Buzau County
Birthplace of world industrial petroleum where Sarata Monteoru mine still operates after 190 years
When the world's first commercial oil production was registered in 1857, Buzau was among the four pioneering regions—hand pits at Sarata Monteoru had been extracting crude since the 1830s, and by 1870 this single mine produced 44% of Romania's total output. This is the birthplace of industrial petroleum, predating Pennsylvania by years, where the Sarata Monteoru Oil Mine still operates as both producing field and living laboratory for engineering students from Ploiesti and Bucharest. The hills that trapped oil also accumulated salt, giving Buzau two extractive anchors while orchards and vineyards colonized the slopes above. Today the county navigates between its petroleum heritage—unique in Europe—and agricultural diversification.