Moinești

Moinești (Romanian pronunciation: [mojˈneʃtʲ]) is a city in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania, with a population of 21,787 as of 2011. Its name is derived from the Romanian-language word moină, which means "fallow" or "light rain". Moinești once had a large Jewish community; in Jewish contexts the name is often given as Mojnescht. The city administers one village, Găzărie.

Moinești
Municipality
Moinești City Hall
Coat of arms
Location in Bacău County
Moinești
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°26′N 26°29′E
Country Romania
CountyBacău
Government
 • MayorValentin Vieru[1] (ALDE)
Area
45.83 km2 (17.70 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
21,787
 • Density480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.BC
Websitehttp://www.moinesti.ro/

History
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1930 6,616—    
1948 5,868−11.3%
1956 12,934+120.4%
1966 18,714+44.7%
1977 20,862+11.5%
1992 25,560+22.5%
2002 25,532−0.1%
2011 21,787−14.7%
Source: Census data

First mentioned in 1467, the locality was listed among the Moldavian villages on the Bawer map of 1783. A târg was first attested in this location in 1832; it had 188 houses and 588 inhabitants.

In 1921, Moinești was designated a comună urbană ("urban commune"), with its own coat of arms and local administration, but a step short of being considered a city. It became a municipality in 2002. The 2011 census counted 20,855 inhabitants.

Economy

The area around Moinești is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, salt and timber. Between the years 1950s and 1980s Moinești experienced a steady economic growth thanks to the large petroleum extracting industry. After 1990, however, following the nationwide industry privatization Moinești's economy changed dramatically, at some points reaching level of unemployment of over 20%.

Dada monument

In 1896, honoring Tristan Tzara, the founder of Dadaism who was born in Moinești, a monument was built on the side of the road that enters the town. It was created from concrete and steel by the German-Romanian sculptor Ingo Glass in the true Dada spirit and it is 25 meters long, 2.6 meters wide and 10 meters high and it weighs 120 tons.

Tourism

Tourist attractions in Moinești include: Băi Park (with healing mineral waters), Pine Tree Park, Ghindaru Hill (where archaeologists discovered artefacts of the pre-Cucuteni culture, over 5,000 years old), the Dada Monument (dedicated to Tristan Tzara), Cetățuia (Dacian fortified city archaeologically certified) and the Jewish Cemetery (where the oldest tombstone with recognisable text dates back to 1692).[3]

People
  • Hedi Enghelberg, writer
  • Nestor Rateș, journalist, Head of Romanian Desk of Radio Free Europe 1989, 1994-2002[4]
  • Moses Rosen, Chief Rabbi of Romania from 1948 to 1994
  • Moshe David Shuv, born Moșe David Iancovici, early Zionist and founder of Rosh Pinna
  • Tristan Tzara, writer and founder of Dada

References
  1. "Valentin Vieru, candidatul ALDE, este noul primar al municipiului Moineşti" (in Romanian). Adevărul Bacău. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "Populaţia stabilă pe judeţe, municipii, oraşe şi localităti componenete la RPL_2011" (in Romanian). National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  3. "Moinesti Tourism". 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  4. "Nestor Ratesh". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 3 November 2011.


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