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 ...

Vaslui County Vaslui County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km². * Romanians - over 98% * ...

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

. It lies on the banks of the river

Bârlad Bârlad () is a municipiu, city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad (river), Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia. At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river S ...

, which waters the high plains 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 P ...

. At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river

Siret Siret (; german: Sereth; hu, Szeretvásár; uk, Серет, Seret; yi, סערעט, Seret) 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 other skirting the

Prut The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates ...

; both reunite at Galați. 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 In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

. The city is the birthplace of Romanian ''

Domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian 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 word "''domn''" ...

'' (Ruler) and diplomat

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janua ...

Etymology

Scholars continue to debate the origin of the city's name. The

Hypatian Codex The Hypatian Codex (also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis; be, Іпацьеўскі летапіс; russian: Ипатьевская летопись; uk, Іпатіївський літопис) is a ''svod'' (compendium) of three ''l ...

mentions a market town called ''Berlad'', and some historians, influenced by a document

Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu ( 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Life He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in Cristineștii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...

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 * Bog ...

demonstrated that the Hasdeu document was false, thus invalidating the hypothesis. Like

and

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 and Eastern Europe. Klaus Pet ...

, the medieval town took its name from the adjacent river, but nothing more can be said for certain. Constantin Cihodaru 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, Arad, Tușnad, and

Tășnad Tășnad (; Hungarian: ''Tasnád'', Hungarian pronunciation: ; German: ''Trestenburg'') is a town in Satu Mare County, Crișana, Romania. It administers five villages: Blaja (''Tasnádbalázsháza''), Cig (''Csög''), Rațiu (''Ráctanya''), Săr ...

. 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 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 opposing ...

, Bârlad was captured on 24 August 1944 by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

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 ...

during the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.

Population

Natives

Constantin Aur Constantin "Titi" Aur (born 25 December 1963 in Bârlad) is a Romanian rally driver. He has won eight Romanian rally championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006) and is the first Romanian rally driver to participate in a full se ...

Martin Bercovici Martin Bercovici (24 August 1902, in Bârlad – 19 January 1971, in Bucharest) was a Romanian electrical engineer who contributed to the development of energy engineering education in Romania and to the plan of electric networks building of Roman ...

* Elena Bibescu *

Mihail Cristodulo Cerchez Mihail Cerchez Cristodulo (1839–1885) was a Romanian general. Biography Descended from an old Moldavian family, Cerchez was colonel in the Romanian Army during the Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878), and fought at the Siege of Pleven ...

* N. D. Cocea * Adi Cristian Colceru (David Deejay) *

Anton Davidoglu Anton Davidoglu (June 30, 1876–May 27, 1958) was a Romanian mathematician who specialized in differential equations. He was born in 1876 in Bârlad, Vaslui County, the son of Profira Moțoc and Doctor Cleante Davidoglu. His older brother was ...

* Cleante Davidoglu * Manolache Costache Epureanu * Elena Farago * Leonte Filipescu *

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian communist politician and electrician. He was the first Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Party ...

Max Goldstein Max Goldstein (1898–1924), also known as Coca, was a Romanian revolutionary, variously described as a communist and an anarchist. Born in Bârlad to a Jewish family, he worked as a clerk for two years. He later moved to Bucharest in 1916, w ...

* Marcel Guguianu * Ernest Juvara * Valeriu Lazarov * Alexandru I. Philippide * Ștefan Procopiu * Andreea Răducan *

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 modernist g ...

* Ovidiu Tonița * Bogdan Zebega * George Tutoveanu

Education

Bârlad features a total number of 43 school units, of which 23

kindergartens Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, 12 primary and secondary schools, 5 high schools, one

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the task ...

, 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 with: *

Vergèze Vergèze (; oc, Vergesa) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Vergèze-Codognan station has rail connections to Nîmes, Avignon and Montpellier. Located just south-east of the commune is the production facility for Perrier, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

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 Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

. "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