"Off The Beaten Path in Prahova Valley " a Cimpina Travel Page by josephescu

A small town 90km north of Bucharest located on the hills preceding the Carpathians, between Ploiesti and Sinaia.

Its economic development was closely related to the discovery and exploitation of oil in mid XIX century. Today, the very little oil remaining in is not enough to reviggorate the region.

Being close to several other tourist destinations on Prahova Valley, such as Sinaia or Predeal, with which Campina cannot rivalise in terms of “to do’s”, the town keeps its off-beaten path character. However, I would strongly recommend Campina as a place to go search for an authentic Romanian town…..some sights…..and nice & friendly people.

1503 - first document mentioning Campina

1593 – customs point on the trade route linking Valachia with Transylvania (today, the village of Vama Campina, near the railways station)

1663 – the locality recognised as “târg” (romanian for medieval small town)

1834 – Ion Campineanu is the first aristocrat to free from slavery all the gypsy population on his domains (gypsies in Romania were freed a few decades later)

1840 – fashionable place for artists, painters and writers at that time

1864 – construction of first oil well in Romania, followed by the “oil boom”

1879 – rail road opened

1890 – the locality is officially recognised as town

1895 – largest oil refinery in Europe at that time (?)

1943/1944 – heavy allied bombings and air strikes, to destroy oil capacities

mid 1980’s – demolition of a number of downtown houses to make way for the communist “civic centre”