“Vrancea, the land of natural wonders, the land of ancient tales, the land of ancestral song and poetry unmatched by any other Romanian region, is the most beautiful part of the Carpathian depression,” (V.P. Arbore).
The land with rich forests, Varancha, was first mentioned in historical documents in a Latin letter dated July 2, 1431. In this letter, the Voivode of Transylvania, Ladislau Apor, informed the mayor of Brașov that Alexandru cel Bun had concentrated troops toward Putna – versus Puttnam. Voivode Apor had learned this news from several inhabitants of Transylvania who “took the Vrancea road” (“per viam Varancha”).
Historians and researchers believe that this word is part of the Thracian-Dacian lexical heritage, with VRAN meaning forest/mountain. Perhaps this explains why in the writings of the time, Vrancea was also called “The Land of Rich Forests” or “The Black Land”.