The town's name, which features in Old Church Slavonic documents asBako,Bakova orBakovia, comes most probably from apersonal name of Hungarian origin.[7] Men bearing the name Bakó or Bako are documented in medievalTransylvania[8] and in 15th-century Bulgaria, but according to Victor Spinei the name itself is ofTurkic – most probably ofCuman orPecheneg – origin.[9]Nicolae Iorga believes that the city's name is of Hungarian origin (asAdjud andSascut).[10] Another theory suggests aSlavic origin for the town's name, pointing to theProto-Slavic wordbyk, meaning "ox" or "bull", the region being very suitable for raising cattle; the term, rendered intoRomanian alphabet asbâc, was probably the origin ofBâcău.[11] In German it is known asBakau, in Hungarian asBákó and in Turkish asBaka.[citation needed]
Similarly to mosturban centers in Moldavia, Bacău emerged on aford that allowed water passage.[12] There is archaeological evidence of human settlement in the centre of Bacău (nearCurtea Domnească) 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 wereChristians.[13]Pechenegs andCumans controlled the Bistrița valley during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.[14]Colonists played a significant role in the development of the town.[15] Archaeological finds, some surface or semi-buried dwellings from the second half of the 15th century, suggest thatHungarians started to settle in the region after 1345–1347 when the territory was under the control of theKingdom of Hungary.[16] They mainly occupied the flat banks of the river Bistrița.[17] Discoveries of a type of 14th-century grey ceramic that has also been found inNorthern Europe also suggests the presence ofGerman colonists from the north.[18] Originally the town focused around theRoman Catholic community that settled near a regular localmarket frequented by the population of the region on the lower reaches of the river.[8]
The town was first mentioned in 1408 when PrinceAlexander the Good of Moldavia (1400–1432) listed thecustoms points in the principality in his privilege forPolish merchants.[19][20] The customs house in the town is mentioned inOld Church Slavonic askrainee mîto ("the customs house by the edge") in the document which may indicate that it was the last customs stop before Moldavia's border withWallachia.[21] An undated document reveals that theșoltuz in Bacău, 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 at an extended privilege, similar to the ones that royal towns in the Kingdom of Hungary enjoyed.[22][23] Thus this right may have been granted to the community when the territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary.[8] Theseal of Bacău was oval which is exceptional in Moldavia where the seals of other towns were round.[24]
Alexander the Good donated the wax collected as part of the tax payable by the town to the nearbyEastern OrthodoxBistrița Monastery.[25] It was most probably his first wife named Margaret who founded theFranciscan Church of the Holy Virgin in Bacău.[26] But the main Catholic church in the town was dedicated toSaint Nicholas.[8] A letter written by John of Rya, the Catholic bishop ofBaia refers to Bacău as acivitas which implies the existence of a Catholic bishopric in the town at that time.[26][27] The letter also reveals thatHussite immigrants who had undergone persecutions inBohemia,Moravia, or Hungary were settled in the town and granted privileges by Alexander the Good.[28]
The monastery of Bistrița was also granted the income from the customs house of Bacău in 1439.[29] In 1435Stephen II of Moldavia (1433–1435, 1436–1447) requested the town's judges not to hinder the merchants ofBrașov, an important center of theTransylvanian Saxons in their movement.[30][31]From the 15th centuryungureni, that isRomanians from Transylvania began to populate the area north of the marketplace where they would erect an Orthodox church after 1500.[8] A small residence of the princes of Moldova was built in the town in the first half of the 15th century.[32] It was rebuilt and extended underStephen III the Great of Moldavia (1457–1504) who also erected an Orthodox church within it.[32] But the rulers soon began to donate the neighboring villages that had thereto supplied their local household to monasteries or noblemen.[33] Thus the local princely residence was abandoned after 1500.[34]
The town was invaded and destroyed more than one time in the 15th and 16th centuries.[34] For example, in 1467 KingMatthias I of Hungary during his expedition against Stephen the Great set fire to all towns, among them Bacău in his path.[35] The customs records ofBrașov shows that few merchants from Bacău crossed theCarpathian Mountains into Transylvania after 1500, and their merchandise had no particularly high value which suggests that the town was declining in this period.[34]
The Catholic bishop ofArgeș whose see in Wallachia had been destroyed by theTatars moved to Bacău in 1597.[34][36] From the early 17th century the bishops of Bacău were Polish priests who did not reside in the town, but in theKingdom of Poland.[37] They only travelled time to time to their see in order to collect thetithes.[37]
According to Archbishop Marco Bandini's report of thecanonical visitation of 1646, theșoltuz in Bacău was elected among Hungarians one year, and another, among Romanians.[8][38] The names of most of 12 inhabitants of the town recorded in 1655 also indicate that Hungarians still formed their majority group.[34] In 1670 Archbishop Petrus Parceviop c, theapostolic vicar of Moldavia concluded an agreement with the head of the Franciscan Province of Transylvania on the return of the Bacău monastery to them in order to ensure the spiritual welfare of the local Hungarian community.[38][39] But the Polish bishop protested against the agreement and theHoly See also refused to ratify it.[38][40]
Due to the frequent invasions by foreign armies and plundering by theTatars in the 17th century, many of its Catholic inhabitants abandoned Bacău and took refuge in Transylvania.[41][better source needed] But in 1851 the Catholic congregation in the town still spoke, sang, and prayed inHungarian.[42]
The firstpaper mill in Moldavia was established in the town in 1851.[43] The town was declared amunicipality in 1968.[43]
Bacău has a type ofcontinental climate that falls short of permanent winter snow cover due days averaging above freezing. Winters are also quite dry in the area. Summers are quite rainy due toconvection and temperatures are often hot due to its inland location. Due to its mid-latitude location surrounded by a vast landmass, Bacău has a large temperature amplitude by European standards. Since 1980, a record heat of 42.5 °C (108.5 °F)[44] and a record cold of −28 °C (−18 °F)[45] have been measured, which is a net difference of 70.5 °C (126.9 °F).
Climate data for Bacău, Romania (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1980)
The local authority in the city is split between the Mayor and the Local Council. Between 1950 and 1968 the city was governed by the Sfatul popular (People's Council). It replaced the local Provisional Committee (Romanian:Comitetul Provizori), which functioned from 1948 to 1950, based on the Law of the People's Councils, no. 17/1949.[48]
TheBacău metropolitan area, a project for the creation of an administrative unit to integrate Bacău with the nearby communes, would have a population of some 190,000.
The city is about 300 kilometres (186 miles) North ofBucharest. It is served byGeorge Enescu International Airport, located at 5 km (3.1 mi), which provides direct links with the Romanian capital,Bucharest, and with several cities in Europe. Bacău 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.
TheBacău railway station (Gara Bacău) is one of the busiest in Romania; it has access to theRomanian 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 fromUkraine,Russia, andBulgaria.
The city has access to theDN2 road (E85) that links it to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (to the South) and the cities ofSuceava andIași (to the North). TheEuropean routeE574/DN11 is an important access road to Transylvania and the city ofBrașov. The city is also located at the intersection of severalnational roads of secondary importance, and will be served in the future by theA7 motorway running from the border withUkraine atSiret toPloiești (junction withA3). As of 2020, this motorway intersects with the Bacău bypass (Centura Bacău).
Bacău has a public university and several colleges. Two major Romanian poets,George Bacovia andVasile 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 atTescani, near Bacău, 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 ancientDacia. The city also has an astronomical observatory, TheVictor Anestin Astronomical Observatory.[citation needed]
The 1772-1774 Census registered 5 Jewish families, the 1820 Census registered 108 families. The 1852 Census registered 504 Jewish inhabitants. The 1930 Census registered 9424 Jewish inhabitants. The first mentions about Jewish inhabitants are from the beginning of the 18th century. The Register of Chevra Kadisha begins with the year 1774. The first leader of the Community is mentioned in 1794. The community was officially recognized in 1857.[citation needed]
BeforeWorld War I, the number of Jews was almost equal to that of Romanians in Bacău. According to the 1930 census, after some of the village population was in town, Bacău had 19,421 who have declared are Romanian, 9,424 declared Jews, 822 Hungarians and 406 German.
The first synagogue would be built in Bacău in 1820. In 1841 Jews who observe theChabadHasidic movement built another Sinagoga. In 1864 there were 14 functioning synagogues in Bacău. Among the most notable being Synagogue Burah Volf, Furriers Synagogue, Synagogue Alter Ionas and tanners. "In 1880, in Bacău 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 Synagogue, Cerealista, masonry, Rabbi Israel Synagogue, "Brotherhood of Zion" Snap Synagogue Saima Cofler itself and Der Mariesches SIL.
After World War I, some synagogues were closed and others were razed. Some carried the names of rabbis deceased or people in life who had influence on the community: synagogue Wisman, synagogue Gaon Bețael Safran, synagogue Rabbi Blane, synagogue David Herșcovici, synagogue Filderman, the synagogue rabbi Wahramn, and synagogue Rabbi Lan.
In December 2015, the new headquarters of the Jewish community was opened at 2 Erou Costel Marius Hasan St.[51]
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Dobre, Claudia Florentina (2009).Mendicants in Moldavia: Mission in an Orthodox Land. AUREL Verlag.ISBN978-3-938759-12-7.
Mărtinaș, Dumitru (1999).The Origins of the Changos. The Center for Romanian Studies.ISBN973-98391-4-2.
Pozsony, Ferenc (2002).Church Life in Moldavian Hungarian Communities.In: Diószegi, László (2002);Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia; Teleki László Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation;ISBN963-85774-4-4.
Rădvan, Laurențiu (2010).At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities. BRILL.ISBN978-90-04-18010-9.
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