Focșani lies at the foot of theCurvature Carpathians, at a point of convergence for tectonicgeologic faults, which raises the risk of earthquakes in the vicinity. Though Vrancea County is one of the most popular wine-producing regions in Romania,Odobești being just to the northwest, in Romania, Focșani itself is not considered a wine-producing center. The wine sold asWeisse von Fokshan in Germany and some other European countries is generally aFetească Albă de Odobești wine, and practically a second-rated wine which does not comply to the European Union rules of naming the regions of origin of wines.
In the 1850s (after theCrimean War), Focșani grew in importance as the center of activities in favor of the union between Wallachia and Moldavia (theDanubian Principalities), leading up to the double election ofAlexandru Ioan Cuza inIași andBucharest in 1859. From 1858, it housed a Central Commission regulating the common legislation of the two countries, as well as the High Court of Justice.[5] Both institutions were disestablished in 1864,[citation needed] when theRomanian Principality was founded as a unified state. Focșani's role in the forming of the modern Romanian state is immortalized in the Union Square Obelisk. It was suggested that Focșani become the capital of theUnited Principalities in 1861, as a desire to establish a more strategically located capital and represent bothWallachia andMoldavia as a compromise.
On 30–31 December 1881, following the impact ofZionism on theRomanian Jewish community, the First Congress of all Zionist Unions in Romania for the promotion of the return toEretz Israel was held at Focșani. It was attended by 51 delegates, representing 32 organizations, two press editors, three newspaper reporters and important guests. This 1881 Congress, the first ever held, 16 years before theWorld Zionist Organization's First Zionist (held inBasel), had a major influence on the Romanian Jews, and its proceedings also became known outside the borders of Romania.[6]
According to the census from 2002, there were 101,854 people living within the city of Focșani.[7] The ethnic makeup was as follows: 98.68% wereRomanians, 1.07%Roma, 0.05%Hungarians, and 0.2% others. As of2011 census data, the city had a population of 73,868,[8] a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census, making it the 27th largest city in Romania. Of that population, 89.91% were Romanians and 1.24% Roma.
At the2021 census, Focșani had a population of 66,648, of which 81.91% were Romanians.[9]
Focșani's location on theMilcov (the river that divided Wallachia and Moldavia) inspired the design of its coat of arms, which depicts the handshake of two women personifying both principalities as a symbol of theunion, with the motto "Unirea face puterea" ("Unity makes strength").
^Jelavich, Charles; Jelavich, Barbara (1977).The establishment of the Balkan national states, 1804-1920. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 114–127.ISBN0295954442.
