Siret German:Sereth | |
|---|---|
 Former Siret town hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Suceava County | |
  Siret Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:47°57′11″N26°4′21″E / 47.95306°N 26.07250°E /47.95306; 26.07250 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Suceava |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2024) | Adrian Popoiu[1] (PNL) |
Area | 43.40 km2 (16.76 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 324 m (1,063 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[2] | 6,708 |
| • Density | 154.6/km2 (400.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 725500 |
| Area code | (+40) 02 30 |
| Vehicle reg. | SV |
| Website | siretromania |
Siret (Romanian pronunciation:[siˈret];German:Sereth;Hungarian:Szeretvásár;Ukrainian:Серет,romanized: Seret;Yiddish:סערעט,romanized: Seret) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric inSuceava County, northeasternRomania. It is situated in the historical region ofBukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 inhabitants, according to the2021 census. It is one of the oldest towns in Romania and was the capital of the medievalPrincipality of Moldavia during the late 14th century. Furthermore, the town administers two villages: Mănăstioara (German:St. Onufry) and Pădureni.
The town's current local council has the following political composition, according to the results of the2020 local elections:[3]
| Party | Seats | Current Council | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 10 | |||||||||||
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) | 5 | |||||||||||
The town of Siret is located at the north-eastern limit of Suceava County, 2 kilometres (1 mile) from theborder with Ukraine. It is one of the main border crossing points in the north of Romania, having both a road border post and a rail connection.
Vicșani railway station is west of Siret and functions as theborder control point for rail crossings between Romania and the border transit station atVadul-Siret railway station inUkraine. The rail is on astandard gauge on the Romanian side and continues as a Russian-stylebroad gauge into Ukraine. Siret is one of the few places in Romania which provides agauge change equipment, allowing transportation without transfer.
Siret is situated halfway betweenChernivtsi andSuceava, on the right bank of theSiret River. TheEuropean route E85 crosses the city.
During the period 1211–1225, on a hill near Siret a fortress was built by theTeutonic Knights. The town and the Teutonic castle were destroyed by theTatars in 1241. The first document of Siret dates back to 1339, according to some historical sources. Seret is mentioned as a Russian city inWallachia in theList of Russian cities (1370-1390). The town was the capital of the former principality ofMoldavia, in the late 14th century.
TheImperial Russian Army occupied the town in 1770, and, as a consequence, an epidemic ofcholera broke out. Together with the rest ofBukovina, Siret was under the imperial rule of theHabsburg monarchy (laterAustria-Hungary) from 1775 to 1918.
During theAustro-Hungarian Empire (1774-1918), Siret had a number of important Ukrainian institutions: branches of theRuska Besida in Bukovina and theUkrainska Shkola society, the Ukrainianbursa [ru], etc.[4]
DuringWorld War II, Siret was captured on 3 April 1944 bySoviet troops of the1st Ukrainian Front in the course of theDnieper–Carpathian Offensive.
Given the 14th century decline of theByzantine Empire as Orthodox regional superpower-ally and Latin mendicant orders missions since the 13th century, the princeBogdan I of Moldavia obtained virtual independence in 1359 as foundingvoivode (autonomous prince), seeking aid and protection from Poland, welcomed Latin missionaries, Francescans (founding a monastery at Siret in 1340) and Dominicans. His son and indirect successorLațcu of Moldavia (1365-1373) promised Rome his and the people's conversion to Catholicism and askedPope Urban V to send missionaries and erect a Latin diocese in his principality's capital, Siret, which happened in 1371, initially directly subject to theHoly See until 1412 when it was made suffragan of theArchbishopric of Lviv (Lwów in Polish; now in Ukraine).
ThisRoman Catholic Diocese of Siret started to decline in 1388 when princePetru of Moldavia transferred the Moldavian voivode's capital from Siret toSuceava, and was effectively suppressed, but from circa 1418, the Holy See erected another Moldavian bishopric, theDiocese of Baia, which inherited its territory (c. 1434).
There was a Jewish community by the mid-16th century. Zionist activity began at the turn of the 20th century, a time when most of the local Jews worked in commerce. From 1912 to 1918, the mayor was Jewish and the town council included Jews. During World War I, Jews fled in advance of the Imperial Russian Army, and found their property destroyed when they returned. After theunion of Bukovina with Romania, the new authorities revoked licenses for Jewish members of the free professions and removed Jewish officials from their posts. In 1930, there were 2,121 Jews or 14% of the town's population. In 1936, Baruch Hager of theVizhnitz dynasty was named rabbi and opened a yeshiva. During the interwar period, there was activity by Zionist youth movements. On 20 June 1941, just before Romania'sentry into World War II, the authorities of theIon Antonescu regime forced the Jews of Siret to march toDornești before transporting them toCraiova andCalafat and finallyTransnistria (seeThe Holocaust in Romania). Soviet troops liberated 460 Siret Jews there in 1944; 400 of them subsequentlyleft for Palestine.[5] Out of 1,614 Jews who lived in Siret in 1941, more than 700 died in Transnistria according toThe YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe.[6] The survival rate was lower than the 70%[7] or more than 70%[8] of the southern Bukovinian Jews who survived the deportations to Transnistria.
Today, most of the population is Romanian Orthodox, with Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Greek-Catholic, and several Evangelical Christian minorities.[citation needed]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 7,948 | — |
| 1930 | 9,905 | +24.6% |
| 1948 | 8,058 | −18.6% |
| 1956 | 5,664 | −29.7% |
| 1966 | 8,018 | +41.6% |
| 1977 | 8,264 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 10,071 | +21.9% |
| 2002 | 9,329 | −7.4% |
| 2011 | 7,721 | −17.2% |
| 2021 | 6,708 | −13.1% |
| Source: Austrian and Romanian census data and/or official estimates | ||
Siret reached its peak population in 1992, when more than 10,000 people were living within the town limits. In 2016, Siret had a population ofc. 10,000 inhabitants.[9]
At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 6,708. According to the2011 census data, 7,721 inhabitants lived in Siret, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census, when the town had a population of 9,329 inhabitants. In 2011, of the total population, 95.85% wereethnic Romanians, 2.55%Ukrainians, 0.72%Poles, 0.42%Germans(Bukovina Germans), and 0.28%Russians(Lipovans). Siret is the eleventh most populated urban locality inSuceava County.
Siret is a member of theDouzelage, a uniquetown twinning association of 24 towns across theEuropean Union. This active program began in 1991, and regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries[clarification needed] and festivals.[10][11] Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three additional towns (Agros inCyprus,Škofja Loka inSlovenia, andTryavna in Bulgaria).
Siret istwinned with:
Altea, Spain - 1991
Bad Kötzting, Germany - 1991
Bellagio, Italy - 1991
Bundoran, Ireland - 1991
Granville, France - 1991
Holstebro, Denmark - 1991
Houffalize, Belgium - 1991
Meerssen,Netherlands - 1991
Niederanven, Luxembourg - 1991
Preveza, Greece - 1991
Sesimbra, Portugal - 1991
Sherborne, United Kingdom - 1991
Karkkila, Finland - 1997
Oxelösund, Sweden - 1998
Judenburg, Austria - 1999
Chojna, Poland - 2004
Kőszeg, Hungary - 2004
Sigulda, Latvia - 2004
Sušice, Czech Republic - 2004
Türi, Estonia - 2004
Zvolen, Slovakia - 2007
Prienai, Lithuania - 2008
Marsaskala, Malta - 2009Dębica, Poland[12]
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