Ițcani (german: link=no, Itzkany) is a neighbourhood of Suceava, the county seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of

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 ...

( ro, Județul Suceava) in the

historical region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that ...

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...

( ro, Bucovina, german: link=no, Bukowina/Buchenland), 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 ...

, located some 5 km northwest of the town center. Ițcani was initially established in the 15th century, following a 1453 document issued by Alexăndrel,

Domn ''Domnitor'' (Romanian Plural, pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian language ...

(i.e. Prince) of

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 ...

. Along with the rest of Bukovina (or the highlands of the former medieval Principality of Moldavia), it became part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

during the late 18th century and then, gradually, of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(pertaining to

Cisleithania Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...

or the Austrian-ruled realms of the former

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

an dual monarchy). During the 1780s, 8 ethnic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

families settled here in the course of the

Josephine colonization The Josephine colonization (german: Josephinische kolonisation or Josephinisches siedlung, pl, kolonizacja józefińska) was a state-funded settlement campaign organised under the rule of Joseph II in the 1780s, in the then-new crownland of the ...

(german: link=no, Josephinische kolonisation or Josephinisches siedlung). After the unification of Bukovina with the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

in 1918, Ițcani was subsequently recorded on official population censuses by the Romanian authorities as a commune composed of two separate villages, more specifically Ițcanii Noi (german: link=no, Neu Itzkany) and Ițcani Gară (german: link=no, Itzkany Bahnhof). Furthermore, according to the 1930 Romanian census, as much as 45% of the commune's population was composed of

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

(i.e. Bukovina Germans), many of whom were later forcefully re-settled in occupied Poland during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as part of the

Heim ins Reich The ''Heim ins Reich'' (; meaning "back home to the Reich") was a foreign policy pursued by Adolf Hitler before and during World War II, beginning in 1938. The aim of Hitler's initiative was to convince all ''Volksdeutsche'' (ethnic Germans) wh ...

policy plan initiated by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Suceava North railway station Suceava North railway station ( ro, Gara Suceava Nord), also known as Iţcani, is a railway station located in Suceava, Romania, completed in 1871. Originally part of Iţcani village (now a suburb of Suceava), it is located at No. 4, Gării Street ...

(german: link=no, Itzkany Banhof) is located in Ițcani.

History

Ițcani was part of the Principality of Moldavia throughout the

late Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Subsequently, it became part of the

in the late 18th century, the

during the early 19th century, and, later on,

between the late 19th century and early 20th century, being situated at the crossroads between the

Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (german: Herzogtum Bukowina; ro, Ducatul Bucovinei; uk, Герцогство Буковина) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918 ...

(german: link=no, Herzogtum Bukowina/Buchenland, ro, Ducatul Bucovinei) and the Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat, german: link=no, Altreich). After the end of

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 ...

, in 1918, it became part of the

(being later on integrated in Ținutul Suceava) and remained part of the Romanian state ever since. After 1947, it became part of

within the Romanian People's Republic (RPR) and then the

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian People ...

(RSR). It remained as such as well during contemporary

after the Romanian Revolution of 1989.

Demographics

The

1930 Romanian census This article presents the demographic history of Romania through census results. See Demographics of Romania for a more detailed overview of the country's present-day demographics. The 1930 census was the only one to cover Greater Romania. Censuse ...

recorded a relative majority for the ethnic Germans (more specifically the

Bukovina Germans ''Buchelanddeutsche'' , native_name_lang = , image = , image_caption = , image_alt = , image_upright = , total = , total_year = , total_source = , total_ref = , genealogy ...

) living in Ițcani at that time, more specifically 45%, a percentage which overshadowed the other ethnic groups, among which, most notably, were the native Romanians. The latter only accounted for 21.4% of the total population. Other ethnic groups recorded then in the 1930 Romanian census were also the Jews, Ukrainians, Poles, Lipovans, and Hungarians. During and after the end of

, many Bukovina Germans from Ițcani (as with the rest of Germans from Bukovina) were forcefully re-settled by the national socialists in then occupied Poland. Some of then returned, but the vast majority left permanently. Immigration of the Bukovina German community of Ițcani continued to West Germany in communist times as well.

Cultural heritage of the Bukovina German community in Ițcani

Even to this day, after the vast majority of the ethnic Germans from Ițcani were deported to

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

occupied Poland ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...

, the cultural heritage of this community dating to the Austrian-ruled period endured throughout the decades following the end of

through the local architecture of some of the houses belonging to them, the train station, and also the local churches of former Evangelical Lutheran and

Roman Catholic 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 lette ...

confession.

Recent developments and recent history

The neighbourhood's recent history is marked by depopulation and a relative stagnation in economic regards. However, there is potential for further economic development in the future. The vast majority of the Bukovina Germans either left long ago for

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

(some of them returning) or passed away. Overall, Ițcani remains a poor neighbourhood of Suceava to this day. Nevertheless, it is very ethnically homogenous nowadays, with a strong Romanian majority accounting for much of its population.

Gallery

File:Gara Suceava Nord.jpg, Suceava North Railway station during the Austro-Hungarian period (more specifically early 20th century) File:Gara Suceava Nord1.jpg, Suceava North Railway station in Ițcani File:Școala din Ițcani1.jpg, The school in Ițcani File:Clădire din Ițcani.jpg, Austrian-style house in Ițcani File:Biserica Sf. Elisabeta din Itcani16.jpg, Roman Catholic church of Saint Elisabeth File:Biserica Sf. Apostoli din Itcani5.jpg, Former St. Apostles Church of the local Bukovina German community File:Primăria din Iţcani3.jpg, Former town hall in Ițcani File:Pichetul din Itcani5.jpg, Ițcani border picket File:Casa veche din Itcani-Suceava.jpg, Old house in Ițcani File:Cladire din Itcani.jpg, Grigore Alexandru Ghica Street File:Strada Aurel Vlaicu din Suceava6.jpg, Aurel Vlaicu street in Ițcani File:Strada Gării din Iţcani.jpg, Train station street in Ițcani File:Strada Garii din Itcani5.jpg, Train station street in Ițcani File:Turnul de paraşutism din Suceava.jpg, Parachute tower File:Râul Suceava3.jpg, Suceava River flowing in Ițcani File:Dragomirna River.jpg, Dragomirna River in Ițcani File:Parcul Gării Ițcani2.jpg, Railway station park in Ițcani File:Parcul Gării Ițcani4.jpg, Railway station park in Ițcani

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Itcani Neighbourhoods in Romania Suceava Suceava County Bukovina Localities in Southern Bukovina Ținutul Suceava Populated places in Suceava County