Baia (German:Baja, Stadt Molde, or Moldenmarkt;Hungarian:Moldvabánya;Latin:Civitas Moldaviae) is a commune inSuceava County, in the historical region ofWestern Moldavia, northeasternRomania with a population of 7,261 as of 2021. It is composed of two villages, namely Baia and Bogata. Located on theMoldova River, it was one of the earliest urban settlements inMoldavia.
Baia | |
|---|---|
 The White Church (Romanian:Biserica albă) in Baia | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Suceava County | |
  Baia Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:47°25′13″N26°13′01″E / 47.4203°N 26.2169°E /47.4203; 26.2169 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Suceava |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2024–2028) | Maria Tomescu (PSD) |
Area | 39 km2 (15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 345 m (1,132 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[1] | 7,261 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 727020 |
| Area code | (+40) 0230 |
| Vehicle reg. | SV |
| Website | www |
Name
editThe Romanianbaia and Hungarianbánya both mean "mine". Archeologists found traces of ironslag and coal, but only for a brief period before 14th century, before the arrival of the colonists.[2] It is possible that it derives from the termBania (fromBan, a political leader).[3] Baia was mentioned for the first time in theNestor chronicle under the name Bania.
Another name of the settlement wasTârgul Moldovei which means "the market of Moldavia", referring to theMoldova River. Its Hungarian name wasMoldvabánya, "the Moldova mine". It also had a Latin name,Civitas Moldaviae which was found on an early seal of the city.
History
edit
There has been a settlement in Baia since the 13th century,[4] but the first written evidence is from the following century. It is possible that a document in Poland mentions the town in 1335, when a certain merchant was mentioned by the name of "Alexa Moldaowicz" (i.e., Alexa from the Town of Moldavia) and the next was in 1345, when Baia is placed on a list of towns of theFranciscan missionaries.[5]
It was through Baia that the army of KingLouis I of Hungary went when conquering the region around 1345–1347.[4] There is evidence of a large fire dated mid-14th century discovered by the archeologists and associated with this conquest.[4]
The early Moldavian chronicles place the first capital of Moldavia in Baia, but it was only an interim capital. Soon the court was moved toSiret, and Baia was not even a county seat by the time ofBogdan I of Moldavia.[4]
After the Hungarian conquest, colonists fromTransylvania settled in the town, leading to the urbanization of the settlement, which gained a special status.[6] According to chroniclerGrigore Ureche, thetârg at Baia was founded by "German potters".[6] The area where the colonists settled was reorganized: they built a wooden church and a central marketplace, surrounding which parcels of land were laid out.[6]
By 1400, the inhabitants of the town had a standard of living similar to the urban areas of Transylvania: the houses were heated bycocklestoves and the town's streetspaved with river gravel.[6] The town was defended by a woodenpalisade which was burnt down in 1467.[6]
The exact ethnic makeup of the townfolks is unknown, but several 15th century documents talk of the "Saxons in Baia".[7] The town'spârgari had a collective ownership over the mills, which is unlike in other Moldavian towns, where the mills were privately owned.[7] Thepârgari (local council) andșoltuzes (mayors) were initially elected among the Germans, but this changed with time and in a 1586 document, only half of thepârgari had German or Hungarian names, while the other half had Romanian names, including theșoltuz.[7]
In 1467,Matthias Corvinus began an expedition againstȘtefan the Great, who had previously conquered the stronghold ofChilia, previously held by Hungary.[8] During Matthias's campaign, his armies set on fire the Moldavian towns of Trotuș,Bacău,Roman, and Neamț, but he spared the town of Baia, in which he settled in a fortified stone house in the center.[8] Ștefan cel Mare attacked and burnt the town on the night of December 15, 1467, in the prelude to theBattle of Baia.[8]
The town entered a decline after the beginning of theProtestant Reformation and the persecutions of Catholics in 16th century.[9] The Catholics of Baia switched to Protestantism and the last bishop of Baia is recorded in 1523.[9] The town ofSuceava took over Baia's importance in trade and the town of Baia reverted to be a simple village, as it is today.[9]
Demographics
editAt the 2002 census, the commune had a population of 6,793.[10] At the2011 Romanian census, Baia had a population of 6,405, of which 95.88% wereRomanians, while at the2021 census the population had increased to 7,261, of which 93.49% were Romanians.[11]
Notes
edit- ^"Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021"(XLS).National Institute of Statistics.
- ^Rădvan, p.464
- ^Bucurescu, Adrian (April 10, 2008)."Străvechile capitale ale Moldovei".România liberă (in Romanian). Archived fromthe original on 2012-05-11.
- ^abcdRădvan, p.458
- ^Costăchel, V.; Panaitescu, P.P.; Cazacu, A. (1957).Viața feudală în Țara Românească și Moldova (secolele XIV–XVI), (Feudal life in Wallachia and Moldavia (14th–16th centuries). Bucharest: Editura Științifică.
- ^abcdeRădvan, p.459
- ^abcRădvan, p.460
- ^abcRădvan, p.461
- ^abcRădvan, p.465
- ^Romanian census data, 2002Archived 2012-09-22 at theWayback Machine; retrieved on May 27, 2010
- ^"Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian).INSSE. 31 May 2023.
References
edit- Rădvan, Laurențiu (2010).At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities. Translated by Valentin Cîrdei. Brill.ISBN 9789004180109.
External links
edit- (in Hungarian) Varga Géza:A moldvabányai gótikus templom rovásfelirata (The runic inscriptions of the Gothic church in Baia)
