Vatra Dornei (; german: Dorna-Watra; hu, Dornavátra) 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 ori ...

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 ...

, north-eastern

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

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 ...

. Vatra Dornei is the fifth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 14,429 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census. It was declared a municipality in 2000, being the newest and smallest municipality in the county. The city administers three villages: Argestru, Roșu, and Todireni. Vatra Dornei is a well known spa and ski resort in the

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

and also is home to the historic Vatra Dornei Casino.

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 Local elections were held in Romania on 27 September 2020. Initially planned for June 2020, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led the Government of Romania to postpone the elections to a date no later than 31 December 2020, and extending all ...

Geography

Vatra Dornei is located in north-east Romania, in the south-western part of

, 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 city of

Câmpulung Moldovenesc Câmpulung Moldovenesc (; formerly spelled ''Cîmpulung Moldovenesc'') is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Câmpulung Moldovenesc is the fourth largest urban settlement in the c ...

is away, the city of

Bistrița (; german: link=no, Bistritz, archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , hu, Beszterce) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of approxima ...

away, the town of

Gura Humorului Gura Humorului (; Hebrew and Yiddish: גורה חומורולוי - ''Gure Humuruluei'' or גורא הומאָרא - ''Gura Humora''; German and Polish: ''Gura Humora'') is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the his ...

away and the town of Broșteni away. Vatra Dornei is at the confluence of the rivers

and Dorna, in the Dorna Depression. Because of its mountain surroundings, the city is a spa and ski resort, one of the oldest resorts in Romania. Vatra Dornei is connected to the Romanian national railway system and has two railway stations, Vatra Dornei and Vatra Dornei Băi, both historical monuments. The

European route E58 European route E 58 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Vienna, Austria and ends in Rostov-na-Donu, Russia. It is approximately long. Route * **: Vienna - Fischamend - Bruck an der Leitha **: Bruck an der Le ...

, that links the region 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 ...

with

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, crosses the city.

History

The earliest written mention of the settlement is from 1592. Together with the rest of

, Vatra Dornei was under the rule 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 ...

(later

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 ...

) from 1775 to 1918. This was a period of development for the town, which became a well known resort in the early 19th century. Between 1925 and 1950, Vatra Dornei was part of the former Câmpulung County. From 1950 to present it's part of Suceava County. The

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Vatra Dornei Casino is located in the municipality.

Demographics

Until the early 1950s, Vatra Dornei had an ethnically mixed population of

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 ...

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

(more specifically

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

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

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. The large synagogue and a picturesque Jewish cemetery bear witness to the Jewish presence and historical legacy in the area. Vatra Dornei reached its peak population in 1992, when about 18,500 people were living within the town limits. Then the city population declined gradually. According to the 2011 census, Vatra Dornei had a total population of 13,659 inhabitants. Of this population, 98.65% are ethnically

, 0.64%

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 ...

, 0.23%

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

(

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

), 0.22%

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 ...

, and 0.10%

. Vatra Dornei is the fifth most populated urban settlement in

, after the county capital,

, and the cities of

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 ...

Fălticeni Fălticeni (; ''german: Foltischeni; hu, Falticsén;'' he, פלטיצ'ן yi, פאלטישאן) is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Western Moldavia. Fălticeni is the second largest urba ...

, and

. Vatra Dornei is also the smallest and newest municipality in Suceava County.

Tourism

Vatra Dornei is a well known ski resort in the

. There are ski slopes nearby the city, attracting tourists in winter season. Vatra Dornei is surrounded by large forest areas, proper places for practicing alpine tourism. There are mineral water springs in the city limits and its surroundings, that helped the settlement to develop as a spa. In the late 19th century and early 20th century

had only two spa towns: Vatra Dornei and

Solca Solca (german: Solka; pl, Solka; hu, Szolka) is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Solca is the smallest town in the county and the third smallest town in Romania, with a popul ...

. Vatra Dornei has several hotels, two museums (The Ethnographic Museum and The Museum of Natural Sciences) and a few old buildings that are considered historical and architectural monuments: the casino, the main spa building, the two railway stations, the town hall, ''Sentinela'' Spring, the post office building, and a few old churches.

Natives

* Vasile Deac (1824–1909), Mayor of Vatra Dornei * Liliana Ichim (born 1967), alpine skier *

Alfred Kuzmany __NOTOC__ Alfred Kuzmany (born 24 October 1893 in Dorna-Watra, Bukovina, Austria-Hungary–4 October 1961) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Awards and ...

(1893–1961), army general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

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 ...

* Bogdan Macovei (born 1983), luger *

Andrei Nilă Andrei Nilă (born 16 August 1985) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward for ARO Muscelul Câmpulung. Born in Vatra Dornei, Nilă grew up at the academy of Argeș Pitești and played most of his career for Miov ...

(born 1985), footballer *

Platon Pardău Platon may refer to: People * Plato (Πλάτων, romanized as ''Plátōn''), Greek philosopher * Plato (comic poet) (fl. 420–391 BCE) * Plato of Bactria (2nd century BCE), Greco-Bactrian king * Plato (exarch) (fl. 645–653), Byzantine exarc ...

(1934–2002), poet and writer *

Teodosie Petrescu Teodosie Petrescu (; born 12 December 1955; birth name: Macedon Petrescu ) is a Romanian cleric who has been the Archbishop of Tomis since 2001. Biography Early life Born in Vatra Dornei, Suceava County, Teodosie was the 17th child of the famil ...

(born 1955), cleric

Gallery

File:Vatra Dornei.jpg, Dorna river File:Primaria din Vatra Dornei2.jpg, Town hall File:Gara Vatra Dornei5.jpg, Railway station File:RO SV Vatra Dornei railway station 1.jpg, Vatra Dornei Băi railway station File:Hotelul Carol din Vatra Dornei1.jpg, Carol Hotel File:Biblioteca oraseneasca din Vatra Dornei.jpg, Town library File:Judecatoria din Vatra Dornei.jpg, Court File:Cladirea Izvorului "Santinela" - Vatra Dornei.JPG, Santinela spring File:Casa Vladimir din Vatra Dornei.jpg, Vladimir House File:Scoala nr. 4 din Vatra Dornei4.jpg, Elementary school nr. 4 File:KurparkVatraDornei.JPG, Japanese Pavilion File:RO SV Vatra Dornei cultural center.jpg, House of Culture File:Izvorul Unirea din Vatra Dornei.jpg, Unirea Spring File:Templul Mare din Vatra Dornei4.jpg, Great Jewish Temple File:Vatra Dornei - Strada Luceafarul.jpg, Luceafărul Street File:Biserica romano-catolica din Vatra Dornei16.jpg, Roman Catholic Church File:RO SV Vatra Dornei street 1.jpg, Mihai Eminescu Street, downtown Vatra Dornei