Calafat

Calafat (Romanian pronunciation: [kalaˈfat]) is a city in Dolj County, Romania, on the river Danube, opposite the Bulgarian city of Vidin, to which it is linked by the Calafat-Vidin Bridge, opened in 2013. After the destruction of the bridges of late antiquity, for centuries Calafat was connected with the southern bank of the Danube by boat and later on by ferryboat.

The city administers three villages: Basarabi, Ciupercenii Vechi and Golenți.

History

It was founded in the 14th century by Genoese colonists, who employed large numbers of workmen (Calafatis) in repairing ships. This industry gave the town its name.

In January 1854, during the Crimean War, when Russian forces were headed up the Danube, Ahmed Pasha, commanding the Turkish forces at Calafat, made a surprise attack on the temporary Russian garrison nearby Cetate, which was under the command of Colonel Alexander Baumgarten. This diverted the initial Russian attack and allowed Ahmed Pasha to consolidate his forces in Calafat. On 28 January the Russians under the command of General Iosif Romanovich Anrep reached Calafat and began the siege which lasted until May. Riddled by disease and unable to take the town, Anrep withdrew.