Buftea
Buftea | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Ilfov County |
| Historical region | Wallachia |
| Town status | 1968 |
| Area | |
• Total | 57.36 km2 (22.15 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 20,586 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 070000 |
Buftea is a town in Ilfov County, Romania, approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Bucharest. It lies in the historical region of Wallachia, on the Colentina River, and administers the village of Buciumeni. The town had a population of 20,586 at the 2021 census.
Buftea is the location of the nineteenth-century Știrbey Palace, a former residence of the Știrbey family.
Geography and transport
[edit | edit source]Buftea lies on the Wallachian Plain, northwest of Bucharest. The Colentina River passes through the town and forms Lake Buftea, a reservoir bordered by residential areas and wooded land. Buciumeni lies within the town's administrative territory.
National road DN1A passes through Buftea, connecting Bucharest with Târgoviște. Buftea railway station serves trains travelling between Bucharest and Ploiești.
History
[edit | edit source]The medieval village of Mănești occupied part of the present town's territory. It was mentioned on 15 June 1577 in a charter issued by Alexandru II Mircea, Prince of Wallachia, who granted the village to the Holy Trinity Monastery in Bucharest. A document dated 20 July 1752 recorded the settlement under the name Odaia Buftii, from which the modern name Buftea developed.
During the nineteenth century, the Știrbey family acquired an estate at Buftea. Alexandru Știrbey built a palace there in 1864, surrounded by a landscaped park. The estate subsequently became a residence of the family.
On 5 March 1918, representatives of Romania and the Central Powers signed the Treaty of Buftea, a preliminary peace agreement, at Știrbey Palace. The agreement established terms for a separate peace during the First World War and preceded the Treaty of Bucharest (1918), signed on 7 May.
Buftea received town status in 1968. During the communist period, it formed part of the administrative territory surrounding Bucharest. Following the restoration of Ilfov County in 1997, Buftea became one of the county's towns.
Landmarks
[edit | edit source]The Știrbey Palace stands within the former Știrbey family estate beside Lake Buftea. The grounds contain the family's chapel, a landscaped park and buildings dating from the estate's development during the nineteenth century. The palace has been used for cultural events and private functions.