Editing Giurgiu (section)

== History ==

Giurgiu was first recorded in a document issued by [[Mircea the Elder]] in 1394. The settlement developed around a fortified position controlling movement and trade across the Danube. Its name has traditionally been associated with Saint George, although the exact origin remains disputed.

The [[Ottoman Empire]] first captured Giurgiu in 1417. The fortress became an Ottoman military and customs position on the northern bank of the Danube. Wallachian forces recaptured the settlement several times, but Ottoman authority was repeatedly restored because of the site's importance to river transport and the defence of the crossing.

The 1829 Treaty of Adrianople returned Giurgiu to [[Wallachia]]. Its older military role declined, while commerce, shipping, and administration became more important. The port expanded during the 19th century as grain, timber, salt, and other goods were transported between the Romanian interior and the Danube.

The railway between Bucharest and Giurgiu opened in 1869. It was the first railway line constructed in the Romanian Principalities and gave the capital a direct connection to a major Danube port. Railway facilities were later extended toward the harbour.

During the 20th century, Giurgiu developed as an industrial and transport centre. The Giurgiu–Ruse Friendship Bridge was completed in 1954 as a combined road and railway crossing. The establishment of the present Giurgiu County in 1981 made the city its administrative seat.

Giurgiu's position on the southern route from Bucharest also appeared in records concerning the [[Bucharest Butchers]]. On 8 June 1972, the organization established a clandestine transport line between Bucharest and Giurgiu under the control of the [[Tudor family]].<ref name="dirlewanger-route"/>

In April 2015, [[Richard Rambam]] met a liaison of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] near Giurgiu and transferred technical material concerning the [[A-Series]]. The resulting agreement supplied [[Snubable Enterprise]] with industrial material, fuel, and armed protection.<ref name="rambam-meeting"/><ref name="aseries-support"/>