TARGOVISTE

also spelled Trgoviste, city, capital of Dmbovita judet (county), south-central Romania. It lies along the Ialomita River, in the southeastern Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians), 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Bucharest. Trgoviste was the capital of feudal Walachia from the 14th to the 17th century. Its monuments include a 16th-century watchtower and a 17th-century church founded by Vasile Lupu. The city has become a centre of the oil industry, with oil-field-equipment works and many modern residential buildings. Trgoviste has a rare-books museum that was the former residence of Princess Safta; its exhibits trace the history of printing in Romania. An archaeological museum contains artifacts from the Stone and Iron Ages and from the Greek, Roman, and Dacian occupations. Railway connections and highways radiate from Trgoviste throughout the county. Pop. (1992 prelim.) 97,876.