Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in

Bacău County Bacău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania. Geography This county has a total area of . In the western part of the county there a ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, at the foothills of the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

, and on the Bistrița River (which meets the

Siret River The Siret or Sireth (, , , ) is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania before it joins the Danube. It is long,Ghimeș Pass links Bacău to the region of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Etymology

The town's name, which features in Old Church Slavonic documents as ''Bako'', ''Bakova'' or ''Bakovia'', comes most probably from a

personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...

of Hungarian origin. Men bearing the name Bakó or Bako are documented in medieval

Rădvan 2010, p. 456. and in 15th-century Bulgaria, but according to Victor Spinei the name itself is of Turkicmost probably of

Cuman The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Rus' chronicles, as " ...

Pecheneg The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia who ...

origin.

Nicolae Iorga Nicolae Iorga (17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet and playwright. Co-founder (in 1910) of the Democratic Nationalist Party (PND), he served as a member of Parliament ...

believes that the city's name is of Hungarian origin (as

Adjud Adjud (; ) is a city in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It has a population of 15,178 inhabitants (as of 2021). It lies at a railway junction which has a classification yard and a passenger station. Adjud, situated north of the poin ...

and

Sascut Sascut is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Berești, Conțești, Păncești, Sascut, Sascut-Sat, Schineni, and Valea Nacului. Natives * Teodor Negoiță Teodor Gheorghe Negoiță (Septe ...

). Another theory suggests that the town's name has a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

origin, pointing to the

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...

word ''byk'', meaning "ox" or "bull", the region being very suitable for raising cattle; the term, rendered into

Romanian alphabet The Romanian alphabet is a variant of the Latin alphabet used for writing the Romanian language. It consists of 31 letters, five of which (Ă, Â, Î, Ș, and Ț) have been modified from their Latin originals for the phonetic requirements of t ...

as ''bâc'', was probably the origin of ''Bâcău''. Gh. Ghibănescu - Ispisoace și Zapise. vol.VI, partea a II-a, Tipografia „Dacia” Iliescu, Grossu & Comp., Iași, 1926, pag.177 In German it is known as ''Bakau'', in Hungarian as ''Bákó'' and in Turkish as ''Baka''.

History

Similarly to most

urban center Urban Center may refer to: * Urban center, human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment * Urban Center Plaza, plaza on the Portland State University campus in Portland, Oregon, United States * Urban Cen ...

s in Moldavia, Bacău emerged on a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

that allowed water passage. There is archaeological evidence of human settlement in the centre of Bacău (near Curtea Domnească) dating from the 6th and the 7th centuries; these settlements were placed over older settlements from the 4th and the 5th centuries. A number of vessels found here are ornamented with crosses, hinting that the inhabitants were

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic peopl ...

and

Cumans The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cumania, Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Ru ...

controlled the Bistrița valley during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.

Colonist A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

s played a significant role in the development of the town. Archaeological finds, some surface or semi-buried dwellings from the second half of the 15th century, suggest that

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

started to settle in the region after 1345–1347 when the territory was under the control of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. They mainly occupied the flat banks of the river Bistrița. Discoveries of a type of 14th-century grey ceramic that has also been found in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

also suggests the presence of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

colonists from the north. Originally the town focused around the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

community that settled near a regular local

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

frequented by the population of the region on the lower reaches of the river. The town was first mentioned in 1408 when Prince

Alexander the Good Alexander I, commonly known as Alexander the Good (; – 1 January 1432) was Voivode of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432. He was the son of Roman I and succeeded Iuga to the throne. As ruler he initiated a series of reforms while consolidating ...

of Moldavia (1400–1432) listed the customs points in the principality in his privilege for

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

merchants. The customs house in the town is mentioned in

Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic languages, South Slavic subgroup of the ...

as ''krainee mîto'' ("the customs house by the edge") in the document which may indicate that it was the last customs stop before Moldavia's border with

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

. An undated document reveals that the ''șoltuz'' in Bacău, that is the head of the town elected by its inhabitants, had the right to sentence felons to death, at least for robberies, which hints to an extended privilege, similar to the ones that royal towns in the Kingdom of Hungary enjoyed. Thus this right may have been granted to the community when the territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary. The

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

of Bacău was oval which is exceptional in Moldavia where the seals of other towns were round. Alexander the Good donated the wax collected as part of the tax payable by the town to the nearby

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Bistrița Monastery The Bistrița Monastery (, ) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located 8 km west of Piatra Neamț. It was dedicated in 1402, having as original ctitor the Moldavian Voivode Alexandru cel Bun whose remains are buried here. The church is h ...

. It was most probably his first wife named Margaret who founded the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Church of the Holy Virgin in Bacău. But the main Catholic church in the town was dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

. A letter written by John of Rya, the Catholic bishop of

Baia Baia (; ; ) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 7,261 as of 2021. It is composed of two villages, namely Baia and Bogata. Located on the Moldova (river), Moldova ...

refers to Bacău as a ''civitas'' which implies the existence of a Catholic bishopric in the town at that time.Rădvan 2010, p. 455. The letter also reveals that

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

immigrants who had undergone persecutions in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

, or Hungary were settled in the town and granted privileges by Alexander the Good. The monastery of Bistrița was also granted the income from the customs house of Bacău in 1439. In 1435

Stephen II of Moldavia Stephen II (or Ștefan II), (c. 1410 – 13 July 1447) was a Prince (Voivode) of Moldavia. He ruled alone between September 1434 and August 1435, jointly with Iliaș of Moldavia from August 1435 to May 1443, alone from May 1443 to May 1444, in a ...

(1433–1435, 1436–1447) requested the town's judges not to hinder the merchants of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

, an important center of the

Transylvanian Saxons The Transylvanian Saxons (; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen'' or simply ''Soxen'', singularly ''Sox'' or ''Soax''; Transylvanian Landler dialect, Transylvanian Landler: ''Soxn'' or ''Soxisch''; ; seldom ''sa ...

in their movement. From the 15th century ''ungureni'', that is

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

from Transylvania began to populate the area north of the marketplace where they would erect an Orthodox church after 1500. A small residence of the princes of Moldova was built in the town in the first half of the 15th century.Rădvan 2010, p. 454. It was rebuilt and extended under

Stephen III the Great Stephen III, better known as Stephen the Great (; ; died 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 in a conspiracy organized by his brother an ...

of Moldavia (1457–1504) who also erected an Orthodox church within it. But the rulers soon began to donate the neighboring villages that had thereto supplied their local household to monasteries or noblemen. Thus the local princely residence was abandoned after 1500.Rădvan 2010, p. 457. The town was invaded and destroyed more than one time in the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, in 1467 King

Matthias I of Hungary Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and adopted the titl ...

during his expedition against Stephen the Great set fire to all towns, among them Bacău in his path. The customs records of

shows that few merchants from Bacău crossed the

into Transylvania after 1500, and their merchandise had no particularly high value which suggests that the town was declining in this period. The Catholic bishop of Argeș whose see in Wallachia had been destroyed by the

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

moved to Bacău in 1597. From the early 17th century the bishops of Bacău were Polish priests who did not reside in the town, but in the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

.Benda 2002, p. 36. They only travelled time to time to their see in order to collect the

tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques or via onli ...

. According to Archbishop Marco Bandini's report of the

canonical visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

of 1646, the ''șoltuz'' in Bacău was elected among Hungarians one year, and another, among Romanians. The names of most of 12 inhabitants of the town recorded in 1655 also indicate that Hungarians still formed their majority group. In 1670 Archbishop Petrus Parceviop c, the

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

of Moldavia concluded an agreement with the head of the Franciscan Province of Transylvania on the return of the Bacău monastery to them in order to ensure the spiritual welfare of the local Hungarian community.Benda 2002, p. 17. But the Polish bishop protested against the agreement and the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

also refused to ratify it. Due to the frequent invasions by foreign armies and plundering by the

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

in the 17th century, many of its Catholic inhabitants abandoned Bacău and took refuge in Transylvania. But in 1851 the Catholic congregation in the town still spoke, sang, and prayed in Hungarian. The first

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

in Moldavia was established in the town in 1851.Treptow, Popa 1996, p. 32. The town was declared a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in 1968.

Climate

Bacău has a type of

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

that falls short of permanent winter snow cover due days averaging above freezing. Winters are also quite dry in the area. Summers are quite rainy due to

convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...

and temperatures are often hot due to its inland location. Due to its mid-latitude location surrounded by a vast landmass, Bacău has a large temperature amplitude by European standards. Since 1980, a record heat of and a record cold of have been measured, which is a net difference of .

Politics

The local authority in the city is split between the Mayor and the Local Council. Between 1950 and 1968 the city was governed by the Sfatul popular (People's Council). It replaced the local Provisional Committee (), which functioned from 1948 to 1950, based on the Law of the People's Councils, no. 17/1949.

Demographics

As of 2021 census data, Bacău has a population of 136,087, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census. At the 2011 census, Bacău had a population of 144,307, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. The ethnic makeup was as follows: *

: 97.93% *

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

: 0.92% *

: 0.09% *

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

: 0.03% * Other: 0.34% The Bacău metropolitan area, a project for the creation of an administrative unit to integrate Bacău with the nearby communes, would have a population of some 190,000.

Transportation

The city is about North of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. It is served by

George Enescu International Airport George Enescu International Airport is an airport located in Bacău, Romania. Named after the Romanian composer George Enescu the airport shares its runway with RoAF 95th Air Base, and Aerostar, a major Romanian aerospace and defence company. Th ...

, located at , which provides direct links with the Romanian capital,

, and with several cities in Europe. Bacău air traffic control centre is one of Europe's busiest, as it handles transiting flights between the Middle and Near East and South Asia to Europe and across the Atlantic. Complexul muzeal Iulian Antonescu Bacau

The Bacău railway station (''Gara Bacău'') is one of the busiest in Romania; it has access to the Romanian railway main trunk number 500. Thus the city is connected to the main Romanian cities; the railway station is an important transit stop for international trains from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. The city has access to the DN2 road ( E85) that links it to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (to the South) and the cities of

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

and

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

(to the North). The

European route The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Central ...

E574/

DN11 Public roads in Romania are ranked according to importance and traffic as follows: *motorways (autostradă – pl. autostrăzi) – colour: green; designation: A followed by one or two digits *expressways (drum – pl. drumuri express) – col ...

is an important access road to Transylvania and the city of

. The city is also located at the intersection of several national roads of secondary importance, and will be served in the future by the A7 motorway running from the border with

Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...

(junction with A3). As of 2020, this motorway intersects with the Bacău bypass (''Centura Bacău'').

Culture

Bacău has a public university and several colleges. Two major Romanian poets,

George Bacovia George Bacovia (; the pen name of Gheorghe Vasiliu ; – 22 May 1957) was a Romanian symbolist poet. While he initially belonged to the local Symbolist movement, launched as a poet by Alexandru Macedonski with the poem and poetry collection (" ...

and

Vasile Alecsandri Vasile Alecsandri (; 21 July 182122 August 1890) was a Romanian patriot, poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Roma ...

were born here. The "

Mihail Jora Mihail Jora (; 2 August 1891, Roman, Romania - 10 May 1971, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. Jora studied in Leipzig with Robert Teichmüller. From 1929 to 1962 he was a professor at the Bucharest Conservato ...

" Athenaeum and a Philharmonic Orchestra are located here, as well as the "G. Bacovia" Dramatic Theater and a Puppet Theater. Around Christmas every year, a Festival of Moldavian Winter Traditions takes place, reuniting folk artists from all the surrounding regions. The exhibition " Saloanele Moldovei" and the International Painting Camp at Tescani, near Bacău, reunite important plastic artists from Romania and from abroad. The local History Museum, part of the Museum Complex " Iulian Antonescu" has an important collection of antique objects from ancient

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

. The city also has an astronomical observatory, The Victor Anestin Astronomical Observatory.

Jewish community

The 1772-1774 Census registered 5 Jewish families, the 1820 Census registered 108 families. The 1852 Census registered 504 Jewish inhabitants. The 1930 Census registered 9424 Jewish inhabitants. The first mentions about Jewish inhabitants are from the beginning of the 18th century. The Register of Chevra Kadisha begins with the year 1774. The first leader of the Community is mentioned in 1794. The community was officially recognized in 1857. Before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the number of Jews was almost equal to that of Romanians in Bacău. According to the 1930 census, after some of the village population was in town, Bacău had 19,421 who have declared are Romanian, 9,424 declared Jews, 822 Hungarians and 406 German. The first synagogue would be built in Bacău in 1820. In 1841 Jews who observe the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

movement built another Sinagoga. In 1864 there were 14 functioning synagogues in Bacău. Among the most notable being Synagogue Burah Volf, Furriers Synagogue, Synagogue Alter Ionas and tanners. "In 1880, in Bacău we had 21 synagogues and prayer houses. In 1916 we were active following synagogues Froim Aizic, Alter Leib, Itzik Leib Brill, Lipscani, the Tailors Young, coachmen, Shoemakers Synagogue, Cerealista, masonry, Rabbi Israel Synagogue, "Brotherhood of Zion" Snap Synagogue Saima Cofler itself and Der Mariesches SIL. After World War I, some synagogues were closed and others were razed. Some carried the names of rabbis deceased or people in life who had influence on the community: synagogue Wisman, synagogue Gaon Bețael Safran, synagogue Rabbi Blane, synagogue David Herșcovici, synagogue Filderman, the synagogue rabbi Wahramn, and synagogue Rabbi Lan. In December 2015, the new headquarters of the Jewish community was opened at 2 Erou Costel Marius Hasan St.FOTO Evreii din Bacău și-au inaugurat noul sediu, în prezența Marelui Rabin Rafael Shaffer și a deputatului Aurel Vainer, președintele FCER
/ref>

International relations

Twin towns/Sister cities

Bacău is twinned with: *

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. *

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy *

Mandaue Mandaue (), officially the City of Mandaue (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 people. ...

, Philippines *

Caxias do Sul Caxias do Sul () is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian Brazilian, Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second Largest cities in R ...

, Brazil ''(since 2017, after relationships between its citizens have developed exponentially'')

Sports

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

* SCM Bacău * CS Știința Bacău * CSȘ Bacău

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

* CS Știința Bacău * CSȘ Bacău

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

* CSȘ Bacău

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

* SCM Bacău

Bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

* Bridge Club Bacău

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

FCM Bacău Asociația Sportivă a Suporterilor FCM 1950 Bacău (also known as ASS FCM 1950 Bacău, FCM 1950 Bacău or FCM Bacău) was a Romanian association football, football football team, club based in Bacău, Bacău County, Moldavia. Founded in 1950 a ...

CS Aerostar Bacău Clubul Sportiv Aerostar Bacău, commonly known as Aerostar Bacău or simply as Aerostar, is a Romanian professional association football, football club from the city of Bacău, Bacău County, currently playing in the Liga III. Founded in 1956 as ...

* CS FC Pambac Bacău *

FC Willy Bacău FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakist ...

* AS Clipa VIO Bacău * Siretul Bacău * LPS Bacău *

FC Bacău FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakist ...

* CSM Bacău

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

* SCM Bacău * CS Știința Bacău

Team Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a Handball goalkeeper, goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands ...

C.S. Știința Municipal Dedeman Bacău CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public sec ...

CS Știința Bacău CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public sec ...

* CSȘ Bacău * CSM Bacău

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

* SCM Bacău * Judo Club Royal Bacău

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

* SCM Bacău * CS Știința Bacău * CS Seishin Karate-Do Bacău * Siretul Bacău * Sfinx Club Karate-Do Bacau Fights * SCM Bacău Modelism * SCM Bacău * CS Aerostar Bacău

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

* SCM Bacău (înot, sărituri în apă) * LPS Bacău (înot)

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

* SCM Bacău * ASTC Bistrița Bacău * CSȘ Bacău

People

Aaron Aaronsohn Aaron Aaronsohn () (21 May 1876 – 15 May 1919) was a Romanian-born Ottoman agronomist, botanist, and political activist, who lived most of his life in Ottoman Syria. Aaronsohn was the discoverer of emmer ('' Triticum dicoccoides''), b ...

, agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist *

, poet *

Angela Alupei Angela Alupei ( Tamaș, born 1 May 1972) is a Romanian Olympic rower, born in Bacău, Romania. She has been rowing since she was 17 years of age. When not competing, she is a police officer. She, and her partner Constanța Burcică took the ...

, rower * , sculptor * Constantin Avram, academician *

Radu Beligan Radu Beligan (; 14 December 1918 – 20 July 2016) was a Romanian actor, director, and essayist, with an activity of over 70 years in theatre, film, television, and radio. On 15 December 2013, confirmed by Guinness World Records, the actor receiv ...

, actor, poet, essayist *

, poet * , painter *

Julius Borcea Julius Bogdan Borcea (8 June 1968 – 8 April 2009) was a Romanian Swedish mathematician. His scientific work included vertex operator algebra and zero distribution of polynomials and entire functions, via correlation inequalities and statisti ...

, mathematician *

Andrei Burcă Andrei Andonie Burcă (; born 15 April 1993) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays for Chinese Super League club Yunnan Yukun and the Romania national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also be deployed as a left-back. Burcă began h ...

, footballer *

Constantin Cândea Constantin Cândea (; December 15, 1887 – March 4, 1971) was a Romanian chemist, professor of Chemistry, Ph.D., engineer, and later Rector at the Polytechnic University of Timișoara (formerly the Polytechnic School of Timișoara) between ...

, chemist *

Vlad Chiricheș Vlad Iulian Chiricheș (; born 14 November 1989) is a Romanian professional association football, footballer who plays for Liga I club FCSB and the Romania national football team, Romania national team. Primarily a Defender (association football) ...

, footballer * , writer and activist * , composer and conductor * , violinist * , painter * Gabriela Firea, journalist and politician, mayor of Bucharest * , poet * Paul Grigoriu, journalist *

Nicolae Gropeanu Nicolae Orval Gropeanu or, in French, Nicolas Gropeano (28 November 1863, Bacău - 6 January 1936, Paris) was a Romanian painter, pastelist and illustrator; probably of Jewish ancestry. He is known primarily for genre scenes, portraits and figu ...

, painter * Iulius Iancu, Jewish poet and writer *

David Korner David Korner (also known as Barta, Albert, and A. Mathieu; October 19, 1914 – September 6, 1976) was a Romanian and French communist militant, trade unionist, and journalist. A Trotskyist for most of his life, he was active in the labor mov ...

, communist militant, syndicalist, and journalist *

Radu Lecca Radu D. Lecca (February 15, 1890–1980) was a Romanian spy, journalist, civil servant and convicted War crime, war criminal. A World War I veteran who served a prison term for espionage in France during the early 1930s, he was a noted support ...

, double spy, journalist, fascist, antisemite, declared a war criminal by the communists *

Narcisa Lecușanu Narcisa Georgeta Lecuşanu (née Paunica; born 14 September 1976 in Bacău, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a retired Romanian handballer who played for the Romania women's national handball team, Romanian national team. She received a silver ...

, handball player * Solomon Marcus, mathematician *

Ioan Măric Ioan Măric (born 1945) is a Romanian painter. He is an exponent of naïve art. Art Măric is a painter in the naive style, of which he is one of Romania's leading exponents. His work sometimes depicts scenes from proverbs and fairy tales, in ...

, artist * Agnès Matoko, model * Dumitru Mazilu, politician *

Doina Melinte Doina Ofelia Melinte (; née Beșliu on 27 December 1956) is a retired Romanian middle-distance runner. She competed at four Olympics (1980–92), and won a gold medal in the 800 metres and a silver medal in the 1,500 metres in 1984. She won the ...

, athlete, Olympic gold medalist * Mihaela Melinte, athlete * Marius Mircu, journalist and memoirist * , humorist and TV host *

Costel Pantilimon Costel Fane Pantilimon (; born 1 February 1987) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As a player, Pantilimon was deployed as a goalkeeper and began his career at Politehnica Timișoara. In 2011, he signed fo ...

, footballer *

Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu (; 4 November 1900 – 17 April 1954) was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania (PCR), also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he ...

, Marxist intellectual and politician *

Vasile Pârvan Vasile Pârvan (; 28 September 1882 – 26 June 1927) was a Romanian historian and archaeologist. Biography Pârvan was born in Perchiu, Huruiești commune, Bacău County. He came from a modest family, being the first child of the teacher An ...

, istoric, archaeologist, and academician * Gabriela Potorac, gymnast * , communist politician *

Monica Roșu Monica Roşu (born 11 May 1987) is a former artistic gymnast from Romania. During her career, she won two Olympic gold medals (team and vault), a silver medal with the Romanian team at world championships, and two gold medals at the European Ch ...

, gymnast *

Mirela Rusu Mirela Rusu (born 5 March 1978 in Bacău, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbi ...

, double world champion in aerobic gymnastics * Alexandru Șafran, Rabbi and senator * Doru Sechelariu, racing driver *

Gianina Șerban Gianina Șerban (born 15 July 1983, Bacău) is a Romanian politician who since 2020 has served a member of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania), Chamber of Deputies for the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. Early life Gianina Șerban was born ...

, politician * , theater and film actress, university professor *

Răzvan Petru Umbrărescu Răzvan is a Romanian-language male given name. It may refer to: People Arts and sciences Military Politics Sports Association football * Răzvan Andronic — (–) midfielder * Răzvan Avram — (–) footballer * Răzvan ...

, racing driver *

Anamaria Vartolomei Anamaria Vartolomei (; ; born 9 April 1999) is a French-Romanian actress. She began her career as a child actress in the film ''My Little Princess'' (2011). She won the Lumière Award for Best Actress and the César Award for Most Promising Actr ...

, actress *

Nicolae Vermont Nicolae Vermont (10 October 1866 – 14 June 1932) was a Romanian realist painter, graphic artist and muralist. He was noted for his wide range of subjects and his interest in social issues, and was an associate of the post-Impressionists Ştefa ...

, painter *

Max Yankowitz Max Yankowitz (1875–1945) or Yenkovitz () was a Romanian-born American Klezmer accordionist and recording artist. He was one of the first musicians to record Klezmer music in the United States, making a handful of recordings for Columbia Records ...

, accordionist

Gallery

File:Bâcau, Romania. Monumentul Mircea Cancicov, March 2001.jpg, Mircea Cancicov memorial File:Winter festival in Bacău, Romania.jpg, Winter Festival File:DetaliuPrecista.jpg, "Precista", detail File:9th_of_May_street,_Bacău.jpg, " 9th of May" Street

References

Sources

* Benda, Kálmán (2002). The Hungarians of Moldavia (Csángós) in the 16th–17th Centuries. ''In:'' Diószegi, László (2002); ''Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia''; Teleki László Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation; . * Dobre, Claudia Florentina (2009). ''Mendicants in Moldavia: Mission in an Orthodox Land''. AUREL Verlag. . * Mărtinaș, Dumitru (1999). ''The Origins of the Changos''. The Center for Romanian Studies. . * Pozsony, Ferenc (2002). ''Church Life in Moldavian Hungarian Communities''. ''In:'' Diószegi, László (2002); ''Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia''; Teleki László Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation; . * Rădvan, Laurențiu (2010). ''At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities''. BRILL. . * Spinei, Victor (2009). ''The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth century''. Koninklijke Brill NV. . * Treptow, Kurt W.; Popa, Marcel (1996). ''Historical Dictionary of Romania''. The Scarecrow Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bacau Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Localities in Western Moldavia Populated places in Bacău County