Magurele is a town in Ilfov County, Romania located southwest of Bucharest. It has a population of 11,041 according to the 2011 census, making it the eighth smallest urban center in Ilfov County. Magurele is made up of the localities Alunişu, Dumitrana, Magurele, Pruni and Vârteju. It was granted town status in 2005 by law. Magurele is home to two important Romanian research institutes in physics: the Institute of Atomic Physics and the National Institute for Research and Development for Earth Physics. Archaeological evidence shows the area has been inhabited since Paleolithic and Neolithic times, though it was first documented in 1852.