Local history is as attractive as any, because it captures the lives of people in a given areas, both in terms of the collective mentality and the specificity of that area. 120 km away from Bucharest we have the city of Calarasi, the seat of the eponymous county. It has a population of only 65,000. It is situated on the left bank of the Borcea branch of the Danube river, which veers off around the area where the Bulgarian city of Silistra lies. Some of the notable people born here are physician and historian Pompei Samarian, writer Stefan Banulescu, historian Nicolae Banescu, actor Stefan Banica, and politician Mircea Ciumara.
This city had a certain importance before the 19th century. During the reign of Prince Mircea the Old, in late 14th and early 15th centuries, Calarasi is documented as being a postal station at the Danube crossing going to the fort of Durostorum, present day Silistra. Medieval documents speak about two names that the city had had. One is L