What is "plasa"

Plasă (, plural plăși ) was a territorial division unit of Romania, ranking below county ( județ) and above commune. It was headed by a Pretor, appointed by the county Prefect. The institution headed by the Pretor was called Pretură.

The division of counties into plăși was used starting from the rule of Carol I as Domnitor, throughout the existence of a Romanian Kingdom, and during the first two years of Communist Romania, until they were replaced in 1950 by raions, following the Soviet system. In 1938, the country's 71 judeţe were divided into 429 plăşi.