Bacu

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(Redirected from Bacau)

For Bacu de Mijloc village, see Bata, Arad.

Bacu

City

From top, left to right: Ascention Cathedral of Bacu, Public library

(Old City Hall), St. Nicholas Cathedral, Cancikov park, Oituz
Heroes monument, City Prefecture.
 Flag

Coat of arms

Bacu

Location in Romania

Coordinates: 4635N 2655ECoordinates: 4635N 2655E

Country Romania
County Bacau

Founded 1408 (first official record)

Government
Mayor Ilie Brzu (interim) (National Liberal Party)

Area
City 41.3 km2 (15.9 sq mi)

Elevation 165 m (541 ft)

Population (2011 census)[1]

City 144,307
Density 3,494/km2 (9,050/sq mi)
Metro 250,000x

Demonym(s) bcuan, bcuanc (ro)

Time zone EET (UTC+2)

Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
 Postal Code 600xxx
Area code(s) (+40) 234

Car Plates BC
Climate Dfb

Website www.primariabacau.ro

x
Bacu metropolitan area is a proposed project.

Bacu (Romanian pronunciation: [bakw] ( listen); German: Barchau, Hungarian: Bk) is the main
city in Bacu County, Romania. At the 2011 census it had a population of 144,307,[1] making it
the 15th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the
foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistria River (which meets the Siret River about 8
kilometres (5.0 mi) to the south of Bacu). The Ghime Pass links Bacu to the region
of Transylvania.

Contents
[hide]

1Etymology
2History
3Demographics
4Transportation
5Culture
6Jewish community
7International relations
o 7.1Twin towns/Sister cities
8Sports
9Natives
10Gallery
11See also
12References
13Notes
14External links

Etymology[edit]
The town's name, which features in Old Church Slavonic documents as Bako, Bakova or Bakovia,
comes most probably from a personal name.[2] Men bearing the name Bak or Bako are documented
in medieval Transylvania[3] and in 15th-century Bulgaria, but according to Victor Spinei the name
itself is of Turkic most probably of Cuman or Pecheneg origin.[4]Nicolae Iorga believes that the
city's name is of Hungarian origin (as Adjud and Sascut).[5] Another theory suggests that the town's
name has a Slavic origin, pointing to the Proto-Slavic word byk, meaning "ox" or "bull", the region
being very suitable for raising cattle; the term, rendered into Romanian alphabet as bc, was
probably the origin of Bcu.[6] In German it is known as Barchau, in Hungarian as Bk and in
Turkish as Baka.

History[edit]
Similarly to most urban centers in Moldavia, Bacu emerged on a ford that allowed water
passage.[7] There is archaeological evidence of human settlement in the centre of Bacu (near
Curtea Domneasc) dating from the 6th and the 7th centuries; these settlements were placed over
older settlements from the 4th and the 5th centuries. A number of vessels found here are
ornamented with crosses, hinting that the inhabitants were Christians.[8] Pechenegs and Cumans
controlled the Bistria valley during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.[9] Colonists played a significant
role in the development of the town.[10] Archaeological finds, some surface or semi-buried dwellings
from the second half of the 15th century, suggest that Hungarians started to settle in the region after
13451347 when the territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary.[11] They mainly
occupied the flat banks of the river Bistria.[12] Discoveries of a type of 14th-century grey ceramic that
has also been found in Northern Europe also suggests the presence of German colonists from the
north.[13] Originally the town focused around the Roman Catholic community that settled near a
regular local market frequented by the population of the region on the lower reaches of the river.[3]
The town was first mentioned in 1408 when Prince Alexander the Good of Moldavia (14001432)
listed the customs points in the principality in his privilege for Polish merchants.[14][15] The customs
house in the town is mentioned in Old Church Slavonic as krainee mto ("the customs house by the
edge") in the document which may indicate that it was the last customs stop before Moldavia's
border with Wallachia.[16] An undated document reveals that the oltuz in Bacu, that is the head of
the town elected by its inhabitants, had the right to sentence felons to death, at least for robberies,
which hints to an extended privilege, similar to the ones that royal towns in the Kingdom of Hungary
enjoyed.[17][18] Thus this right may have been granted to the community when the territory was under
the control of the Kingdom of Hungary.[3] The seal of Bacu was oval which is exceptional in
Moldavia where the seals of other towns were round.[19]
Alexander the Good donated the wax collected as part of the tax payable by the town to the
nearby Orthodox Bistria Monastery.[20] It was most probably his first wife named Margaret who
founded the Franciscan Church of the Holy Virgin in Bacu.[21] But the main Catholic church in the
town was dedicated to Saint Nicholas.[3] A letter written by John of Rya, the Catholic bishop
of Baia refers to Bacu as a civitas which implies the existence of a Catholic bishopric in the town at
that time.[21][22] The letter also reveals that Hussite immigrants who had undergone persecutions
in Bohemia, Moravia, or Hungary were settled in the town and granted privileges by Alexander the
Good.[23]
The monastery of Bistria was also granted the income from the customs house of Bacu in
1439.[24] In 1435 Stephen II of Moldavia (14331435, 14361447) requested the town's judges not to
hinder the merchants of Braov, an important center of the Transylvanian Saxons in their
movement.[25][26] From the 15th century ungureni, that is Romanians from Transylvania began to
populate the area north of the marketplace where they would erect an Orthodox church after
1500.[3] A small residence of the princes of Moldova was built in the town in the first half of the
15th century.[27] It was rebuilt and extended under Stephen III the Great of Moldavia (14571504)
who also erected an Orthodox church within it.[27] But the rulers soon began to donate the
neighboring villages that had thereto supplied their local household to monasteries or
noblemen.[28] Thus the local princely residence was abandoned after 1500.[29]
The town was invaded and destroyed more than one time in the 15th and 16th centuries.[29] For
example, in 1467 King Matthias I of Hungary during his expedition against Stephen the Great set fire
to all towns, among them Bacu in his path.[30] The customs records of Braov shows that few
merchants from Bacu crossed the Carpathian Mountains into Transylvania after 1500, and their
merchandise had no particularly high value which suggests that the town was declining in this
period.[29]
The Catholic bishop of Arges whose see in Wallachia had been destroyed by the Tatars moved to
Bacu in 1597.[29][31] From the early 17th century the bishops of Bacu were Polish priests who did
not reside in the town, but in the Kingdom of Poland.[32] They only travelled time to time to their see in
order to collect the tithes.[32]
According to Archbishop Marco Bandini's report of the canonical visitation of 1646, the oltuz in
Bacu was elected among Hungarians one year, and another, among Romanians.[3][33] The names of
most of 12 inhabitants of the town recorded in 1655 also indicate that Hungarians still formed their
majority group.[29] In 1670 Archbishop Petrus Parcevic, the apostolic vicar of Moldavia concluded an
agreement with the head of the Franciscan Province of Transylvania on the return of the Bacu
monastery to them in order to ensure the spiritual welfare of the local Hungarian community.[33][34] But
the Polish bishop protested against the agreement and the Holy See also refused to ratify it.[33][35]
Due to the frequent invasions by foreign armies and plundering by the Tatars in the 17th century,
many of its Catholic inhabitants abandoned Bacu and took refuge in Transylvania.[36] But in 1851
the Catholic congregation in the town still spoke, sang, and prayed in Hungarian.[37]
The first paper mill in Moldavia was established in the town in 1851.[38] The town was declared
a municipality in 1968.[38]

Demographics[edit]
Historical population

Year Pop. %

1900 16,187

1912 18,846 +16.4%

1930 31,138 +65.2%

1948 34,461 +10.7%

1956 54,138 +57.1%

1966 73,414 +35.6%

1977 127,299 +73.4%

1992 205,029 +61.1%

2002 175,500 14.4%

2011 144,307 17.8%

Source: Census data

As of 2011 census data, Bacu has a population of 144,307, a decrease from the figure recorded at
the 2002 census.[1] The ethnic makeup was as follows:

Romanians: 97.93%
Roma: 0.92%
Hungarians: 0.09%
 Jews: 0.03%
Other: 0.34%
The Bacu metropolitan area, a project for the creation of an administrative unit to integrate Bacu
with the nearby communes, would have a population of some 250,000.

Transportation[edit]
The city is about 300 kilometres (186 miles) North of Bucharest. It is served by Bacu International
Airport which provides direct links with the Romanian city of Timioara and with 10 cities in Europe,
together with other links through Timioara airport. Bacu air traffic control centre is one of Europe's
busiest, as it handles transiting flights between the Middle and Near East and South Asia to Europe
and across the Atlantic.

Museum Complex '"Iulian Antonescu"

The Bacu railway station (Gara Bacu) is one of the busiest in Romania; it has access to the
Romanian railway main trunk number 500. Thus the city is connected to the main Romanian cities;
the railway station is an important transit stop for international trains from Ukraine, Russia,
and Bulgaria.
The city has access to the DN2 road (E85) that links it to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (to the
South) and the cities of Suceava and Iai (to the North). The European route E574 is an important
access road to Transylvania and the city of Braov. The city is also located at the intersection of
several national roads of secondary importance.

Culture[edit]
Bacu has a public university and several colleges. Two major Romanian poets, George
Bacovia and Vasile Alecsandri were born here. The "Mihail Jora" Athenaeum and a Philharmonic
Orchestra are located here, as well as the "G. Bacovia" Dramatic Theater and a Puppet Theater.
Around Christmas every year, a Festival of Moldavian Winter Traditions takes place, reuniting folk
artists from all the surrounding regions. The exhibition "Saloanele Moldovei" and the International
Painting Camp at Tescani, near Bacu, reunite important plastic artists from Romania and from
abroad. The local History Museum, part of the Museum Complex "Iulian Antonescu" has an
important collection of antique objects from ancient Dacia. The city also has an astronomical
observatory, The Victor Anestin Astronomical Observatory.

Jewish community[edit]
Before World War I, the number of Jews was almost equal to that of Romanians in Bacau. According
to the 1930 census, after some of the village population was in town, Bacau had 19,421 who have
declared are Romanian, 9,424 declared Jews, 822 Hungarians and 406 German.
The first synagogue would be built in Bacau in 1820. In 1841 Jews who observe the current Habad
Hasidic built another Siangoga. In 1864 there were 14 functioning synagogues in Bacau. Among the
most notable being Synagogue Burah Volf, Furriers Synagogue Synagogue, Synagogue Alter Ionas
and tanners. "In 1880, in Bacau we had 21 synagogues and prayer houses. In 1916 we were active
following synagogues Froim Aizic, Alter Leib, Itzik Leib Brill, Lipscani, the Tailors Young, coachmen,
Shoemakers Synagouge, Cerealista, masonry, Rabbi Israel Synagouge, "Brotherhood of Zion" Snap
Synagogue Saima Cofler itself and Der Mariesches SIL.
After World War I, some synagogues were closed and others were raised. Some carried the names
of rabbis deceased or people in life who had influence on the community: synagogue Wisman,
synagogue Gaon Beael Safran, synagogue Rabbi Blane, synagogue David Hercovici, synagogue
Filderman, the synagogue rabbi Wahramn, and synagogue Rabbi Lan.

International relations[edit]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania
Twin towns/Sister cities[edit]
Bacu is twinned with:

Petah Tikva, Israel.

Turin, Italy[39]
Mandaue, Philippines

Sports[edit]
Athletics

SCM Bacu
CS tiina Bacu
CS Bacu
Badminton

CS tiina Bacu
CS Bacu
Basketball

CS Bacu
Boxing

SCM Bacu
Bridge

Bridge Club Bacu

Football
 FCM Bacu
CS Aerostar Bacu
CS FC Pambac Bacu
FC Willy Bacu
AS Clipa VIO Bacu
Siretul Bacu
LPS Bacu
Gymnastics

SCM Bacu
CS tiina Bacu
Team Handball

C.S. tiina Municipal Dedeman Bacu

CS tiina Bacu
CS Bacu
Judo

SCM Bacu
Judo Club Royal Bacu
Karate

SCM Bacu
CS tiina Bacu
CS Seishin Karate-Do Bacu
Siretul Bacu
Sfinx Club Karate-Do Bacau
Fights

SCM Bacu
Modelism

SCM Bacu
CS Aerostar Bacu
Swimming

SCM Bacu (not, srituri n ap)

LPS Bacu (not)
Tennis

SCM Bacu
ASTC Bistria Bacu
CS Bacu

Natives[edit]
 Aaron Aaronsohn, agronomist, botanist and Zionist activist
Vasile Alecsandri, poet
Angela Alupei, rower
George Apostu (19341986), sculptor
George Bacovia, poet
Ovidiu Balan, conductor
Ilie Boca, painter
Vlad Chiriche, footballer
Radu Cosau, writer and activist
Nicu Enea, painter
Mariana Zavati Gardner, poet
Narcisa Lecuanu, handball player
Solomon Marcus, mathematician
Doina Melinte, athlete, Olympic gold medalist
Mihaela Melinte, athlete
Costel Pantilimon, footballer
Lucreiu Ptrcanu, Marxist intellectual and politician
Gabriela Potorac, gymnast
Andrei Pricope, cellist
Monica Rou, gymnast
Alexandru afran, Rabbi
Nicolae Vermont, painter

Gallery[edit]

Mircea Cancicov memorial

Winter Festival

"Precista", detail

"9th of May" Street

See also[edit]
Bacu metropolitan area

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Population as of 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 4
January 2016.
2. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 371.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Rdvan 2010, p. 456.
4. Jump up^ Spinei 2009, p. 342.
5. Jump up^ Nicolae Iorga: Privilegiile angilor dela Trgu-Ocna, Extras din Analele Academiei
Romne, seria II, tom. XXXVII (1915), p. 246
6. Jump up^ Gh. Ghibnescu - Ispisoace i Zapise. vol.VI, partea a II-a, Tipografia Dacia Iliescu,
Grossu & Comp., Iai, 1926, pag.177
7. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 332.
8. Jump up^ Dan Gh. Teodor, Cretinismul la est de Carpati, Editura Mitropoliei Moldovei i Bucovinei,
Iai, 1984, p. 25, 32, 160.
9. Jump up^ Eugen endrea, Istoria municipiului Bacu, Bacu, Editura Vicovia, 2007, p.45-90.
10. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 388.
11. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 388., 427., 455.
12. Jump up^ Dobre 2009, p. 86.
13. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 365.
14. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 343.
15. Jump up^ Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. lii., 32.
16. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 453-454.
17. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 399., 456.
18. Jump up^ Treptow, Popa 1996, p. 188.
19. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 406., 455.
20. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 416-417.
21. ^ Jump up to:a b Rdvan 2010, p. 455.
22. Jump up^ Dobre 2009, p. 70.
23. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 497.
24. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, pp. 373., 416.
25. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 410.
26. Jump up^ Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. lii., 48.
27. ^ Jump up to:a b Rdvan 2010, p. 454.
28. Jump up^ Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. lii., 46.
29. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Rdvan 2010, p. 457.
30. Jump up^ Rdvan 2010, p. 461.
 31. Jump up^ Benda 2002, p. 33.
32. ^ Jump up to:a b Benda 2002, p. 36.
33. ^ Jump up to:a b c Benda 2002, p. 17.
34. Jump up^ Pozsony 2002, pp. 94-95.
35. Jump up^ Pozsony 2002, p. 95.
36. Jump up^ Mrtina 1999, pp.36-38.
37. Jump up^ Pozsony 2002, p. 102.
38. ^ Jump up to:a b Treptow, Popa 1996, p. 32.
39. Jump up^ Pessotto, Lorenzo. "International Affairs - Twinnings and Agreements". International Affairs
Service in cooperation with Servizio Telematico Pubblico. City of Torino. Archived from the original on
2013-06-18. Retrieved 2013-08-06.

Notes[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Bacu.

Wikivoyage has a travel

guide for Bacu.

Wikisource has the text of

the 1911 Encyclopdia
Britannica article Bacau.

Benda, Klmn (2002). The Hungarians of Moldavia (Csngs) in the 16th

17th Centuries. In: Diszegi, Lszl (2002); Hungarian Csngs in Moldavia: Essays on the
Past and Present of the Hungarian Csngs in Moldavia; Teleki Lszl Foundation - Pro
Minoritate Foundation; ISBN 963-85774-4-4.
Dobre, Claudia Florentina (2009). Mendicants in Moldavia: Mission in an Orthodox Land.
AUREL Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938759-12-7.
Mrtina, Dumitru (1999). The Origins of the Changos. The Center for Romanian
Studies. ISBN 973-98391-4-2.
Pozsony, Ferenc (2002). Church Life in Moldavian Hungarian Communities. In: Diszegi, Lszl
(2002); Hungarian Csngs in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian
Csngs in Moldavia; Teleki Lszl Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation; ISBN 963-85774-4-
4.
Rdvan, Laureniu (2010). At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities.
BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18010-9.
Spinei, Victor (2009). The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from
the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth century. Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978-90-04-17536-5.
Treptow, Kurt W.; Popa, Marcel (1996). Historical Dictionary of Romania. The Scarecrow
Press. ISBN 0-8108-3179-1.