CAMPULUNG

also spelled Cmpulung town, Arges judet (county), south-central Romania. It lies along the Trgului River at the foot of the Iezer and Papusa mountains of the Transylvanian Alps. Originally it was a frontier post on a strategic road (now a highway) that crossed the Carpathians through Bran Pass in Transylvania. Cmpulung was the first capital of the feudal state of Walachia until succeeded by Curtea de Arges in the 14th century. Vestiges of its history are the Negru Voda Monastery, built in 1215; the Prince's House, built in 1635 by Prince Matei Basarab; the Gothic-spired Baratia Church, dating from the 14th century; and the Cross of the Oath in the town square, on which are inscribed the privileges granted the citizens by a prince in 1674. Cmpulung is a centre of automotive production and of metalworking and woodworking. Pop. (1992 prelim.) 44,060.