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Geographical data

Location and relief

 Târgovişte Municipality is located in the plain under the hills which bears its name, part of the high foothill plain, at the contact area between the Getic Subcarpathians and the Romanian Plain. The city benefits from a favourable position, near the parallel of 45°, namely 44°56' Northern latitude and the meridian of 25°26' Eastern longitude.

 Found at the crossing of old commercial roads (Buzău, Brăila, Giurgiu, Braşov, Câmpulung), the municipality is an important node of road and railway communication ways, being located at only 78 km of Bucureşti, at 48 km of Ploieşti and 110 km of Braşov.

 The natural framework provided very favourable habitat conditions for the development of an urban centre, round which gravitated rural settlements on the middle valleys of Ialomiţa and Dâmboviţa rivers. Târgovişte is in the present an important cultural-historical and touristic centre of the country.

 Towards North of Târgovişte, the relief is more folded, the neighbouring hills climbing towards the peaks of Bucegi and Leaota mountains. The Romanian Plain extends towards South and South-West. Towards North-West, in the vicinity of the city, the hill of the Monastery is predominant, which climbs down in steps towards East.

 The height of hills from the vicinity of the city reaches 425 m, the entire hill area being characterized by valleys carved by torrents and even landslips. In the Western margin of Târgovişte, the relief is slightly arched, forming the interfluvial crest between Ialomiţa and Dâmboviţa. The hills from the right part of Ialomiţa are far from the city, at approx. 6 km, forming a plateau - Gruiul Prisăcii.

 The city hearth, limited at East by Ialomiţa River, is found at 10-15 m high above the overflow meadow of Ialomiţa. The width of this terrace is 6-7 km and is the cutwater, between Ialomiţa and Dâmboviţa basins. In the area of the municipality, Ialomiţa meadow has a width of 500-2000 m and an inclination of 4,5 m at kilometre.

 Târgovişte Plain is found in the right part of Ialomiţa on a width of 6-8 km in the vicinity of the city, being crossed by numerous streams. We mention Ilfov which springs from Teişului hill and, having rains and snow as alimentation sources, Milioara, partially channelled on Şanţul Cetăţii, even from the 17th century and recently deviated towards Ilfov river and Iazul Morilor which passes North from Curtea Domnească.

 From geo-morphological point of view, Targoviste municipality with adjacent areas develops on four terrace units from Dâmbovița-Ialomița inter-river, namely:

  1. High terrace – with reduced development at the Western limit with Dragomirești commune, with higher foothill appearance compared to the surrounding relief with approx. 5.00 – 15.00 m. The measured maximum width in the area of city limit is 500 m. It is the terrace on which is located the drinking water basin which stores water from Butoiu – Hulubești source;

  2. Upper terrace – with an approximately flat, stable relief, with large development between Priseaca and Teiș (Teiș hill) and Târgoviște South industrial platform, starting from the microregion 6, from a line parallel with Unirii Avenue;

  3. Lower terrace – from the right side of Ialomița river, with continuous development, a maximum width of 1.750 m and maximum subsidence of 10 m compared to the upper terrace on the territory of Teiș village. The greatest part of Târgoviște city is located on this terrace. In the city area, the subsidence between the upper and lower terrace is 1.00 - 3.00 m. It has an approximately flat appearance, with an average slope of 0,8% towards SE, without risk potential concerning flood phenomena.

  4. Low terrace – lowered with approx. 2.00 - 6.00 m compared to the lower terrace with continuous development on both shores of Ialomița river and variable sizes with maximum width of 1.000 m in front of the unlevel Passage from Târgoviște north. Because Ialomița river, in front of Târgoviște city, flows on the bedrock, the low terrace has the character of suspended terrace.

 Hydrographically, the territory of Targoviste municipality is located between 2 catchment basins, namely:

 1. Ialomita – Buzău catchment basin, with Ialomita river and its tributary, Milioara brook.

 Ialomit river has a U shaped riverbed, with high strands of 5.00 – 8.00 m and a hydraulic gradient of approx. 2%, which allows the fast drainage of the waters and that Is why the area does not have a risk potential as regards the flood phenomena. During the periods with abundant rainfalls, the high floods intensely erode the strands.

 A bottom weir is set up on Ialomita river, upstream the bridge from Teis, in order to protect it and to defend the strand. From this location, the water of Iazul Morilor is deflected, which was used in the past to put the mills in motion. This stream has strands with heights of 0.5 – 1.5 m, covered by vegetation. The artificial lake located in Chindia Park is supplied from this channel.

 Next to the headquarters of Apele Romane [*Romanian Waters Administration], on Ialomita river, a reservoir with concrete dam is set up, from which an inlet channel starts –Targoviste by-pass, by which the water is directed to the lakes from Vacaresti on the Ilfov brook course.

 Milioara brook currently has a temporary flow, suffered important anthropic modifications in time. It initially had a strongly meander course. After building the defence bank and the ditch of the Citadel, the water

 2. Dambovita river is the main tributary of the Arges river catchment basin.

 Dambovita river collects the Ilfov brook, which crosses the western part of Targoviste Municipality.

The springs of Ilfov brook come from Plaiului brook, under Priseaca hill and has a permanent course parallel with that of Dambovita, with numerous meanders. Three lakes, with variable sizes, are set up on its superior course by earth dams.

 Starting from the crossing of the national road DN 72 Targoviste – Campulung Muscel, Ilfov brook has a designed course, channelled, through which the meanders were eliminated. On the left side, in the areas of a former meander on Ilfov brook, a lake appeared, which water volume depends of the rainfalls. Ilfov brook has a dense network of tributaries with temporary or permanent flow, of which we identify the brook ...

 At approx. 700 m from the national road DN 72 Targoviste – Campulung, towards the springs area of the river ...

 Adjacent to the territory of Targoviste municipality, in the south-west part, at the border with Dumbrava village, a lake chain is set up by sluicing. The area adjacent to Priseaca village, towards Dragomiresti and the area of the lower terrace on the right side of Ialomita river, with the arable lands intended for vegetables crops is crossed by numerous irrigation – drainage channels. The drainage channels from Priseaca village area are invaded by vegetation, existing the risk of being cogged up.