinery sites. The world's first large refinery opened at Ploiești in 1856-1857, with US investment. The city is also remembered as the site of the self-styled Republic of Ploiești, a short-lived 1870 revolt against the Romanian monarchy. Ploiești's oil production made it a target during the invasion of Romania by the Central Powers in 1916, but a British Army operation under John Norton-Griffiths destroyed production and sabotaged much of the infrastructure of the industry.

Geology

The Mio-Pliocene Zone in the Ploiești region has been exploited for hydrocarbons and coal since the 19th Century. The zone extends from the flysch on the north to the Moesian Platform on the south. The zone is marked by alternating deposits of Clay, Marl, Shale and Sand, conglomerate, Salt and Limestone. Structural traps and stratigraphic traps are formed from Salt Diapirism which gave rise to anticline folds and faulting. There are four major alignments of the anticlines, all parallel to the Carpathian Range. Pliocene sands are the main oil and gas producers, in particular the Meotian (60%) and Dacian (29%), followed by the Miocene Sarmatian (5%) but some oil exists in Miocene Helvetian and Oligocene sandstones. Major producing structures include Moreni-Gura Ocnitei, Baicoi-Tintea and Boldesti.

 

 

The history of trap race roots back deeply, at the moment the Racetrack from Ploiesti is the only one in Romania where racing takes place on a regular basis.

We have made a selection of important data concerning this sportive discipline:

1922: the construction of the Racetrack of Bucharest, horse race base for trap.

1924: takes place the first Romanian Trap Race Derby. This race is the most important horse competition, nominating the best national trap racer, who is 4 years old. The event has organized every year and not even the World War II interrupts it.

March 1960: The Trap Racetrack in Bucharest is pulled down by order of Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej. The first horse race base in Romania was an exact copy of the famous “Longchamps” in France. On the location of the racetrack, “Expoziția României” (Romexpo in present times) was built. The entire horse racing activity is moved to Ploiesti.

1961: takes place the first Trap Derby on Ploiesti Racetrack, after relocation.

April 2004: the municipality who is the administrator of horse race base, decides to privatize the Racetrack of Ploiesti, and the auction is won by the Italian company Ippodromi &Citta.

Mai 2006: the entire horse racing activity in Ploiesti Racetrack stops, due to the incompliance of the Italian company Ippodromi &Citta of several contractual provisions.

September 2007: Prahova Tribunal registers the first court proceeding that represents a request of material losses of the municipality to Ippodromi & Citta company, for delaying the investments.

December 2009: Appeal Court of Ploiești decides that the Ploiesti Racetrack will be one again the property of Ploiesti City Hall, Ippodromi & Citta Company being in total incompliance with its contractual provisions.

 

September 2010: the horse races start once again on the Ploiesti Racetrack, after a 4 years absence, but for a short time and will be closed for restoration, until 2016.

 

November 2016: Re-opening the race track with demo traps for different horse classes.

Old times trap racers

 

Romania occupies the fifth position in the world on horses with a number near to 900.000. Most of the 10,000 purebred horses are the property of the state, and the rest belongs to several private owners. And, although in Romania the horse race becomes extinct, private owners from other countries come in our country to purchase purebred horses, which are used, guess what?… for racing.

English, Arabian, Lipitan, Trap Racer, Hutul purebreds, are only few of our breeds. Think about it, other countries had never heard of such a thing in 1924, when in Romania organized its first horse race …