The 41 județe () and the municipality of Bucharest comprise the official administrative divisions of Romania. They also represent the European Union' s NUTS-3 geocode statistical subdivision scheme of Romania.
Overview
The earliest organization into județe of the Principalities of Wallachia, respectively ținuturi of Moldavia, dates back at least to the late 14th century. Each județ, respectively ținut, was ruled by a jude, respectively pârcălab, an officially appointed person who had administrative and judicial functions in a manner inspired from the organization of the late Byzantine Empire. Transylvania, when it was part of the historic Kingdom of Hungary (in the Middle Ages), an independent Principality or a Habsburg domain (in the modern era until World War I) was divided into royal counties (Latin: comitatus), headed by comes (royal counts) with administrative and judicial functions. The term județ started to be used in Romanian as a general term for all administrative divisions since the mid 19th century.
When modern Romania was formed in 1859 through the union of Wallachia and rump Moldavia, and then extended in 1918 through the union of Transylvania, as well as Bukovina and Bessarabia (parts of Moldavia temporarily acquired by respectively the Habsburgs, 1775–1918, and the Russian Tsars, 1812–1917), the administrative division was modernized using the French departments system as model. With the exception of the Communist period, this system remained in place. A prefect (from the Latin praefectus) is appointed for each județ. The prefect is the representative of the government in the county and the head of the local administration in the areas not devolved to local authorities. Until 1950, each județ was divided into a number of plăși (singular plasă), each administered by a pretor (from the Latin praetor), appointed by the prefect. Currently, Romania has no NUTS-4 units, the counties being composed directly of cities (with or without municipality status) and communes.
As in all modern democracies, the political power in Romania is divided into three independent branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The prefect and his administration have only executive prerogatives. However, the territorial districts of the Romanian judicial system overlap with county borders, thus avoiding further complication. At the same time with local elections (of mayors and councilors for the cities and communes), a County Council (consiliu județean) is directly elected for each county, and, since 2008, the President of the County Council is also elected by direct vote. As of now, the legislative powers of county councils are quite reduced, but there are plans for more decentralization. (These plans, however, call for introduction of Regional Councils for the 8 development regions of the NUTS-2 level.)
Before World War I As of 1872, Romania was organized into 33 counties of which 17 were in Wallachia (12 in Muntenia and 5 in Oltenia), and 16 were in Moldavia (13 in western Moldavia and 3 in Southern Bessarabia: Cahul County, Bolgrad County, Ismail County).O lucrare enciclopedica despre Romania, aparuta in primii ani de domnie ai lui Carol I
After Independence, Romania lost Southern Bessarabia and received Northern Dobruja. The Romanian Old Kingdom was divided into 32 counties, with the following seats:
Argeș County – Pitești Bacău County – Bacău Botoșani County – Botoșani Brăila County – Brăila Buzău County – Buzău Constanța County – Constanța Silistra Nouă County (1878–1879, merged into Constanța County) – Rasova/Cernavodă/Medgidia Covurlui County – Galați Dâmbovița County – Târgoviște Dolj County – Craiova Dorohoi County – Dorohoi Fălciu County – Huși Gorj County – Târgu Jiu Ialomița County – Călărași Iași County – Iași Ilfov County – București Mehedinți County – Turnu Severin Muscel County – Câmpulung Neamț County – Piatra Neamț Olt County – Slatina Prahova County – Ploiești Putna County – Focșani Râmnicu Sărat County – Râmnicu Sărat Roman County – Roman Romanați County – Caracal Suceava County – Fălticeni Tecuci County – Tecuci Teleorman County – Turnu Măgurele Tulcea County – Tulcea Tutova County – Bârlad Vaslui County – Vaslui Vâlcea County – Râmnicu Vâlcea Vlașca County – Giurgiu
After the Second Balkan War, Romania was awarded the southern part of Dobrudja, between the Danube, Beli Lom River, Kamchiya River, and the Black Sea, which was divided into two counties: Durostor County – Silistra Caliacra County – Bazargic
Interwar Romania
Between 1919 and 1925 the specifics of the administrative organization in the new territories were kept. It consisted of about 76 counties or parts of counties. In 1923 Romania adopted a new Constitution, and it unified the traditional administrative systems of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia with that of the Romanian Old Kingdom. County borders were kept largely intact, with only a couple minor adjustments. As a result of the 1925 administrative unification law, the territory was divided into 71 counties, 489 districts (plăși) and 8,879 communes.
Some of the 71 județe still exist today, a number were lost during World War II, and some became defunct. The latter ones are: Baia Countydivided between Neamț, Suceava and Iași Caraș Countymerged with Severin to form Caraș-Severin Câmpulung Countymerged with Suceava Ciuc Countymerged with Odorhei and renamed to Harghita Covurlui Countymerged into Galați Dorohoi Countymerged with Botoșani Făgăraș Countydivided between Brașov and Sibiu Fălciu Countymerged with Vaslui Ialomița Countydivided between Ialomița and Călărași Muscel Countymerged with Argeș Odorhei Countymerged with Ciuc and renamed to Harghita Putna Countyrenamed to Vrancea Rădăuți Countymerged with Suceava Râmnicu Sărat Countydivided between Vrancea, Buzău and Brăila Roman County merged with Neamț Romanați Countydivided between Dolj and Olt Severin Countymerged with Caraș to form Caraș-Severin Someș Countydivided between Maramureș County, Cluj, Sălaj and Bistrița-Năsăud Târnava Mică Countydivided between Alba, Sibiu and Mureș Târnava Mare Countydivided between Brașov, Sibiu and Mureș Tecuci Countydivided between Galați, Bacău and Vaslui Timiș-Torontal Countyrenamed to Timiș Trei Scaune Countyrenamed to Covasna Turda Countydivided between Cluj and Alba Tutova Countymerged with Vaslui Vlașca Countyrenamed to Giurgiu
Ținuturi: 1938–1940
As a part of King Carol II's administrative reform of August 14, 1938, 10 regions (ținuturi) were created, which each included several of the existing 71 counties. The counties were preserved as administrative units, but most of their responsibilities were transferred to the new regions. Each region was headed by a regional governor (Rezident Regal), who supervised the county prefects, and each region had a regional council. The regional governor was appointed directly by the King.Administrative Law published in „Monitorul Oficial”, Part 1, Nr. 187 from 14 August 1938 The aim of the new regions was to connect poorer and richer counties and to break up the historical regions (Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania etc.). However, the old regionalisms continued under the new brand (e.g. Transylvanian regionalism in Ținutul Mureș and Bukovinian regionalism in Ținutul Suceava). The new regions were short-lived: all regions but Ținutul Olt and Ținutul Timiș had lost territory in September 1940, following the cession of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the USSR, the Second Vienna Award and the Treaty of Craiova. After the fall of Carol II's personal regime (the so-called royal dictatorship) on September 6, 1940, the Ținuturi Timiș, Mureș, Mării, Dunărea de Jos, Prut and Suceava were restructured on September 16, 1940.Decree-Law Nr. 3119 from 13 September 1940, published in „Monitorul Oficial”, Part 1, Nr. 215 from 16 September 1940, p. 5422 All the regions were abolished only a couple of days later, on September 22, 1940.Decree-Law Nr. 3219 from 21 September 1940, published in „Monitorul Oficial”, Part 1, Nr. 221 from 22 September 1940, pp. 5530-5532Philippe Henri Blasen: Suceava Region, Upper Land, Greater Bukovina or just Bukovina? Carol II's Administrative Reform in North-Eastern Romania (1938-1940), in: Anuarul Institutului de Istorie 'A. D. Xenopol', supplement, 2015; Philippe Henri Blasen: Terrorisme légionnaire et ordonnances antisémites. La Région Suceava d’octobre 1938 à septembre 1940, in: Archiva Moldaviae 2018. According to the Official Journal of August 14, 1938, the 10 regions and their capitals were the following: RegionCapitalȚinutul Olt (draft version: Ținutul Jiu)CraiovaȚinutul Bucegi (draft version: Ținutul Argeș)BucharestȚinutul MăriiConstanțaȚinutul Dunărea de Jos (draft version: Ținutul Dunării)GalațiȚinutul NistruChișinăuȚinutul PrutIașiȚinutul SuceavaCernăuțiȚinutul MureșAlba-IuliaȚinutul Someș (draft version: Ținutul Crișuri)ClujȚinutul TimișTimișoara Several regions had been given other names in the draft version of the Law (mentioned between brackets). All regions were named after rivers, except Ținutul Mării, i.e. the (Black) Sea Region, and Ținutul Bucegi, called after the Bucegi Mountains.Philippe Henri Blasen: Suceava Region, Upper Land, Greater Bukovina or just Bukovina? Carol II's Administrative Reform in North-Eastern Romania (1938–1940), in: Anuarul Institutului de Istorie 'A. D. Xenopol', supplement, 2015
World War II changes
Bessarabia After the recovery of Bessarabia, the Bessarabia Governorate with capital at Chișinău was established in 1941 and existed until 1944. It included the counties of Bălți, Cetatea Albă, Cahul, Chilia (newly established), Ismail, Lăpușna, Orhei, Soroca and Tighina.
Bukovina Following the recapture of Northern Bukovina, the Bukovina Governorate with capital at Cernăuți (Chernivtsi) existed from 1941 to 1944. It included the counties of Câmpulung, Cernăuți, Dorohoi, Hotin, Rădăuți, Storojineț and Suceava.
Administration of Transnistria (1941–1944)
This territory was administered by Romania briefly in 1941–1944, when the country was governed by a military dictatorship allied with Nazi Germany. It consisted of formerly proper Soviet territory between Dniester and Southern Bug rivers. Nowadays, most of it is in Ukraine, with small parts in the Republic of Moldova (Transnistria). This territory was kept under Romanian military occupation, and was not annexed by Romania. It was divided into 13 counties:
Lost during and after the war To Bulgaria In 1913, as a result of the Second Balkan War, Romania acquired Southern Dobruja from Bulgaria, annexing this historical region within Romania's borders. In 1940, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy forced Romania to return it to Bulgaria (see Treaty of Craiova). Romania did not reclaim this area neither after the end of World War II nor at the fall of communism. Caliacra (now Dobrich Province, Bulgaria) Durostor (now Silistra Province, Bulgaria)
To the Soviet Union In 1940, Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia, northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region (the latter part of Dorohoi County in a rump Moldavia). Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, these territories have been part of the newly independent Moldova and Ukraine.
in Moldova Bălți County Cahul County southern half of Hotin County Orhei County Lăpușna County Soroca County Tighina County a small part of Ismail County a small part of Cetatea Albă County
in Ukraine Cernăuți County largest part of Cetatea Albă County Hertsa region (a small part of Dorohoi County) northern half of Hotin County largest part of Ismail County part of Rădăuți County Storojineț County
Communist Romania People's Republic of Romania