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Village Name: Slatina (city, Olt County)
Region, Country: Muntenia Region, Romania
Deportation Date: June – August 1942
Excerpt from Testimony:
“[The interviewee and their family] were arrested in the city of Slatina. The gendarmes told them they were being sent to Transnistria before crossing the border. Many people died along the way [during the deportation].
[In Transnistria], they spent the year in a place near Mihailovca, with a camp surrounded by a 2 to 4–meter–high fence. The conditions at the border were such that the family could not leave the camp.
During the summer, they slept in tents. They worked during the summer harvesting corn and were paid with agricultural products. The Roma were forced to return to the barns in the evening. If they had worn–out clothes, they would burn them. They would trade with the Russians, exchanging gold coins for food. The trade happened at the camp’s gate, as they were not allowed to leave the place.”
Romanian Archives (if available): N/A
Historical Note on the Roma:
In Slatina, we find one of the largest Roma communities in Olt County. Slatina city is located about 50 km from Craiova. In 1900, the population was 8,028 people (MDGR 1902, V: 418). The 1930 general census recorded 11,243 inhabitants, including 52 Roma (RGP 1930, II: 322–323). Some of these Roma had become sedentary, but others were still nomadic, ngaging in various trades, including metalworking and metal forging, which they often sold in nearby areas.
Historical Note on Deportation:
During a census in May 1942, the Craiova police identified 84 names, 16 vehicles, and 34 animals (ANI, fond IGJ, file no. 259/1942, f.31). It is possible that the interviewee’s family was included in this list. In the same year, these 84 Roma were handed over to the Dolj Gendarmerie Legion, who took them to Transnistria for deportation, following a multi–step route from the border of eastern Romania (ANI, fond IGJ, file no. 259/1942, f.32).
The interviewee mentioned their family and other deported nomadic Roma were sent to Mihailovca (Transnistria), where they endured a harsh regime. They managed to survive by working in the fields, primarily harvesting corn, in exchange for minimal rations. They were housed in partially buried barns under gendarme surveillance. Due to food shortages, the deportees would secretly buy food from the local Ukrainian inhabitants when they could escape the watchful eyes of the gendarmes.
A Note on the Roma in Slatina:
The Roma from Slatina have traditionally been involved in metalworking, often purchasing metals and producing goods for trade, particularly during the interwar period. They were also known for winemaking, and some still maintain these traditions.
Deportation Date: June – August 1942
Excerpt from Testimony:
“[The interviewee and their family] were arrested in the city of Slatina. The gendarmes told them they were being sent to Transnistria before crossing the border. Many people died along the way [during the deportation].
[In Transnistria], they spent the year in a place near Mihailovca, with a camp surrounded by a 2 to 4–meter–high fence. The conditions at the border were such that the family could not leave the camp. During the summer, they slept in tents. They worked during the summer harvesting corn and were paid with agricultural products. The Roma were forced to return to the barns in the evening. If they had worn–out clothes, they would burn them. They would trade with the Russians, exchanging gold coins for food. The trade happened at the camp’s gate, as they were not allowed to leave the place.”
Romanian Archives (if available): N/A
Historical Note on the Roma:
In Slatina, we find one of the largest Roma communities in Olt County. Slatina city is located about 50 km from Craiova. In 1900, the population was 8,028 people (MDGR 1902, V: 418). The 1930 general census recorded 11,243 inhabitants, including 52 Roma (RGP 1930, II: 322–323). Some of these Roma had become sedentary, but others were still nomadic, engaging in various trades, including metalworking and metal forging, which they often sold in nearby areas.
Historical Note on Deportation:
During a census in May 1942, the Craiova police identified 84 names, 16 vehicles, and 34 animals (ANI, fond IGJ, file no. 259/1942, f.31). It is possible that the interviewee’s family was included in this list. In the same year, these 84 Roma were handed over to the Dolj Gendarmerie Legion, who took them to Transnistria for deportation, following a multi–step route from the border of eastern Romania (ANI, fond IGJ, file no. 259/1942, f.32).
The interviewee mentioned their family and other deported nomadic Roma were sent to Mihailovca (Transnistria), where they endured a harsh regime. They managed to survive by working in the fields, primarily harvesting corn, in exchange for minimal rations. They were housed in partially buried barns under gendarme surveillance. Due to food shortages, the deportees would secretly buy food from the local Ukrainian inhabitants when they could escape the watchful eyes of the gendarmes.
A Note on the Roma in Slatina:
The Roma from Slatina have traditionally been involved in metalworking, often purchasing metals and producing goods for trade, particularly during the interwar period. They were also known for winemaking, and some still maintain these traditions.
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