Fălticeni (; ''german: Foltischeni; hu, Falticsén;'' he, פלטיצ'ן yi, פאלטישאן) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county ('' ro, județ'') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat is the historical town ...

, northeastern

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. It is situated in the historical region of

Western Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova), also called Western Moldavia or Romanian Moldavia, is the historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1859, the Pr ...

. Fălticeni is the second largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 24,619 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census. It was declared a municipality in 1995, along with two other cities in Suceava County:

Rădăuți Rădăuți (; german: Radautz; hu, Radóc; pl, Radowce; uk, Радівці, ''Radivtsi''; yi, ראַדעװיץ ''Radevits''; tr, Radoviçe) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Buko ...

and Câmpulung Moldovenesc. Fălticeni covers an area of , of which 25% are orchards and lakes, and it administers two villages: Șoldănești and Țarna Mare. It was the capital of former

Baia County Baia County is one of the historic counties of Moldavia, Romania. The county seat was Fălticeni. In 1938, the county was disestablished and incorporated into the newly formed Ținutul Prut, but it was re-established in 1940 after the fall of Ca ...

(1929–1950). The town is known for the high number of Romanian writers, artists, and scientists who were born, lived, studied, or have created here.

Geography

Fălticeni is located in the southern part of Suceava County, 25 km away from

Suceava Suceava () is the largest urban settlement and the seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of Suceava County, situated in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania, and at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central and Eastern E ...

, the capital of the county. The

European route E85 European route E85 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. The E 85 starts from Klaipėda (Lithuania) runs south through Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria to Greece, ending at Alexandroupo ...

crosses the city. Fălticeni is connected to the Romanian national railway system, through Dolhasca train station (24 km away). The city of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

is 80 km south, on E85 road.

Administration and local politics

Town council

The town's current local council has the following political composition, according to the results of the 2020 Romanian local elections:

History

The earliest written mention of the village ''Folticeni'' is from March 1490, and the second from March 1554, when

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Alexandru Lăpuşneanu Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu. Origin Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men" ...

awarded the estate and the village bearing the aforesaid name to

Moldovița Moldovița ( uk, Молдовіца; german: Russ Moldawitza) is a commune located in Suceava County, Bukovina, northeastern Romania. It is composed of four villages: namely Argel, Demăcușa, Moldovița, and Rașca. A Latin-rite Catholic Dio ...

Monastery. Fălticeni was first mentioned as an urban settlement in August 1780 as Târgul Șoldănești (''Șoldănești Market''), after the name of a local

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...

's estate, in a document issued by the chancellery of Prince Constantin Moruzi. In March 1826, an edict issued by Prince

Ioan Sturdza Ioan Sandu Sturdza or Ioniță Sandu Sturdza (1762 – 2 February 1842) was a ruler (hospodar) (List of Moldavian rulers) of Moldavia from 21 June 1822 to 5 May 1828. Biography Sturdza is considered the first indigenous ruler with the end of Ph ...

changed the name of the town to Fălticeni. Fălticeni was bombed by the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Between 1929 and 1950 Fălticeni was the capital of former Baia County. From 1950 to present the city is part of Suceava County. In the year 1921 the Faltishan (Yiddish for Fălticeni)

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

dynasty was founded in Fălticeni, by Rabbi Eluzar Twersky, a scion of the

Skver Skver (also Skvir, Skvere, or Skwere; yi, סקווירא) is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yitzchok Twersky in the city of Skver (as known in Yiddish; or Skvyra, in present-day Ukraine) during the mid-19th century. Followers o ...

Hasidic sect, and part of the prestigious royal Hasidic

Twersky Twersky, Twerski, or Tverski is the surname of a pedigree of rebbes in the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty. It was begun by the Grand Rabbi Menachum Nachum Twerski. People with this name include: Twersky * David Twersky (journalist) (1950–2010), jou ...

family. Today they are Jewish communities in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York carrying on the name Faltishan, led by Rabbi Twersky's descendants.

Demographics

Fălticeni reached its peak population in 1992, when almost 33,000 people were living within the city limits. As of 2016, the town of Fălticeni was the third largest urban settlement in

, after the county capital,

, and the town of

. According to the 2011 census data, 24,619 inhabitants lived in Fălticeni, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census, when the city had a population of 29,787 inhabitants. In 2011, of the city total population, 98.15% were

ethnic Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

, 0.76%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, 0.75%

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

(including

Lipovans , flag = Flag of the Lipovans.png , flag_caption = Flag of the Lipovans , image = Evstafiev-lipovane-slava-cherkeza.jpg , caption = Lipovans during a ceremony in front of the Lipovan church in the Romanian village of Slava Cercheză in 200 ...

), 0.07%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

, 0.04%

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

(

Regat Germans , native_name_lang = , image = , image_caption = Top: Flag of the Kingdom of RomaniaBottom: The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Romania , image_alt = , image_upright = , total = , total_year = ...

), 0.02%

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...

, and 0.01%

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

Culture

There are four museums in Fălticeni. ''Ion Irimescu'' Art Museum (''Muzeul de Artă "Ion Irimescu"'') houses the largest collection of works of art by a single artist, Ion Irimescu, one of Romania's greatest sculptors and sketchers, as well as a member of the Romanian Academy. The museum building is a historic monument, dating from the middle of the 19th century and had various destinations until 1974, when it was given to the art museum. In 1974 Ion Irimescu took the initiative to establish the museum, at first as a department of the Town Museum and made some donations. Later the value of the collection grew, currently being the richest author collection, and in 1991 an independent museum emerged. It comprises the most representative works by the sculptor Ion Irimescu: 313 sculptures and 1000 drawings: portraits, compositions, monument project carried out in the rondebosse or alterorelief technique, in gypsum, wood, terracotta, marble, bronze works of graphics especially donated to the museum by the author. The museum also includes the artist's personal library (1500 volumes).Romanian Museums Guide - Ion Irimescu Art Museum, Fălticeni
(in Romanian). Retrieved January 30, 2013. ''Mihai Băcescu'' Water Museum (''Muzeul Apelor "Mihai Băcescu"'') was founded in 1982 by the Romanian zoologist Mihai Băcescu, who was also a member of the Romanian Academy. This museum of natural sciences represents the enhancement and the development of the first museum established in Fălticeni, in 1914, by the professor Vasile Ciurea.Romanian Museums Guide - Mihai Băcescu Water Museum, Fălticeni
(in Romanian). Retrieved January 30, 2013. Fălticeni is the hometown of the Lovinescu family, which gave Romania four of its most distinguished men of letters of the 20th century: literary critic

Eugen Lovinescu Eugen Lovinescu (; 31 October 1881 – 16 July 1943) was a Romanian modernist literary historian, literary critic, academic, and novelist, who in 1919 established the ''Sburătorul'' literary club. He was the father of Monica Lovinescu, and the u ...

, playwright Horia Lovinescu, esoterist Vasile Lovinescu and novelist

Anton Holban Anton Holban (; 10 February 1902, in Huşi – 15 January 1937, in Bucharest) was a Romanian novelist. He was the nephew of Eugen Lovinescu. The son of Gheorghe Holban (whom had from his father’s side Germanic ancestry) and Antoaneta Lovin ...

. The Lovinescu family contributed to founding a memorial museum in Fălticeni, House of Notable People (''Galeria Oamenilor de Seamă''). The museum was opened in 1972 and represents a synthesis of the city's cultural and intellectual life.Lovinescu Family - Notable People House, Fălticeni
(in Romanian). Retrieved January 30, 2013. Classics of

Romanian literature Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the term may also be used to refer to all literature written in the Romanian language. History The development of the Romanian literature took place in parallel with tha ...

, such as Ion Creangă,

Mihail Sadoveanu Mihail Sadoveanu (; occasionally referred to as Mihai Sadoveanu; November 5, 1880 – October 19, 1961) was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as acting head of state for the communis ...

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 Romani ...

, or

Nicolae Labiș Nicolae Labiș () (December 2, 1935 in Poiana Mărului, Suceava County, Romania – December 22, 1956 in Bucharest) was a Romanian poet. Early life His father, Eugen, was the son of a forest brigade soldier and himself fought in World War II; ...

, at some point in their life linked their name with that of the city by both studying and living in Fălticeni. ''Mihail Sadoveanu'' Memorial House (''Casa memorială "Mihail Sadoveanu"'') is a museum founded in 1987 in Fălticeni, in the house where Mihail Sadoveanu lived and created between 1909 and 1918.Romanian Museums Guide - Mihail Sadoveanu Memorial House, Fălticeni
(in Romanian). Retrieved January 30, 2013.

Economy

The main industries of the city are chemical manufacture, hand-made glass, manufacturing soft drinks, clothing, and wood products. Also the fishing industry is one of the oldest base industry in the city. Most of these industries have died down after the Communist era.

Natives

* Costin Anton - painter * Ionuț Atodiresei - kickboxer * Adrian Avrămia - footballer *

Aurel Băeșu Aurel Băeșu (26 May 1896 – 24 August 1928) was a Romanian Impressionist landscape and portrait painter. Many of his works show the influence of Nicolae Grigorescu; an influence that was common among painters of his generation. Biography His ...

- painter *

J. J. Benjamin Israe͏̈l Joseph Benjamin (Fălticeni, Moldavia, 1818 – London, May 3, 1864) was a Romanian-Jewish historian and traveler. His pen name was "Benjamin II", in allusion to Benjamin of Tudela. Life and travels Married young, he engaged in the l ...

- historian and traveler *

Grigore Vasiliu Birlic Grigore Vasiliu Birlic (; January 24, 1905 – February 14, 1970) was a Romanian actor who appeared on stage, television and in films. He was best known for comedic roles. Early life Grigore Vasiliu was born on 24 January 1905 into the family ...

- actor * Jules Cazaban - actor, director * Ion Dragoslav - writer * Nicu Gane - writer, politician *

Arthur Gorovei Arthur Gorovei (born 19 February 1864, Fălticeni – d. 19 March 1951, Bucharest) was a Romanian writer, folklorist and ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthro ...

- writer, folklorist, ethnographer * Ștefan S. Gorovei - historian * Sofia Ionescu - neurosurgeon * Ion Irimescu - sculptor, sketcher *

Alexandru Lambrior Alexandru Lambrior (January 12, 1845 – September 20, 1883) was a Romanian philologist and folklorist. A native of Fălticeni in Moldavia, he studied at Iași University and, after beginning a career as a teacher, in Paris. He resumed teaching ...

- folklorist *

Dimitrie Leonida Dimitrie Leonida (May 23, 1883–March 14, 1965) was a Romanian energy engineer. Born in Fălticeni, his father Atanase was a cavalry officer, while his mother (née Gill) was the daughter of a French building engineer. He had seven surviving ...

- engineer, scientist *

- literary historian, literary critic, novelist * Vasile Lovinescu - esoterist *

Vasile Maftei Vasile Maftei (born 1 January 1981) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a defender. He was best known for his leadership qualities, becoming captain for Rapid București, Unirea Urziceni, Concordia Chiajna and Voluntari. Although pri ...

- footballer *

Maria Olaru Maria Olaru (born 4 June 1982)
Maria Olaru is a ...

- gymnast * Mayer Schorr - hazzan *

Constantin Schumacher Constantin Schumacher (born 8 May 1976) is a Romanian football manager and former midfielder. Previously, he also main coached Rapid București between 2017 and 2018.Gilles Ségal Gilles Ségal (13 January 1929 – 11 June 2014) was a French actor, mime, and playwright. He performed on stage with Marcel Marceau, and in more than sixty films since 1954. He was born in Fălticeni, Romania. Among his most notable roles is that ...

- actor, playwright * Rabbi Mordechai Stein - Faltishaner Rabbe * Teodor Tatos - painter, writer, lawyer Not born in Fălticeni, but artistically active there was also: *

Reuven Rubin Reuven Rubin ( he, ראובן רובין; November 13, 1893 – October 13, 1974) was a Romanian-born Israeli painter and Israel's first ambassador to Romania. Biography Rubin Zelicovici (later Reuven Rubin) was born in Galaţi to a poor Rom ...

- painter

Gallery

File:Falticeni - Ansamblul urban Strada Republicii.jpg, ''Republicii'' pedestrian street File:Falticeni - Primaria (1).jpg, The city hall File:Falticeni - Muzeul de Arta Ion Irimescu (1).jpg, ''Ion Irimescu'' Art Museum File:Falticeni - Muzeul Apelor Mihai Bacescu (5).jpg, ''Mihai Băcescu'' Water Museum File:Falticeni - Galeria Oamenilor de Seama (1).jpg, House of Notable People File:Falticeni - Casa Eugen Lovinescu.jpg, ''Eugen Lovinescu'' House File:Falticeni - Casa Gane-Gorovei.jpg, ''Gane-Gorovei'' House File:Falticeni - Biblioteca Municipala Eugen Lovinescu (Casa Cantacuzino-Pascanu).jpg, ''Eugen Lovinescu'' Public Library File:Falticeni - Parchetul.jpg, The courthouse File:Falticeni - Spitalul Municipal.jpg, The hospital File:Falticeni - Oficiul Postal.jpg, The post office File:Falticeni - Complexul Comercial Nada Florilor.jpg, ''Nada Florilor'' Shopping Center File:Falticeni - Statuia Granicerului (1).jpg, Statue of the border guard File:Biserica romano-catolica din Falticeni14.jpg, Roman Catholic church File:Biserica Gradini din Falticeni.jpg, ''Grădini'' Orthodox church File:Biserica de lemn din Falticeni.jpg, Wooden Orthodox church File:Sinagoga Mare din Falticeni.jpg, Great Synagogue File:La ville de Falticheni.jpg, View taken between 1901 and 1904

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falticeni Cities in Romania Jewish communities in Romania Capitals of former Romanian counties Localities in Western Moldavia Populated places in Suceava County