Brief history of the horticultural education in the Oltenia region

The paper provides a brief review of the main stages of horticultural education development in the Oltenia region, within the broader context of Romania, spanning various periods.
It is based on a study of specialized literature, historical evidence, and documents.
Based on their study, it is evident that agricultural education in Romania emerged later than in other European countries.
The oldest agricultural school on Romanian territory is considered to be the one in Sânnicolau Mare, established in 1799. Later, as a result of the P.S. Aurelian Law, the first practical school of Agriculture was established in Strehareți, near Slatina, in 1884, along with two other schools in Pânceşti–Dragomireşti (Roman, 1884) and Armăşeşti (Ialomiţa, 1887). The development of horticultural education was supported by several scientists, politicians, and philanthropists, grounded in scientific principles and rigorously applied in the theoretical and practical training of young people.
In parallel with the development of pre-university education, steps were taken to establish university education as well.
The establishment of a higher education institution in Craiova was part of the revolutionary program in 1848 in Wallachia.
The first person who formulated this request was the historian Nicolae Bălcescu in the Islaz Proclamation.
This aspiration, despite having many supporters, was only made possible in 1947, when Law 138, promulgated on April 25, 1947, by King Mihai I, led to the founding of the University of Craiova.
The Faculty of Horticulture in Craiova was established in 1962, by the order of the Ministry of Education, and has been part of the structure of the University of Craiova ever since its foundation.

EHC2024: International Symposium on the History of Horticulture in Europe

S.N. Cosmulescu

history, horticultural education, Oltenia

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1438.15