Rădăuți (; ; ; ; , ''Radivtsi''; ''Radevits''; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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 ...

, north-eastern

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 ...

. According to the 2021 census, Rădăuți is the second largest urban settlement in the county. It was declared a municipality in 1995, along with two other cities in Suceava County: Fălticeni and

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

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

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 ...

Geography

Rădăuți is situated in

, on a plain between the

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

Sucevița Sucevița () is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania. It is composed of two villages, namely Sucevița and Voievodeasa (). Sucevița Monastery, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Wor ...

rivers, northwest from

, the county capital. The city is located in the depression with the same name, at altitude. It is one of the oldest settlements in Moldavia, known since the 15th century. The towns of

Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) 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 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...

, Solca,

Milișăuți Milișăuți () is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Milișăuți is the fifteenth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 4,657 inhabitants, according to th ...

, and Vicovu de Sus are located relatively close to the city, in the Rădăuți urban area of influence.

Demographics

Rădăuți reached its peak population in 1992, when more than 31,000 people were living within the city limits. As of 2016, the town of Rădăuți was the second most populated urban settlement in

, after the county capital,

. At the 2011 census, Rădăuți had a population of 23,822 inhabitants: 96.97% of inhabitants were ethnic Romanians, 0.89%

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

and

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 ...

, 0.88% Roma, 0.54%

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 0.23%

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 ...

). 83.4% were Romanian Orthodox, 9.1%

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

, 3.1%

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 0.9% stated they belonged to another religion, 0.8% were

Greek-Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gr ...

and 0.7% each

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

and Lipovan Orthodox.

History

The mention of "Radomir's village" (as part of a review of

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

property in the area) in a 1392 document (''uric'') is generally believed to be the town's first mention, and indication of the origin of the name ''Rădăuți'' (other theories state that the settlement had its origins in earlier periods, and that the name is a Slavic-influenced derivative of the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''Rottacenum'', as allegedly used by soldiers in the Roman garrison in

). The oldest mention of Rădăuți as such dates from 1413, in a document issued by Moldavian Prince

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 ...

. By the middle of the 14th century, Rădăuți was already a flourishing settlement, the seat of a prominent

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

church during the times of Bogdan I (1359–1365), and subsequently a

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. Around the St. Nicholas church ( Bogdana Monastery), archaeologists have uncovered a habitation layer preceding Bogdan's period of rule, one which could point to the existence of a local center prior to the foundation of Moldavia. Awarded the privilege of organizing

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

s, Rădăuți evolved due to its favorable location midway between the

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

and the tableland area (with traders from both regions establishing contact in the local market). The fairs at Rădăuți have been dated to the time of

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 ...

(a document from 1481; however, since the mention includes details of Stephen's intervention in solving a commercial dispute, it is possible that the fairs were well established by then). Rădăuți has a cathedral, built in 1402, with the tombs of several Moldavian princes. Rădăuți was also the seat of a Greek bishopric, moved to

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

in 1786. Rădăuți was one of the largest cities of the Duchy of

during the period of

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

administration (1775–1918). During that time it saw a high level of German (especially Swabian) immigration, which would later form the basis for the

in the whole region.

Jewish history of Rădăuți

A Jewish community was present before the Habsburg takeover, and is attested to have been overseen by a '' starost''. Many Jews fleeing the

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia in Eastern Europe. The Cr ...

(as well as other Habsburg areas) from intense persecution and

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

during the Middle Ages settled in Rădăuți. The community was allowed a degree of self-administration, and witnessed a period of prosperity and cultural effervescence during the 19th century. The majority of Rădăuți's Jewish population was exterminated during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. Persecutions became widespread around 1938, when Jews were harassed and attacked by authorities under the Octavian Goga government; they were confirmed by anti-Semitic legislation passed by the Ion Gigurtu cabinet, and, in late 1940, exceptionally violent following the establishment of the National Legionary State. In October 1941, all Jews present in Rădăuți (more than 10,000) were deported to

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

s in Transnistria Governorate.

Bogdana Monastery

The Princely Church at Rădăuți contained the graves of Bogdan I and his son Lațcu, both

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

s 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 ...

, as well as a later ruler, Roman I of Moldavia. Is the oldest monastery from

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

and Bucovina (1365). Inside the monastery there are 14 tombs (like Bogdan I (1359–1365), Lațcu Voievod (1365–1373), Roman I (1391–1394), Ștefan I (1394–1399), Bogdan, the brother Alexandru cel Bun, Bogdan, son of Alexandru cel Bun and others.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rădăuți is twinned with:

Natives

* Avigdor Arikha - Israeli painter * Emil Armin - American artist * Alexandru Bodnar - athlete * Heinrich Gärtner - cinematographer * Emanuil Grigorovitza - writer * Irina Lauric - sprint canoeist * Iacov Putneanul - Metropolitan * Saint Bishop Leontie of Rădăuți * Benedict Menkes - Romanian biologist * Dan Pagis - Israeli Hebrew poet and literature researcher * Lothar Rădăceanu - journalist, linguist, socialist, and communist politician * Ștefan Rusu - Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling * Matei Vișniec - Romanian poet and playwright living in France

Gallery

File:Primăria din Rădăuţi.jpg, The Town Hall File:Fosta prefectură și hotel, Rădăuți (3).JPG, Former prefecture building in Union Square File:Colegiul Național Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi, Rădăuți.JPG, Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi High School File:Școala Regina Elisabeta, Rădăuți.JPG, Queen Elizabaeth Elementary School File:Muzeul de etnografie din Radauti.jpg, The Ethnographic Museum File:Banca din Rădăuţi.jpg, The Romanian Commercial Bank File:60-0383-2 radauti.JPG, CFR train passing through the town File:BogdanI.JPG, Bogdan I Equestrian Statue, by File:Manastirea Bogdana.jpg, Bogdana Monastery File:Biserica Naşterea Sfintei Fecioare Maria din Rădăuţi.jpg, The Roman Catholic Church