Bârlad () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia. At Bârlad the railway from

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret, the other skirting the Prut; both reunite at

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

. Along with a maze of narrow and winding streets, Bârlad features several notable modern buildings, including the hospital administered by the Saint Spiridion Foundation of Iași. In the vicinity of the city are the ruins of a Roman camp. The city is the birthplace of Romanian '' Domnitor'' (Ruler) and diplomat Alexandru Ioan Cuza.

Etymology

Scholars continue to debate the origin of the city's name. The Hypatian Codex mentions a market town called ''Berlad'', and some historians, influenced by a document Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu published in the 19th century, have tried to link this town and its inhabitants (variously considered Romanians, East Slavs or an amalgam) with the Moldavian Bârlad.

Ioan Bogdan Ioan Bogdan may refer to: * Ioan Bogdan (historian) (1864–1919), Romanian historian and philologist * Ioan Bogdan (footballer) (born 1956), Romanian footballer See also * Ion Bogdan (1915–1992), Romanian footballer and manager * Ioan * Bogdan ...

demonstrated that the Hasdeu document was false, thus invalidating the hypothesis. Like Siret and Suceava, the medieval town took its name from the adjacent river, but nothing more can be said for certain.

Constantin Cihodaru Constantin is an Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname. For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name). See also * Constantine (name) * Konstantin The first name Konstant ...

linked the name, of possible Hungarian origin, to a Slavic word (''berlo'' — "rod", "cottage" or ''birlo'' — "swamp"), to which was added the Hungarian suffix ''-d'', also found, for example, in the names

Cenad Cenad ( hu, Nagycsanád, during the Dark Ages ''Marosvár''; german: Tschanad; sr, Чанад, Čanad; la, Chanadinum) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cenad. The village serves as a customs point on t ...

, Arad,

Tușnad Tușnad ( hu, Tusnád, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is composed of three villages: Demographics The commune has an absol ...

, and Tășnad. Supporting this notion is the historic presence of a significant Hungarian community, with traditions recalling the fight against the Tatars in the mid-14th century.

History

During World War II, Bârlad was captured on 24 August 1944 by Soviet troops of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front (2-й Украинский фронт), was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943 the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During the Second Jassy–Kishinev O ...

during the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.

Population

Natives

* Constantin Aur * Martin Bercovici *

Elena Bibescu Princess Elena Bibescu (1855 – October 18, 1902) was a Romanian noblewoman and pianist, regarded as one of the greatest pianists of Europe in the nineteenth century. In France, she became famous for being an outstanding pianist, but also for be ...

* Mihail Cristodulo Cerchez *

N. D. Cocea N. D. Cocea (common rendition of Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, , also known as Niculae, Niculici or Nicu Cocea; November 29, 1880 – February 1, 1949) was a Romanian journalist, novelist, critic and left-wing political activist, known as a major but co ...

* Adi Cristian Colceru (David Deejay) * Alexandru Ioan Cuza * Anton Davidoglu *

Cleante Davidoglu Cleante Davidoglu (1871–1947) was a Romanian major general during World War I and its immediate aftermath, who served as commander of the Gendarmerie from 1927 to 1928. Biography Early life He was born in Bârlad, Vaslui County, the son of Prof ...

* Manolache Costache Epureanu *

Elena Farago Elena Farago (born Elena Paximade; 29 March 1878–3 January 1954) was a Romanian poet and children's author. She also translated works by Ibsen, Nietzsche, Maeterlinck and numerous others into Romanian. Early life and education Born in Bârl ...

Leonte Filipescu Leonte Filipescu (September 18, 1895 – April 13, 1922) was one of the leaders of the early Romanian communist movement, shot in custody by the Romanian authorities. Leonte Filipescu was born in a family of workers in Bârlad, Romania. He work ...

* Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej * Max Goldstein *

Marcel Guguianu Marcel Guguianu (June 28, 1922 – June 12, 2012) was a Romanian sculptor. Biography Born in Bârlad, Guguianu attended primary school and began high school there, finishing at Galați. From 1941 to 1945, he attended courses at the Bucharest Nati ...

* Ernest Juvara *

Valeriu Lazarov Valeriu Lazarov or Valerio Lazarov (born December 20, 1935, Bârlad, Romania – died August 11, 2009, Tres Cantos, Spain) was a Romanian-born television producer and director of several tv channels from Romania, Spain and Italy. He defected to Sp ...

Alexandru I. Philippide Alexandru I. Philippide (; May 1, 1859 – August 12, 1933) was a Romanian linguist and philologist. Educated in Iași and Halle, he taught high school for several years until 1893, when he secured a professorship at the University of Iași th ...

Ștefan Procopiu Ștefan Procopiu (; January 19, 1890 – August 22, 1972) was a Romanian physicist and a titular member of the Romanian Academy. Biography Procopiu was born in 1890 in Bârlad, Romania. His father, Emanoil Procopiu, was employed at the Bâr ...

Andreea Răducan Andreea Mădălina Răducan (; born 30 September 1983) is a retired gymnast from Bârlad, Romania. She currently works as a sports announcer and journalist. Răducan began competing in gymnastics at a young age and was training at the Romanian j ...

Nicolae Tonitza Nicolae Tonitza (; April 13, 1886 – February 27, 1940) was a Romanian painter, engraver, lithographer, journalist and art critic. Drawing inspiration from Post-impressionism and Expressionism, he had a major role in introducing modernis ...

Ovidiu Tonița Ovidiu Tonița (born August 6, 1980) is a Romanian former rugby union player who played 73 times for the national team between 2000 and 2016. A former lock and presently a flanker and number 8. He played the majority of his career for USA Perp ...

* Bogdan Zebega *

George Tutoveanu George Tutoveanu (born Gheorghe Ionescu; 30 November 1872–18 August 1957) was a Romanian poet. Born in Bârlad, his parents were the Romanian Orthodox church singer Gheorghe Ionescu and his wife Catinca. He had five brothers and a sister, ...

Education

Bârlad features a total number of 43 school units, of which 23 kindergartens, 12 primary and secondary schools, 5 high schools, one vocational school, one music and arts school, an orphanage for preschool children and one for school children. All these units are subordinated to the Romanians Ministry of Education. Education Main high schools are: *''Colegiul Național Gheorge Roșca Codreanu'' (

Gheorghe Roșca Codreanu National College The Gheorghe Roşca Codreanu National College ( ro, Colegiul Naţional Gheorghe Roșca Codreanu) is a high school in the city of Bârlad, Romania. The school was established by Gheorghe and Neculai Roșca Codreanu as a gymnasium in 1858, being upg ...

) - the only national college in Vaslui County; *''Liceul Teoretic Mihai Eminescu'' (Mihai Eminescu Theoretical High School); *''Grupul Școlar Industrial Alexandru Ioan Cuza'' (Alexandru Ioan Cuza Industrial High School); *''Liceul Tehnologic Petru Rareș'' (Petru Rares Technological High School); * ''Liceul Pedagogic Ioan Popescu'' ( Ioan Popescu Pedagogical High School).

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Bârlad is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Vergèze, France * Konya, Turkey

Sport

"Rulmentul Bârlad" is the city's rugby team, currently playing in the first rugby league in Romania. One of the pioneers of rugby in Romania, the first team was created in 1956 under the name of "Constructorul", meaning "The Builder" in Romanian. "S.C. RULMENȚI S.A. Bârlad" was formed later on in 1962, competing in the first tier of the Romanian rugby division ever since. The team colours are white and blue. Notable performances are the winning of the 1986 and 1987 F.R.R cup (Federația Română de Rugby - The Romanian Rugby Cup). "Fepa '74 Bârlad" was the city's football team, changing its name to "F.C. Bârlad" shortly after. Its best performance was the promotion in the second tier of the Romanian Football Championship in the mid-1980s. Football *FC Bârlad *Fepa 74 Bârlad *FC Rulmentul Bârlad Rugby *Rulmentul Bârlad Gymnastics *CSS Bârlad

Gallery

File:Primăria municipiului Bârlad.jpg, City Hall File:Museo Vasile Pârvan.jpg, Vasile Pârvan Museum File:Biserica Sf Ilie.jpg, St. Elijah Church File:Jutjat(Juzgado) Bârlad.jpg, Palace of Justice File:Teatrul "Victor Ion Popa" Barlad.jpg, Victor Ion Popa Theatre

Notes

External links

*
Bună Dimineața Bârlad - BDB News
*
Bârlad City Hall
site *
Bârlad city portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlad Cities in Romania Localities in Western Moldavia Capitals of former Romanian counties Populated places in Vaslui County