Cetatea de Scaun Publishing House
Two decades of editorial excellence in the service of knowledge and culture
Who we are?
Founded in 2002 at Târgoviște – a city with a rich historical and cultural heritage –, Cetatea de Scaun Publishing House has established itself, over more than two decades of activity, as one of the most relevant and respected names in the Romanian academic publishing landscape.
From the very beginning, our mission has been clear and firmly embraced: promoting Romanian authors – whether young debut researchers taking their first steps in the world of scholarship, or specialists with recognized contributions in their fields. At the same time, we have opened our doors to collaborations with authors and publishers from around the world, bringing landmark works from international historiography to the Romanian audience.
Mission and values
Our editorial activity is structured around three fundamental directions:
- Valorizing historical heritage – the majority of our publications belong to the field of history;
- Supporting research – we provide a platform for emerging researchers to establish themselves, as well as for experienced scholars to further consolidate their work, supporting quality scientific production;
- Educating the public – through books written in accessible yet scientifically rigorous language, we address both specialists and knowledge enthusiasts alike.
Editorial Fields
Although History remains the defining core of our identity, our editorial portfolio has expanded over the years to encompass a diverse range of thematic areas: Cultural Heritage, Ethnography,
Theology, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Didactics and Geography.
International Partnerships and Translations
Through collaborations with prestigious international publishing houses, we have brought to Romanian readers translations of landmark works from world historiography. Our international editorial partners include:
- Cambridge University Press (United Kingdom)
- Penguin Books (United Kingdom)
- Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
- Aufbau Verlage GmbH & Co. KG (Berlin, Germany)
- Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (Munich, Germany)
- Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (Warsaw, Poland)
- Treccani Libri (Rome, Italy)
- The Orion Publishing Group Limited (London, United Kingdom)
- Blue Doom Press (New Jersey, USA)
- Association of Non-Governmental Organisations of Southeast Europe – CIVIS (Belgrade, Serbia)
Academic and institutional partnerships in Romania
One of the most important dimensions of our activity is represented by strong partnerships with academic institutions, museums, and research centers across Romania, resulting in landmark editorial projects:
- Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile – Între Hitler și Stalin. Insurecționiștii ucraineni.
- National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS) – The Studies and Documents from the Securitate Archives collection, including volumes such as România socialistă și Interpolul (1972–1989) and Niciun atentat! Organizarea antiterorismului în România (1948–1989).
- Center for Memorial and Identity Studies – Eroine Neștiute. Viața cotidiană a femeilor în perioada comunistă în Polonia, România și RDG.
- Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania – The series Imaginea etnicilor germani la românii din Transilvania după 1918.
- The editorial project „The Romanian Army in the War of Reunification” – supported by the National Archives of Romania, the National Library of Romania, the National Military Museum „King Ferdinand I”, and the Army’s Historical Service, launched on the occasion of the Centenary of the Great Union.
- Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Berlin) – Schäßburg – Weinberg / Sighișoara – Dealul Viilor. II. Archäologische Grabungen
- „Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Romanian Academy – Supplementum series (Scripta praehistorica : miscellanea in honorem Mariae Bitiri dicata and Monographs collection (Circulaţia monetară la Durostorum în secolele I-III; Sate din Valea Topolniței).
- Museum of Bucharest Municipality – Artefacte preistorice din colecţia Severeanu; Repere ale artei toreutice în colecţia Maria şi dr. George Severeanu din a doua epocă a fierului şi din cea romană (sec. IV a.Chr. – III p. Chr.).
- Institute for Socio-Human Research „C. S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor” (Craiova) – works of the annual conference series: Comunităţi umane, modernizare şi urbanizare în sud-vestul României; 1821-2021. Bicentenarul revoluției conduse de Tudor Vladimirescu; Identitate națională. Identitate europeană
- County Museums of Buzău: Huni și goți hunici la Dunărea de Jos; Valea Călmățuiului în neo-eneolitic; Aşezarea neo-eneolitică de la Aldeni-Gurguiul Balaurului, jud. Buzău: o reevaluare interdisciplinară; Judeţele Buzău şi Râmnicu Sărat în documente de la Constantin Brâncoveanu (1689-1713; ASTRA : 1940-1944; Evreii din Buzău sub regimul antonescian (1940 – 1944).
- County Museums of Argeș: Cercetări interdisciplinare în aşezarea neolitică de la Milcovu din Deal: (jud. Olt, România); Așezarea de Epoca Bronzului de la Podu Broșteni-Poiana Popii (jud. Argeș, România); Tumulul I de la Recea (județul Argeș). Cetcetări arheologice preventive pe traseul drumului expres Craiova-Pitești.
- County Museums of Ialomița: – Evoluţia comunităţilor preistorice din eneolitic în câmpia Bărăganului: Culturile Gumelniţa şi Cernavodă I; Necropola medievală timpurie de la Platoneşti, judeţul Ialomiţa (sec. VIII-X).
- County Museums of Teleorman: Dicţionarul geografic, statistic, economic şi istoric al judeţului Teleorman; Așezarea medievală de la Zimnicea pe baza săpăturilor arheologice din perioada anulor 1948-1975.
Scientific recognition and visibility
Our publications are reviewed in over 40 specialized and cultural journals, both in Romania and abroad, reflecting the real impact of our books in the international academic community.
Romanian Academic Journals:
Historical Yearbook, Romanian Political Science Review; Studii și materiale de istorie contemporană; Caiete de antropologie istorică; Polis. Revistă de științe politice; Journal of Identity and Migration Studies; Oltenia. Studii și comunicări; Revista română de istorie a secolului XX; Studii și materiale de istorie medie; Revista de etnologie și culturologie; Anuarul Institutului de Istorie ”A.D. Xenopol”; Studii clasice; Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists; Historia urbana; Studii și articole de istorie; Studia universitatis. Europaea; Cercetări istorice; Anuarul Institutului de Cercetări Socio-Umane ”Gheorghe Şincai” al Academiei Române; Ephemeris Napocensis; Ziridava. Studia archaeologica; Materiale și cercetări arheologice; Acta Musei Tutovensis; Peuce; Acta Musei Napocensis; Revista Arheologică (Chișinău); Revista CICSA; Studii și cercetări de istorie veche și arheologie; Arhivele Olteniei etc.
Romanian cultural journals:
Observator cultural; România literară; Revista 22; Apostrof. Revistă a Uniunii Scriitorilor; Limba română (Chișinău).
International Reviews:
- Tokovi istorije 1/2025 – Belgrade
- Balcanica Posnaniensia XXXII/2025 – Poznan
- Regio 33/2025 – Budapest
- Medieval Archaeology 65/2021 – Taylor & Francis Online
Visibility in international catalogues:
- WorldCat (worldcat.org) – over 500 entries
- KVK Karlsruhe (kvk.bibliothek.kit.edu) – over 2,000 entries
Awards and distinctions (selection)
Our commitment to publishing works of the highest scholarly standards has been recognized through numerous awards granted to authors published under the Cetatea de Scaun imprint, among the most recent being:
- ”Constantin Brâncoveanu” Award of the European Association for Geopolitical and Strategic Studies „Gheorghe I. Brătianu” (Luptând pentru o iluzie: voluntari români în brigăzile internaţionale din Spania (2024));
- ”Florin Constantiniu” Award of the ”Magazin istoric” Cultural Foundation (23 august 1944. O istorie așa cum a fost (2024));
- ”Nicolae Bălcescu” Award of the ”Magazin istoric” Cultural Foundation (Dinu N. Movilă. Istoria unei vieți (2024));
- ”Constantin C. Giurescu” Award of the Romanian Society of Historical Sciences (România socialistă şi interpolul (1972-1989) : poliţie, terorism şi trafic de droguri în timpul Războiului Rece (2024));
- ”Ioan Spiru” Award for archaeological research of the Teleorman County Museum ( S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor și formarea școlii arheologice de cercetare a perioadei paleoliticului din România (2024));
- ”Vasile Pârvan” Award of the Romanian Academy (Sfârșitul Epocii bronzului în Bazinul Jijiei. Dinamica habitatului și materialitatea Culturii Noua (2023));
- ”Dimitre Onciul” Award of the Romanian Academy (Așezarea Neo-Eneolitică de la Aldeni-Gurguiul Balaurului, jud. Buzău. O reevaluare interdisciplinară (2023));
- ”Nicolae Iorga” Award of the Romanian Academy (Morlacii din Dalmația în secolele XV-XVI (2023)) etc.
Distribution and market presence
In Romania:
The promotion of published scientific bookss and, implicitly, of the publishing house, is done through its own website (www.cetateadescaun.ro). Our website is both a business card – information about the publishing house’s activity is displayed (events – book fairs, launches, promotional offers, etc.), editorial appearances, with a brief presentation and table of contents – and an online store, where direct orders can be made. Equally, the publishing house’s books can be found in libraries throughout the country, having concluded collaboration contracts with the main distributors on the book market (see List of distributors in Romania).
International:
Archaeology books – distributed through Librairie Archéologique (www.librairie-archeologique.com)
Books from all fields – available on the platforms elefant.ro, emag.ro, trendyol.com
E-books:
The digital market is a rapidly expanding direction for our publishing house. Archaeology books are available in e-book format on our own website, with active collaborations with: Bit Software Paydemic and Google Play Books.
Promotion and events
Active presence in the public space is a priority for us:
- Book Fairs – we participate consistently in the most important book events in Romania: Gaudeamus, Bookfest, and book fairs in Bucharest, Brașov, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Târgoviște, Focșani, and Deva – typically accompanied by book launches;
- Media – the publisher’s director and our authors regularly appear on television and radio programs and in the written press;
- Online – our website cetateadescaun.ro serves both as a complete editorial showcase and as an online store with direct ordering. We are also present on social networks – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, where editorial news or various events hosted by the publishing house are announced.
Why Cetatea de Scaun Publishing House?
- Over 20 years of experience in scholarly publishing
- Partnerships with prestigious academic institutions in Romania and Europe
- Collaborations with internationally renowned publishers
- International visibility through global catalogues and reviews in specialized journals
- National and international distribution – both physical and digital
- Award-winning publications recognized at the national level