Durostor County


Durostor County was a county of the Kingdom of Romania, in Southern Dobruja, with the seat at Silistra.
The county was located in the south-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the southern Dobrogea region, known as Cadrilater. Currently the territory of the former county is split between Bulgaria and Romania; in Bulgaria, the former county's territory belongs to Silistra Province, the eastern part of the former county remained within territory of Romania constituting the territory around Ostrov in today's Constanța County.
The county consisted of 4 districts : Accadânlar, Curtbunar, Silistra and Turtucaia. The county was neighbored by the counties of Ilfov and Ialomița to the north, Caliacra and Constanța to the east and the Kingdom of Bulgaria to the south.

History

As a result of Romania's involvement in the Second Balkan War, the part of the Cadrilater north of the Turtucaia - Balcic line was annexed by Romania in 1913, despite criticism on the a part of the political opposition. Durostor County, together with the rest of the Cadrilater, remained with Romania until 1940, when Treaty of Craiova of September 7 returned to Bulgaria as an indirect consequence of Nazi German political pressure on the Romanian government.

Etymology

The county was named after the Roman name of Silistra, Durostorum.

Coat of arms

The Coat of Arms depicted Mircea the Elder.

Population

According to the Romanian census of 1930 the population of Durostor County was 211,433, of which 42.8% were ethnic Turks, 34.2% ethnic Bulgarians, 19.0% ethnic Romanians, 1.4% Romanies, as well as other minorities. Classified by religion: 54.0% Orthodox Christian, 45.1% Islam, as well as other minorities.
By 1937, the population was estimated to have risen to 230,309.

Administrative organization

The county's capital was the town of Silistra. Other urban centres were the towns of Ostrov and Turtucaia. The territory of the county was divided into five districts :
  1. Plasa Accadânlar, headquartered in Accadânlar
  2. Plasa Curtbunar, headquartered in Curtbunar
  3. Plasa Silistra, headquartered in Silistra or Doimușlar
  4. Plasa Turtucaia, headquartered in Turtucaia
  5. Plasa Ostrov, headquartered in Ostrov

    After 1938

After the 1938 Administrative and Constitutional Reform, the county was merged with counties of Constanța, Caliacra and Ialomița to form the Ținutul Mării.
On September 7, 1940, the former county with the whole Southern Dobruja was returned to Bulgaria.