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The Tram Problem in Craiova from the end of the 19th Century to the first Two Decades of the 20th Century

Gabriel CROITORU
Scientific Researcher III, PhD.
Institute of Socio-Human Research from Craiova – C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor, of the Romanian Academy
E-mail: gabrielcroitoru288@yahoo.com

orcid logo https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7769-5370
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59277/CSNPISSH.2025.09

Copyright (c) 2025.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Published on December 28, 2025

Abstract
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the cities of Romania underwent major changes that were part of the broad process of modernization that Europe was going through at that time. The modernization was manifested in the administration of cities through building, urban planning and architectural regulations that included specific aspects of cities. This was the period when we witnessed a planned expansion of cities through changes and openings of streets and new traffic arteries. Transport is increasingly developed, with an emphasis on public transport. So in 1888, for the first time, the issue of a tramway network was raised, which only became feasible a century later. In this study we aim to capture all the attempts, the plans of the Craiova local administration at the end of the 19th century, the beginning of the 20th century to introduce the tramway in Craiova.

Keyword
tramway, city, modernization, administration, transport

References:

  1. Andreescu, Mitu, Chestiunea tramvaielor la Craiova și alte propuneri de gospodărie comunală locală, Craiova, F. Constantinescu Golești Bookbinding Printing House, 1911.
  2. Dare de seamă către Consiliul comunal al Craiovei de Nicolae P. Romanescu primar al orașului, Craiova, 1904.
  3. Deaconu, Luchian C., Saltul la urbanismul modern. Nicolae P. Romanescu, Craiova, Sitech Publishing House, 2001.
  4. Deaconu, Luchian; Gherghe, Otilia, Craiova 1900-1916. Modernizare. Obstacole, capcane și ispite, Craiova, Sitech Publishing House, 2011.
  5. Dobrin, Marius, În căutarea memoriei, Craiova, Aius Publishing House, 2003.
  6. Dolj County Service of National Archives (SJAN Dolj), Dolj County Prefecture Fund, file 38/1895; Craiova City Hall, Technical Service Fund, file 18/1890, file 31/1891, file 53/1902; Craiova City Hall Collection, Technical Service Fund, file 37/1904, file 35/1898, file 47/1907, file 39/1904, file 47/1907; Collection of Articles, Studies and Monographs, file 59.
  7. Istoria Românilor, vol VII, tom II. De la Independență la Marea Unire (1878-1918), Bucharest, Encyclopedic Publishing House, 2003.

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