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{{About||the village in Bacău County|Stănișești|the village in Mehedinți County|Izvoru Bârzii}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type = commune
|county = Ilfov
|name = Balotești
|image_flag =
|image_shield = ROU IF Balotesti CoA.jpg
|image_skyline = Conacul Niculescu-Bujoiu.JPG
|image_caption = Niculescu-Bujoiu mansion
|image_location =
|image_map = Balotesti ilfov.png
|map_caption = Location in Ilfov County
|leader_name = Cristian-Ștefan Pretorian
|leader_party = PSD
|leader_term = 2020–2024
|coordinates = {{coord|44|37|N|26|6|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation = 92
|elevation_min =
|elevation_max =
|area_total = 53
|area_footnotes =
|population_as_of =
|population_total = auto
|population_footnotes =
|postal_code = 077015
|area_code = +40x1
|website = {{URL|https://primariabalotesti.ro/}}
}}
'''Balotești''' is a [[Communes of Romania|commune]] in the northwestern part of [[Ilfov County]], [[Muntenia]], [[Romania]]. Two small rivers flow through this location: [[Cociovaliștea]] and [[Vlăsia]]. It is composed of three villages: Balotești, Dumbrăveni, and Săftica.

==Geography==
The commune is situated on the banks of the [[Cociovaliștea]] river. The settlements are located mainly on the right bank of the river with uninhabited territory on the right bank of the [[Vlăsia]] river, the [[tributary]] of Cociovaliștea.

It is traversed by the [[DN1]] national road, which connects [[Bucharest]] to [[Ploiești]]. In the village of Balotești, this road intersects with county road DJ101, which leads west to [[Corbeanca]] and [[Buftea]], and east to [[Moara Vlăsiei]], [[Grădiștea, Ilfov|Grădiștea]], and further into [[Ialomița County]]. The DJ200B road starts from DN1 at Săftica, intersects with DJ101 at Balotești and leads south to [[Tunari]], [[Voluntari]] and [[Bucharest]] ([[Pipera]]).

==Demography==
According to the [[2021 Romanian census]], the population of the commune numbers 11,210 people. The inhabitants are a majority [[Romanians]] (83.75%), with a [[Romani people|Romani]] minority (2.34%) and another 13.08% of unknown ethnicity. By religion, the inhabitants are 81.06% [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] and 14.97% of an unknown affiliation.

There are two churches in the commune:
* [[Assumption of Our Lady Church, Balotești]]
* [[Saint Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church]]

==History==
Through archeological digs, it was determined that the area of the present commune had been inhabited since the [[Neolithic]]. The first record attesting Balotești comes from 12 February 1612, when [[List of princes of Wallachia|Voivode]] [[Radu Șerban]] confirmed the estate ownership of the village of Balotești to [[Postelnic]] Ivașcu, son of Vent from Balotești. The name of the village and the present-day commune comes from a [[boyar]], Balotă or Bolotă, who owned the local lands.<ref name="parohia">{{cite web|url=https://protoieriailfovnord.ro/parohia-balotesti-cu-hramul-sfintilor-nicolae-teodor-tiron-si-stelian/|title=Parohia Balotești cu hramul Sfinților Nicolae, Teodor Tiron și Stelian|language=ro|website=protoieriailfovnord.ro|access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

The [[Saint Nicholas, Theodor and Stylianos Church]] from the village of Balotești was built in 1763 by the Greek boyar Zamfirache and his wife Elena.<ref name="parohia"/> In 1870, a school was built with help from the Lahovary family in the village of Dumbrăveni, which was part of the commune of Balotești.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scoalabalotesti.ro/scurta-istorie-a-organizatiei/|title=Scurtă istorie a organizației|language=ro|website=scoalabalotesti.ro}}</ref>

At the end of the 19th century, the commune was part of ''[[Plasa]]'' [[Snagov]], [[Ilfov County]]. It had the villages of Balotești, Cacaleți, Preoțești, Popești-Petrești and Săftica, totalling 891 inhabitants. In the commune there was a mixed school, a [[Steam engine|steam]] [[threshing]] machine and 5 Orthodox churches (one for each ''[[Katun (community)|Cătun]]'').<ref>{{cite book|title=Marele Dicționar Geografic Al Romîniei|url=https://ia601304.us.archive.org/20/items/MareleDictionarGeograficAlRominiei/roumanie_geo_1_text.pdf|volume=1|author=George Ioan Lahovari|author-link=George Ioan Lahovari|page=219}}</ref> By 1925, the commune was part of ''Plasa'' [[Băneasa]] and had 1,329 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ca28001063/|title=Anuarul "Socec" al României-mari|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|date=1925–1926}}</ref>

In 1950, the commune was assigned to the [[Căciulați]] [[Raion]]. In 1968, it became a part of the re-established Ilfov County, and in 1981 it was part of the Ilfov Agricultural Sector from the municipality of [[Bucharest]]. In 1998, the Agricultural Sector became the current Ilfov County.<ref name="Balotești">{{cite web|url=https://ziarulnatiunea.ro/2019/07/21/balotesti-la-doi-pasi-de-bucuresti/|title=Balotești – la doi pași de București|language=ro|author=George V. Grigore|website=ziarulnatiunea.ro|date=21 July 2019}}</ref>

On 31 March 1995, [[TAROM Flight 371]], operated by an [[Airbus A310]], crashed near Balotești, killing all 60 people on board. It was thus the deadliest aircraft accident in Romanian history.<ref name="Balotești"/>

[[Stadionul Central (Balotești)|Stadionul Central]], opened in 2010, is a multi-use [[stadium]] in the commune; it is used mostly for [[Association football|football]] matches and is the home ground of [[CS Balotești]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/teams/romania/fc-baloteti/16282/venue/|title = Romania - CS Balotești - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news - Soccerway}}</ref> The commune is also the location of the [[thermal water]] park "Therme București", the largest of its kind in Europe. The park opened in 2016.<ref name="Balotești"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://europespa.eu/certified-spas/detail/resort/therme-bucuresti/|title=Therme Bucuresti|website=europespa.eu|access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

==Air Force Command==
In 1982, the Command Point of the Air Defense Command was established in the Balotești [[barracks]]. In 1993, the Central Command Point of the General Staff of Aviation and Air Defense succeeded the previous Command Point. The unit changed its name to the Central Air Operational Command in December 2000. After Romania joined [[NATO]] in 2004, the Air Operational Command was integrated into the [[NATO Integrated Air Defense System]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.roaf.ro/?p=3868|title=Centrul de Operații Aeriene|language=ro|work=RoAF}}</ref><ref name="CCA">{{cite web|url=https://www.roaf.ro/?p=6083|title=Comandamentul Componentei Aeriene|language=ro|work=RoAF}}</ref>

In 2008, the structure was split between the Air Operational Component, and the Air Operations Centre of the [[Romanian Air Force]] which currently reports to the [[Combined Air Operations Centre]] from [[Torrejón Air Base|Torrejón]]. The Air Operational Component received the honorific name "''General comandant aviator [[Ermil Gheorghiu]]''" in 2018, and in 2021 it was renamed to the Air Component Command.<ref name="CCA"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://presamil.ro/provocarea-continua-apararea-spatiului-aerian/|title=Provocarea continuă: apărarea spațiului aerian!|author=Lucian Irimia|website=presamil.ro|language=ro|date=2023-01-23}}</ref>

Between 14 March to 30 April 2008, the headquarters of the [[United States Air Force]]'s [[323d Air Expeditionary Wing]] also functioned in Balotești during the deployment of USAF units in support of the air policing missions for the [[2008 Bucharest summit]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=323 Air Expeditionary Wing (USAFE) |url=https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/432754/323-air-expeditionary-wing-usafe/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Air Force Historical Research Agency |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/255590/airmen-augment-romanian-security-for-nato-summit/|title=Airmen augment Romanian security for NATO summit|last=Petosky|first=Eric|date=26 March 2008|publisher=323rd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs}}</ref>

==Natives==
* [[Marian Zidaru]] (born 1956), painter and sculptor

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{LocalitiesIlfov}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balotesti}}
[[Category:Communes in Ilfov County]]
[[Category:Localities in Muntenia]]

Balotești - Revision history

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