:Moinești
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type = municipality
|county = Bacău
|image_skyline = Primăria(l'ajuntament) de Moineşti.jpg
|image_caption = Moinești City Hall
|official_name = Moinești
|image_map = Moinesti jud Bacau.png
|map_caption = Location in Bacău County
|image_shield = ROU_BC_Moinesti_CoA.jpg
|leader_name = Valentin Vieru{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale27092020/romania-pv-final |title=Results of the 2020 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=8 June 2021 |df=dmy-all}}
|leader_party = PNL
|term = 2020–2024
|coordinates = {{coord|46|26|N|26|29|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation = 400
|elevation_min =
|elevation_max =
|area_total = 45.83
|population_as_of =
|population_total = auto
|population_footnotes =
|postal_code = 605400
|area_code = (+40) 02 34
|website = {{URL|http://www.moinesti.ro}}
}}
Moinești ({{IPA|ro|mojˈneʃtʲ|audio=LL-Q7913 (ron)-KlaudiuMihaila-Moinești.wav}}; {{langx|hu|Mojnest}}) is a city in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania, with a population of 19,728 {{As of|2021|lc=on}}. Its name is derived from the Romanian-language word moină, which means "fallow" or "light rain". Moinești once had a large Jewish community, and in 1899 about half of the population was Jewish;{{Cite web |title=YIVO {{!}} Moinești |url=https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Moinesti |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=yivoencyclopedia.org}} in Jewish contexts the name is often given as Mojnescht or "Monesht". The city administers one village, Găzărie.
Location
The city is situated in the foothills of the Tarcău Mountains, at an altitude of {{cvt|400|m}}, on the banks of the river Tazlăul Sărat. It is located in the northwestern part of Bacău County, {{cvt|45|km}} west of the county seat, Bacău.
Moinești is crossed by national road {{ill|DN2G|ro}}, which connects it to Bacău (where it ends in DN2) and to nearby Comănești (where it ends in {{ill|DN12A|ro}}).
History
{{Historical populations
|source = Census data
|1930 |6616
|1948 |5868
|1956 |12934
|1966 |18714
|1977 |20862
|1992 |25560
|2002 |25532
|2011 |21787
|2021 |19728
}}
First mentioned in 1467, the locality was listed among the Moldavian villages on the Bawer map of 1783. A târg was first attested in this location in 1832; it had 188 houses and 588 inhabitants.
In 1921, Moinești was designated a comună urbană ("urban commune"), with its own coat of arms and local administration, but a step short of being considered a city. It became a municipality in 2002. The 2011 census counted 20,855 inhabitants. At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 19,728.{{cite web|url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tabel-1.03_1.3.1-si-1.03.2.xls|title=Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021|publisher=INSSE|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}
There are two secondary schools in Moinești: the Spiru Haret Theoretical High School and the Grigore Cobălcescu Technical College.
Economy
The area around Moinești is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, salt, and timber. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Moinești experienced a steady economic growth thanks to the large petroleum extracting industry. After 1990, however, following the nationwide industry privatization, Moinești's economy changed dramatically, at some points reaching level of unemployment of over 20%.
Dada monument
In 1996, a monument was built in the town in honor of Tristan Tzara, the Moinești-born founder of Dadaism. It was created from concrete and steel by the German-Romanian sculptor Ingo Glass {{clarify|text=in the true Dada spirit.|date=June 2024|reason=In what way is it true to the spirit of Dadaism?}} It is 25 meters long, 2.6 meters wide, and 10 meters high and it weighs 120 tons.
Tourism
Tourist attractions in Moinești include: Băi Park (with healing mineral waters), Pine Tree Park, Ghindaru Hill (where archaeologists discovered artefacts of the pre-Cucuteni culture, over 5,000 years old), the Dada Monument (dedicated to Tristan Tzara), Cetățuia (Dacian fortified city archaeologically certified), and the Jewish Cemetery (where the oldest tombstone with recognisable text dates back to 1692).{{Cite web|url=http://www.turismmoinesti.ro/|title=Moinești Tourism|date=26 April 2016|access-date=26 April 2016}}
People
- Alexandru Barna (born 1993), footballer
- Robert Căruță (born 1996), footballer
- Lăcrămioara Filip (born 1973), gymnast
- Vasile Gherasim (1950 – 2020), politician
- Alexandru Margină (born 1993), footballer
- Nestor Rateș (born 1933), journalist, Head of Romanian Desk of Radio Free Europe 1989, 1994–2002{{cite web|title=Nestor Ratesh|url=http://www.europalibera.org/author/21410.html|publisher=Radio Free Europe|access-date=3 November 2011}}
- Moses Rosen (1912 – 1994), Chief Rabbi of Romania from 1948 to 1994
- {{ill|Moshe David Shuv|ro|Moșe David Șub}} (1854 – 1938), born Moșe David Iancovici, early Zionist and founder of Rosh Pinna
- Tristan Tzara (1896 – 1963), writer and founder of Dada
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Gallery
|File:Moinesti (8372113781).jpg|Moinești
|File:Gara Moinesti (8379575042).jpg|Moinești train station
|File:Biserica Gazarie (8370349867).jpg|Saints Peter and Paul Church in Găzărie
|File:Rafinaria Steaua Romana Moinesti, Bacau.jpg|Steaua Română oil refinery in Moinești, 1929
}}
{{Commons category|Moinești}}
{{Bacău County}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moinesti}}
Category:Populated places in Bacău County
Category:Localities in Western Moldavia
Category:Jewish communities in Romania
Category:Market towns in Moldavia
{{Bacău-geo-stub}}
{{Jewish-hist-stub}}