Piatra Neamţ

Piatra Neamţ
	Piatra Neamţ
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	Location of Piatra Neamţ
	Coordinates: 46°55′39″N 26°22′15″E / 46.9275°N 26.37083°E
Country	Romania
County	Neamţ County
Status	County capital
	Government
- Mayor	Gheorghe Ştefan, PD-L
	Area
- Total	77.4 km2 (29.9 sq mi)
	Population (2002)
- Total	104,914
- Density	1,354/km2 (3,506.8/sq mi)
- July 1, 2004	110,186
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
	Sister cities: Roanne, Villerest, Mably, Riorges, Alpharetta, Hliboca, Orhei, Kiryat Malachi, Lod, Beinasco, Manilva
Website	http://www.neamt.ro/

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Piatra Neamţ (pronunciation in Romanian: /'pja.tra 'něamʦ/), (population: over 110,000) is the capital city of Neamţ County, in the historical region of Moldavia, eastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is considered one of the most picturesque cities in Romania. It is also the capital of the Nord-Est (North-East) development region, which consists of six Moldavian counties.

View of Piatra Neamţ

[edit] Etymology

The piatra toponym (meaning rock in Romanian) was always part of the settlement's name throughout its history. Other names that the city has been called are: Piatra lui Crăciun (Christmas Rock) ; Târgu Piatra (Rock Fair) (in the middle ages) or simply Piatra to which was added the county name Neamţ (Neamt = German), to distinguish it from towns in other counties of the same name.

[edit] Geography & access

Map of Piatra Neamţ

Piatra Neamţ lies in the Bistriţa River Valley, surrounded by mountains - Pietricica (590 m), Cozla (679 m), Cernegura (852 m), Bâtca Doamnei (462 m) and Cârloman (617 m), at an average height of 345 m. The city has all the advantages offered by a kind and unique nature.

The city is located 350 km north of the capital city of Bucharest, in the historical region of Moldavia. The nearest airport is Bacău, situated at 60 km south. Piatra Neamţ is linked by Romanian railway trunk number 509 to Bucharest and Iaşi, and by DN15 national road to Bacău (therefore DN2 to Bucharest), Iaşi, Suceava, and Târgu Mureş (Transylvania).

The city is informally divided in several districts (in Romanian: cartiere)

Centru
Dărmăneşti
Precista
Mărăţei
1 Mai
Sarata
Valea Viei
Gara Veche
Speranţa
Ciritei
Vânători
Văleni
Băcioaia

(there are plans to build two new districts, the most important one will be located in place of "Reconstructia" factory)

[edit] History

15th century Stephen's Tower (the city symbol), the medieval town square and the Cucuteni culture museum in the background

The area around Piatra Neamţ is one of the oldest inhabited areas in Romania. The oldest traces of human civilisation in the present territory date back to the higher Paleolithic, about 100,000 years BCE. The Cucuteni culture, whose development lasted approximately one thousand years (ca. 3600-2600 BCE) was attested in the territory of Neamţ county by a remarkable number of settlements (approx. 150), archaeological diggings unearthing important museum collections of Aeneolithic artifacts. Archaeologists have also discovered objects here dating back to the Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age (about 1900-1700 BCE).

Excavations just outside the city revealed the ruins of a large Dacian city, Petrodava, mentioned by Greek geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. The whole compound had its heyday between the first century BCE and the first century CE. Standing out is the citadel at Bîtca Doamnei which contains shrines resembling those identified in the Orăştiei Mountains. As far as the existence of a local leader is concerned, historians tend to suggest the identification of the Kingdom of Dicomes in the very political centre at Petrodava. The complex of strongholds without peer in Moldavia and Wallachia is evidence as to a powerful political and military centre both in Burebista’s time and in the period that preceded the reign of Decebalus. The settlement was documented in the 15th century as Piatra lui Craciun, or Camena, a market town.

The first urban settlements, which emerged under Petru I Muşat (1375-1391), were Piatra lui Craciun, Roman and Neamţ. The Neamţ citadel, whose documentary attestation dates back to February 2, 1395, was also erected during the same consolidation period of the Moldovian pricipate east of the Carpathians. The Princely Court of Piatra Neamţ is mentioned for the first time in a document dated April 20, 1491, to have been founded between 1468 and 1475, under Stephen the Great, the Princely Cathedral being built in 1497-1498, and the 20 m. tall Bell Tower in 1499.

[edit] Economy

A central street in Piatra Neamţ

The city's industries include a fertilizer plant, a pulp and paper mill, and several food-processing plants. In the city are also located an agricultural machinery plant (Mecanica Ceahlău), a pharmaceutical plant (Plantavorel) and two paper manufacturers.

The city's main industrial park is situated 11 km south, in the Săvineşti area. During the communist period, the Săvineşti platform was one of the most important chemical plants in Romania and the site of a research institute. Today, the industrial facility is part of the Italian group Radici, and it operates at a very low capacity.

In the recent period, the most important Romanian commercial brands originating from Piatra Neamţ are Rifil (synthetic fibers manufacturer), Altex (Media Galaxy) (TV, hi-fi, home appliances national dealer), Köber (paints manufacturer), and Dasimpex (mobile phones dealer).

There are 4 local TV stations (TV M, 1TV, TeleM, Actual TV ), 3 FM radio stations and several newspapers.

[edit] Culture & Education

Teatrul Tineretului

Piatra Neamţ is home to Teatrul Tineretului (Youth's Theatre), G. T. Kirileanu library and many cultural events, including the International Theatre Festival in the springtime, the classical music event Vacanţe muzicale (musical holydays) in the summertime and more folkloric festivals all year round.

The "Petru Rareş" national college, "Calistrat Hogaş" national college, as well as "Victor Brauner" Fine Arts College are also located here.

Starting with January 2009, Piatra Neamt will be the host of a short film festival called "Filmul de Piatra" (derived from the name of the city "Piatra" which means stone (rock) and translated as "Stone-film Festival"). The 1st edition will take place in the building of Teatrul Tineretului and other locations between 7th and 11th of January, 2009. The festival will have a national short film competition (all genres) and will award each category. The agenda will also include selections of international shorts, awarded in major festivals throughout the world. Other special programmes include live concerts, skiing and workshops.

[edit] Attractions

The city's main attractions are the natural beauty of the area (the mountains and the lakes), the historical buildings, the museums and the festivals. Today, there are several programs in progress with the goal of transforming Piatra Neamţ into an important touristic destination in Romania (the construction of the cable car and the wintersports facilities^[2]).

[edit] Landmarks

Cucuteni Museum

Stephen's tower, built in 1499, during Ştefan cel Mare's reign
St John The Baptist church (1497-1498)
The Princely Court
The History & Archaeology Museum (host of the Cucuteni exhibition, the largest Aeneolithic artifacts collection in southeastern Europe)
The Fine Arts Museum
The Natural Sciences Museum
The "Calistrat Hogaş" Memorial Museum
The "Schimbarea la Faţă" Wooden Church in Văleni
The Bistriţa Monastery, founded in the early 15th century, is 8 km (5 mi) west of the city
The Wooden Synagogue

[edit] Parks

Central Park
Cozla Park (including the Zoo and Cozla ski run)
Ştrandul Tineretului (including the Equestrian Stadium)

[edit] Sports

Ceahlăul Stadium

FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ is the local football (soccer) team; best performance : 4th round in UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999 after two matches versus Juventus Turin. Currently it plays in the second national league - Liga II.

Former Fibrex Săvineşti, actually HCM Piatra Neamţ is the local men's handball team, three times champions of Romania and two times winners of Handball Romania's Cup.

CV Unic Piatra Neamţ is the local women's volleyball team.

Piatra Neamţ is the residence of Constantin "Ticu" Lăcătuşu, the first Romanian alpinist who reached the top of Mount Everest.

The Piatra Neamţ Equestrian Stadium (Baza Hipică) is the host of several show jumping and dressage international competitions.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

Victor Brauner, painter
Lascăr Vorel, painter
Iulia Hălăucescu, painter
Simona Vasiliu Chintila, painter
Anton Vorel, herbalist, pharmacist
Laurentiu Dimisca, painter
Calistrat Hogaş, writer
Vasile Baghiu, writer
Constantin Lăcătuşu, mountain climber
Bogdan Ţărus, athlete
Mihai Trăistariu, singer
Vasile Trăistariu, painter
Cristian Gretcu, humorist
Emil Calmanovici, industrialist and communist activist
Mihaela Rădulescu, television personality
Dan Ostahie, general manager of Altex Romania

[edit] Notes

^ National Institute of Statistics, Population of counties, municipalities and towns, July 1, 2004
^ (Romanian) Projects underway in 2007

[edit] Information for tourists

[edit] Photo gallery

Ceahlău Hotel (rear)	The CFR railway station	The city and the Bistriţa River	Mount Pietricica & TV Tower
General view from the Telegondola	"Petru Rareş" National College