Balș

Balș
Location in Olt County
Location in Olt County
Balș is located in Romania
Balș
Balș
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 44°21′0″N 24°5′58″E / 44.35000°N 24.09944°E / 44.35000; 24.09944
CountryRomania
CountyOlt
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Cătălin-Ștefan Rotea[1] (PSD)
Area
41.13 km2 (15.88 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
16,114
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.OT
Websitewww.bals.ro

Balș (Romanian pronunciation: [balʃ] ) is a town in Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna, and Teiș.

Geography

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The town is situated on the Wallachian Plain and lies on the banks of the river Olteț. It is located in the northwestern part of the county, on the border with Dolj County, 26 km (16 mi) west of the county seat, Slatina.

Etymology

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There are three hypotheses about the town's name:

  1. The locality was named after the Balșița brook.
  2. The name comes from the Turkish word "Baliş" (honey), as there is a large apiculture area there.
  3. A boyar named Balș settled here in the 5th or 6th century.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1864 1,700—    
1884 2,500+47.1%
1921 5,000+100.0%
1938 5,300+6.0%
1948 6,128+15.6%
1973 11,578+88.9%
1992 24,560+112.1%
2002 21,195−13.7%
2011 18,164−14.3%
2021 16,114−11.3%
Source: Census data

At the 2021 census, Balș had a population of 16,114. At the 2002 census, there were 20,552 Romanians, 619 Romani, and 27 others. Listed by religion: 21,043 were Eastern Orthodox, 47 Seventh-Day Adventists, 36 Baptists, 19 Pentecostalists, 8 Roman-Catholics, 5 Atheists, and 32 other religions.

History

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  • 1450 – The estimated date when Balș was established.
  • 1564 – First mention of Balș in a document

Natives

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References

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  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.