Balș (Romanian pronunciation: [balʃ] ) is a town in Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna, and Teiș.

Geography

The town is situated on the Wallachian Plain and lies on the banks of the river Olteț. It is located in the northwestern part of the county, on the border with Dolj County, 26 km (16 mi) west of the county seat, Slatina.

Etymology

There are three hypotheses about the town's name:

1. The locality was named after the Balșița brook.
2. The name comes from the Turkish word "Baliş" (honey), as there is a large apiculture area there.
3. A boyar named Balș settled here in the 5th or 6th century.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1864	1,700	—
1884	2,500	+47.1%
1921	5,000	+100.0%
1938	5,300	+6.0%
1948	6,128	+15.6%
1973	11,578	+88.9%
1992	24,560	+112.1%
2002	21,195	−13.7%
2011	18,164	−14.3%
2021	16,114	−11.3%
Source: Census data

At the 2021 census, Balș had a population of 16,114. At the 2002 census, there were 20,552 Romanians, 619 Romani, and 27 others. Listed by religion: 21,043 were Eastern Orthodox, 47 Seventh-Day Adventists, 36 Baptists, 19 Pentecostalists, 8 Roman-Catholics, 5 Atheists, and 32 other religions.

History

• 1450 – The estimated date when Balș was established.
• 1564 – First mention of Balș in a document

Natives

• Nicușor Bănică (born 1984), footballer
• Eugen Căpățînă (born 1986), rugby player
• Claudia Constantinescu (born 1994), handballer
• Ion Dumitra (born 1976), footballer
• Cerasela Pătrașcu (born 1992), artistic gymnast
• Daniel Stana (born 1982), footballer