Lichirești

Lichirești grew beside the Borcea, a branch of the Danube, amid the fields and wetlands of eastern Wallachia. Its inhabitants cultivated grain, raised livestock and drew fish from the river. By the eighteenth century the settlement was also known as Călărași, a name associated with the mounted couriers who carried messages on the long road between Bucharest and Constantinople and settled near their post after service.

A princely deed of 1630 records the Lichirești estate, and Constantin Cantacuzino's map of 1700 shows the village as a large settlement. In 1722 it belonged to the Colțea foundation, while by 1734 it was described as a market town. Its trade and position on the Borcea contributed to its growth; in 1833 Călărași became the seat of Ialomița county.