Câmpulung Moldovenesc (; formerly spelled ''Cîmpulung Moldovenesc'') is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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

, northeastern

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

. It is situated in the historical region of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

. Câmpulung Moldovenesc is the fourth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 15,642 inhabitants, according to the 2021 census. It was declared a municipality in 1995, along with two other towns in Suceava County, more specifically

Fălticeni Fălticeni (; ''; ;'' ) is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Western Moldavia. According to the 2021 census, Fălticeni is the third largest urban settlement in the county. It was declared ...

and

Rădăuți Rădăuți (; ; ; ; , ''Radivtsi''; ''Radevits''; ) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. According to the 2021 census, Rădăuți is the second largest urban settlement in the ...

. Câmpulung Moldovenesc covers an area of and it was the capital of former Câmpulung County (until 1950).

Name

"Câmpulung" means "Long Field" in Romanian. Moldovenesc ("Moldavian") is used to differentiate between this town and

Câmpulung Muscel Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , , Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'') is a municipiu, city in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is attested on the Fra Mauro map fro ...

(

Argeș County Argeș County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Pitești. Demographics At the 2021 Romanian census, 2021 census, the county had a population of 569,932 and the population density was . At the 2011 Ro ...

, Wallachia). The town is also known as ''Moldovahosszúmező'' in Hungarian, ''Kimpolung'' or ''Kimpulung'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, ''Kimpulung Moldovanesk'' (Кимпулунг Молдованеск) or ''Dovhopillja'' (Довгопілля) in Ukrainian, ''קאָמפּעלונג'' ("Kimpulung") in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

, and ''Kimpulung Mołdawski'' in Polish.

Geography

Câmpulung Moldovenesc is situated in the region of

, in north-eastern

. The city is located in the mountain area of the Bukovinian Subcarpathians known as Obcinele Bucovinei, on the banks of the

Moldova River The Moldova (, ) is a river in Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia. It is a right tributary of the river Siret. The river rises from the Obcina Feredeu Mountains of Bukovina in Suceava County and joins the Siret in Cotu Vameș, east ...

. The city is accessible by both car and train. The

European route E58 European route E 58 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Vienna, Austria, and passing through Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, ends in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. It is approximately long. Since 2014, a pa ...

, that links the region of Moldavia with

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, crosses the city. There are two railway stations located in the city: Câmpulung Moldovenesc in the city center and Câmpulung Est in Capu Satului neighborhood. There are many places of interest located in and around Câmpulung Moldovenesc, such as the Rarău peak in the Rarău Massif and the Giumalău peak in the , which at and are the highest peaks in the region. One can also enjoy the forests which surround Câmpulung Moldovenesc or visit a monastery in one of the nearby villages.

History

The first written mention of the village of Câmpulung Moldovenesc dates back to April 14, 1411. At that time, the ruling prince of

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

was

Alexandru cel Bun Alexander I, commonly known as Alexander the Good (; – 1 January 1432) was Voivode of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432. He was the son of Roman I and succeeded Iuga to the throne. As ruler he initiated a series of reforms while consolidating ...

Dimitrie Cantemir Dimitrie or Demetrius; Cantemir (; ; 26 October 1673 – 21 August 1723), also known by other spellings, was a Moldavian prince, statesman, and man of letters. He twice served as voivode of Moldavia (March–April 1693 and 1710–1711). Durin ...

, in his well-known work '' Descriptio Moldaviae'', mentions ''Ocolul Câmpulung'', an autonomous region in northern Moldavia that has its own rules and leaders. This region consisted of 15 villages. During the

late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, as the medieval town of

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

and other neighbouring towns in the region of

, Câmpulung Moldovenesc operated under the

Magdeburg law Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

(). Together with the rest of

, Câmpulung Moldovenesc was under the rule of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

(later

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

) from 1775 to 1918. Câmpulung was in the Austrian part of the empire after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...

, head of the district with the same name, one of the 9 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in

province. Other main district cities were ''Dorna Watra'' (

Vatra Dornei Vatra Dornei (; ; ; ) is a city in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Vatra Dornei is the fifth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 12,578 inhabitants, according to ...

) and ''Wama'' ( Vama) in 1900. After the

Union of Bukovina with Romania The union of Duchy of Bukovina, Bukovina with Kingdom of Romania, Romania was declared in 28 November 1918, being officially recognized by the international community in 1919 and 1920. Timeline of events 1918 *22 October - Constantin Isopescu-Grecu ...

at the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the town became part of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...

. Later, between 1925 and 1950, Câmpulung Moldovenesc was the capital of the former Câmpulung County, the most extensive county in Bukovina. The spa and ski resort

was the second most important town in Câmpulung County. Following the administrative reforms implemented by the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

in 1950, the city became part of Suceava Region, while in 1968 it became part of Suceava County.

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 al ...

Culture

Câmpulung Moldovenesc has the Wooden Spoons Museum, a museum that displays the wooden spoons collection of the deceased history professor Ion Țugui.

Demographics

Câmpulung Moldovenesc reached its peak population in 1992, when more than 22,000 people were living within the city limits. As of 2016, the town of Câmpulung Moldovenesc was the fourth largest urban settlement in

, after the county capital,

, and the larger towns of

and

. At the 2011 census, Câmpulung Moldovenesc had a population of 16,105 inhabitants, as follows: 99.08% of inhabitants were ethnic

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, 0.25%

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

(

Bukovina Germans The Bukovina Germans ( or ''Buchenlanddeutsche'', ), also known and referred to as Buchenland Germans, or Bukovinian Germans, are a German diaspora, German Ethnicity, ethnic group which settled in Bukovina, a historical region situated at the cro ...

), 0.22% Roma, 0.17%

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, and 0.09%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

. At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 15,642.

Economy

The main industries in Câmpulung Moldovenesc are

dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

, and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

. Part of the city inhabitants works in agriculture and bovine growth.

Natives

* Maria Diaconescu (born 1937), javelin thrower * Vasile Gheorghiu (1872–1959), theology professor, academician * Marian Kielec (born 1942), Polish footballer * Leibu Levin (1914–1983), narrator of Yiddish literature, singer and composer * Anca Parghel (1957–2008), jazz singer, musician * Daniel Popescu (born 1981), politician * Ion Ștefureac (1871–1920), professor, architect * Adrian Ursache (born 1974), ''Reichsbürger'' movement activist, Mister Germany 1998 and convicted criminal

Gallery

File:Campulung Moldovenesc - Montan.jpg, Mountainous landscape near the town File:Campulung Moldovenesc station.jpg, Central train station File:Scoala Bogdan Voda din Campulung Moldovenesc.jpg, Bogdan Vodă School File:Muzeul Arta Lemnului Câmpulung Moldovenesc 2022.jpg, Wood Art Museum File:Posta din Campulung Moldovenesc3.jpg, The post office File:Banca Nationala din Campulung Moldovenesc.jpg, The Romanian Commercial Bank File:Campulung Moldovenesc - Str. 22 Decembrie.jpg, Central square in Câmpulung Moldovenesc File:Campulung Moldovenesc - Calea Bucovinei.jpg, Downtown Câmpulung Moldovenesc File:Monumentul statuar "Dragoş Vodă şi Zimbrul"1.jpg, Dragoș Vodă and the Bison Statue File:Biserica romano-catolica din Campulung Moldovenesc.jpg, The Roman Catholic Church File:Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului din Campulung Moldovenesc9.jpg, The Orthodox Cathedral File:Templul Havre Gah din Campulung Moldovenesc2.jpg, Havre Gah Jewish Temple

References

External links

*
Câmpulung Moldovenesc Town Hall official site
*
Ştefan cel Mare Military High School, Câmpulung Moldovenesc
*
Dragoş Vodă National High School, Câmpulung Moldovenesc
*
Bucovina Forestry High School, Câmpulung Moldovenesc
*
Suceava County site - Câmpulung Moldovenesc web page
*
Photo Gallery - Old photos of Câmpulung Moldovenesc
*
Kimpolung-Bukovina Jewish Community
Cities in Romania Bukovina-German people Jewish communities in Romania Duchy of Bukovina Localities in Southern Bukovina Capitals of former Romanian counties Ținutul Suceava Populated places in Suceava County {{Authority control