Piatra Neamț (; ; ) is the capital city of

Neamț County Neamț County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. The county takes its name from the Neamț River. Demographics Population In 2011, it had a population of 470,766 ...

, in the historical region of

Western Moldavia Western Moldavia (, ''Moldova de Apus'', or , also known as Moldavia, is the core historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1878, the P ...

, in 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 ...

. Because of its very privileged location in the Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is considered one of the most picturesque cities in Romania. The Nord-Est Regional Development Agency is located in Piatra Neamț.

Etymology

The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

''piatra'' (meaning ‘rock’) was always part of the settlement's name throughout its history. It is also called Piatra lui (‘Christmas Rock’, thus also corresponding to the Hungarian name of the city, "-"). It is also simply called Piatra, to which the county name '' Neamț'' (meaning ‘German’) was added.

Geography and access

Piatra Neamț lies in the Bistrița River valley, surrounded by mountains — Pietricica (530 m), Cozla (679 m), Cernegura (852 m), Bâtca Doamnei (462 m) and Cârloman (617 m) — at an average height of . The river Doamna is a right tributary of the Bistrița; it flows into the Bâtca Doamnei Reservoir near Piatra Neamț. The city is located north of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, in the historical region 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 ...

. The nearest airport is

Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...

, situated south. Piatra Neamț is linked by Romanian railways trunk number 509 to

(and from there by Line 500 to Bucharest), and by national road to Bacău (and from there by DN2 to Bucharest),

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

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

Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...

in the

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 ...

region. The city is informally divided in several districts (in Romanian: ''cartiere''): * 1 Mai * Băcioaia * Centru * Ciritei * Dărmănești * Doamna * Gara Veche * Mărăței * Precista * Sarata * Speranța * Valea Viei * Văleni * Vânători Of these, Ciritei, Doamna, and Văleni are formally separate villages administered by the municipality. There are plans to build two new districts, the larger of which will be on the site of the former ''Reconstrucția'' factory.

History

The area around Piatra Neamț is one of the oldest inhabited areas in Romania. The oldest traces of human civilisation in the present territory date back to the higher

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

, about 100,000 years BCE. The Cucuteni culture, whose development lasted approximately one thousand years ( 3600–2600 BCE) was attested in the territory of Neamţ county by a remarkable number of settlements (approx. 150), archaeological diggings unearthing important museum collections of Aeneolithic artifacts. Archaeologists have also discovered objects here dating back to the Neolithic Period and the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

(about 1900–1700 BCE). Excavations just outside the city revealed the ruins of a large

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

n city, Petrodava, mentioned by Greek geographer

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

in the 2nd century. The whole compound had its heyday between the first century BCE and the first century CE. Standing out is the citadel at Bâtca Doamnei which contains shrines resembling those identified in the Orăștie Mountains. As far as the existence of a local leader is concerned, historians tend to suggest the identification of the Kingdom of Dicomes in the very political centre at Petrodava. The complex of strongholds without peer in

and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

is evidence as to a powerful political and military centre both in Burebista’s time and in the period that preceded the reign of

Decebalus Decebalus (; ), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacians, Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a R ...

. The settlement was documented in the 15th century as Piatra lui Crăciun, or Camena, a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. The first urban settlements, which emerged under Petru I Mușat (1375–1391), were Piatra lui Crăciun, Roman, and Neamț. The Neamț citadel, whose documentary attestation dates back to 2 February 1395, was also erected during the same consolidation period of the Moldavian principality east of the Carpathians. The Princely Court of Piatra Neamț is mentioned for the first time in a document dated 20 April 1491, to have been founded between 1468 and 1475, under

Stephen the Great Stephen III, better known as Stephen the Great (; ; died 2 July 1504), was List of rulers of Moldavia, Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II of Moldavia, Bogdan II, who was murdered in ...

, the Princely Cathedral being built in 1497–1498, and the tall Bell Tower in 1499. In 2020, ten people were killed in a hospital fire.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census data, Piatra Neamț has a population of 85,055, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census, making it the 24th largest city in Romania. The 2002 census recorded 104,914 people living within the city of Piatra Neamț. The ethnic makeup was as follows: *

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, ...

: 98.08% * Roma: 1.3% *

Lipovans The Lipovans or Lippovans are ethnic Russians, Russian Old Believers living in Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria who settled in the Principality of Moldavia, in the east of the Principality of Wallachia (Muntenia), and in the regions of D ...

: 0.16% *

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 ...

: 0.14% * Other: 0.32%

Economy

The city's industries include a fertilizer plant, a pulp and paper mill, and several food-processing plants. In the city are also located an agricultural machinery plant (''Mecanica Ceahlău''), a pharmaceutical plant (''Plantavorel'') and two paper manufacturers. The city's main industrial park is situated south, in the Săvinești area. During the communist period, the ''Săvinești platform'' was one of the most important chemical plants in Romania and the site of a research institute. Today, the industrial facility is part of the Italian company Radici Group, and it operates at low capacity. Piatraneamtvedereaeriana

In recent times, the most important Romanian commercial brands originating from Piatra Neamț are ''Rifil'' (synthetic fibers manufacturer), '' Altex'' ('' Media Galaxy'') (TV, hi-fi, home appliances national dealer), (paints manufacturer), ''Amicii-Kubo Ice Cream'' (ice cream producer) and ''Dasimpex'' (mobile phones dealer). There are 4 local TV stations (TV M, 1TV, TeleM, Actual TV), 3 FM radio stations, and several newspapers, including online newspapers such as CityNeamț and Ziar Piatra Neamț.

Transport

Public transport

Public transport in Piatra Neamț is managed mainly by S.C. Troleibuzul SA. Until 2019, the company operated both

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es and motorbuses. Although the company's name still includes a reference to trolleybuses, the last trolleybus service was discontinued in September 2019, the trolleybuses were put up for sale in March 2020, and removal of the overhead trolley wires began in June 2020. The trolleybus system had opened in 1995. The company now operates only motorbuses. * There are seven urban bus lines between the city's districts and the suburban communes of Dumbrava Roșie and Săvinești. * There are 18 bus lines which connect the suburbs with the city centre. * More private companies operate minibuses (of types

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...

, Volkswagen Crafter,

Iveco Daily The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial vehicle, light commercial van produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat D ...

, and

Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...

Taxi transport

Several local companies operate taxi services inside the city.

Rail

The Piatra Neamț railway station is the main train station which serves Piatra Neamț. From there arrive and depart daily, 8 Regio trains on the route Piatra Neamț — Bacău and return, 4 Regio trains on the route Bicaz - Bacau and return, an Inter Regio train Piatra Neamț - Bucharest North (attachment to a train Suceava - Bucharest North in Bacău) and a train Regio Express Bicaz — Bucharest North (attached to a train Suceava - Bucharest North in Bacău).

Road

Piatra Neamț is a road junction where DN15 intersects with DN15C and DN15D. Also, the city is served by three

bus station A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...

s, where

intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

s between the city and other major Romanian cities start and terminate.

Culture and education

Piatra Neamț is home to Teatrul Tineretului (Youth's Theatre), the G. T. Kirileanu Library, and many cultural events, including the ''International Theatre Festival'' in the springtime, the classical music event (musical holidays) in the summertime and more folkloric festivals all year round. The Petru Rareș National College, "Calistrat Hogaș" national college, National College of Computer Science as well as "Victor Brauner" Fine Arts College are some of the most prestigious education centres in the Neamt county. Starting with January 2009, Piatra Neamț is the host of a short film festival called "Filmul de Piatra" (derived from the name of the city "Piatra" which means stone (rock) and translated as "Stone-film Festival"). The 1st edition took place in the building of Teatrul Tineretului and other locations between 7th and 11 January 2009. The festival has a national short film competition (all genres) and awards each category. The agenda also includes selections of international shorts, awarded in major festivals throughout the world. Other special programmes include live concerts, skiing and workshops. File:Tt.cristibur.JPG, Youth's Theatre File:Muzeul de Etnografie.jpg, Art museum File:Posta Centrala.jpg, Central Post File:Petru Rareș National College (Piatra Neamț).jpg, Petru Rareș National College File:Liceul de Arta.JPG, "Victor Brauner" Fine Arts College

Attractions

The city's main attractions are the natural environment of the area (the mountains and the lakes), the historical buildings, the museums, and the festivals. There are several projects in progress with the goal of transforming Piatra Neamț into a tourist destination in Romania; those projects include construction of a cable car and winter sports facilities. As of March 2022 there is a cable car service running from the railway station to the top of Cozla mountain.

Landmarks

* St John the Baptist church (1497–1498) and Stephen's tower (1499), during

's reign * The Princely Court * The History & Archaeology Museum (host of the Cucuteni exhibition, the largest Aeneolithic artifacts collection in southeastern Europe) * The Fine Arts Museum * The Natural Sciences Museum * The "Calistrat Hogaș" Memorial Museum * The "Schimbarea la Față" Wooden Church in Văleni * The Bistrița Monastery, founded in the early 15th century, is west of the city * The Wooden Synagogue

Parks

* Central Park * Cozla Park (including the Zoo and Cozla ski run) * Ștrandul Tineretului (including the Equestrian Stadium)

Sports

FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț is the local football (soccer) team; its best performance was third round in

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

in 1999, after two matches versus Juventus Torino. Former ''Fibrex Săvinești'', actually ''HCM Piatra Neamț'' is the local men's

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

team, three times champions of Romania and two times winners of Handball Romania's Cup. ''VC Unic Piatra Neamț'' is the local women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team. Piatra Neamț is the residence of ''Constantin "Ticu" Lăcătușu'', the first Romanian alpinist who reached the top of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

. The Piatra Neamț Equestrian Stadium (''Baza Hipică'') is the host of several

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

and

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

international competitions.

Natives

* Marcel Adams (1920–2020), real estate investor * Gershon Benjamin (1899–1985), painter * Coca Bloos (born 1946), actress * Anda-Louise Bogza (born 1965), soprano singer * Harry Brauner (1908–1988), ethnomusicologist *

Victor Brauner Victor Brauner (, also spelled Viktor Brauner; 15 June 1903 – 12 March 1966) was a Romanian painter and sculptor of the surrealism (art), surrealist movement. Early life He was born in Piatra Neamț, Romania, the son of a Jewish timber manufac ...

(1903–1966), painter * Emil Calmanovici (1896–1956), industrialist and communist activist * Ramona Cheorleu (born 1982), television presenter and model * Alexandru Dabija (born 1955), stage director and actor *

Sergiu Dan Sergiu Dan (; born Isidor Rotman or Rottman; December 29, 1903 – March 13, 1976) was a Romanian novelist, journalist, Holocaust survivor and political prisoner of the communist regime. Dan, the friend and collaborator of Romulus Dianu, was n ...

(1903–1976), novelist and journalist * Luminița Dinu-Huțupan (born 1971), handball player * Dan Graur (born 1953), evolutionary biologist * Carola Grindea (1914–2009), pianist and teacher * Jacques Hérold (1910–1987), painter * Constantin Lăcătușu (born 1961), mountain climber (first Romanian ascent on

) * Gheorghe Manoliu (1888–1980), general * Alexandru Maxim (born 1990), football player * Mihaela Rădulescu (born 1969), TV host * Andrei Rohețki (born 1985), football player * Teodora Sava (born 2001), singer and actress * Leon Sculy Logothetides (1853–1912), surgeon and politician * Henric Streitman (1873–1950), journalist and politician * Gheorghe Tadici, handball coach * Bogdan Țăruș, athlete * Daniel Tătaru, mathematician * Jan Tausinger, violist, conductor, and composer * Mihai Trăistariu, singer and songwriter * V. A. Urechia, historian and writer * Laura Vasiliu, actress * Lascăr Vorel, painter * A. L. Zissu, writer and journalist * Bourceanu Vlad, genius teen musician

Twin towns – sister cities

Piatra Neamț is twinned with: *

Alpharetta Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818; in 2010, the population had been 57,551. ...

, United States * Beinasco, Italy * Bergama, Turkey * Edineț, Moldova * Hlyboka, Ukraine * Kiryat Malakhi, Israel * Lod, Israel * Mably, France * Manilva, Spain *

Orhei Orhei (), also formerly known as Orgeev (), is a city, municipality and the administrative centre of Orhei District in the Moldova, Republic of Moldova, with a population of 21,065. Orhei is approximately north of the capital, Chișinău. Hist ...

, Moldova * Riorges, France * Roanne, France *

Verbania Verbania (, , ) is the most populous ''comune'' (municipality) and the capital city of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about north-west of Milan and ab ...

, Italy * Villerest, France

In popular culture

Astronomical dedication

In 1998 an asteroid was named after Piatra Neamț by Alfredo Caronia, an Italian amateur astronomer and co-discoverer of the asteroid, who lives in the city.

Gallery

Zona veche Piatra Neamţ.jpg, Stephen's Tower and the Princely Court Assembly 1 turn-stefan.jpg, Stephen's Tower BisericaDinPiatraNeamtmartie2010.JPG, St. Ioan Church from royal court complex Piatra Neamt2.cristibur.jpg, Ceahlău Hotel Telegondolaneamt.jpg, Cable car Piatra Neamt 1.cristibur.JPG, General view from cable car Lacul Batca Doamnei.JPG, Bâtca Doamnei Lake Dealul Batca Doamnei, Muntele Cozla.JPG, Aerial view Bistrita.cristibur.jpg, The city and the Bistrița River Piatra Neamt3.cristibur.jpg, Mount Pietricica & TV tower Gara Piatra Neamt 2018 01 15.jpg, The CFR railway station Schitul Dochia - panoramio.jpg, Dochia monastery

References

External links

Piatra Neamț news

Neamt County Museum Complex

piatraneamt.webs.com

Piatra Neamț City Hall

Vizitează Piatra Neamț

Neamț online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatra Neamt Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Populated places in Neamț County Localities in Western Moldavia