Bacău

Bacău (in Romanian: /ba'kəw/) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 41km² and has an estimated population of 210,469.

The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River (which meets the Siret River about 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the south of Bacău). The Ghimeş Pass links Bacău to Transylvania.

1 History
2 Transport
3 Culture
4 Sport
5 Natives
6 External links

[edit] History

The earliest known reference to the city dates from 1408, during the rule of Moldavian Prince Alexandru cel Bun. The etymology is unclear, but one possibility is being derived from the name of a medieval Hungarian innkeeper, Bakó, who, supposedly, had an inn on the current road from Bacău to Roman, whose lodging was, according to legend, the first in the town of Bacău. Another theory suggests that the name may have a Slavic origin, pointing to the Proto-Slavic word byk, meaning "ox" or "bull", the region being very suitable for raising cattle; the term, rendered into Romanian alphabet as bâc, was probably the origin of Bâcau (БѪКЪУ in Romanian Cyrillic, a name by which the town is mentioned in several medieval documents).

From around 1591 to 1789, the city was home to the Roman Catholic bishopric of Bacău. That office was always held by a priest from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Bacău city center

During World War I and the occupation of Bucharest by the Central Powers, Bacău was the headquarters of the Romanian Army.

[edit] Transport

The city is about 300 km north of Bucharest. It is served by Bacău International Airport which provides daily direct links with Romanian cities Bucharest and Timişoara, and international links with 11 cities in Italy and Germany.

The Bacău railway station (Gara Bacău) is one of the busiest in Romania; it has access to the Romanian 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 from Ukraine, Russia, and Bulgaria.

The city has access to the DN2 road (E85) that links it to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (to the south) and the cities of Suceava and Iaşi (to the north). The european route E574 is an important access road to Transylvania and the city of Braşov. Also the city is located also at the intersection of several national roads of secondary importance.

[edit] Culture

Although not a traditional educational centre in Romania, Bacău has a public university and several colleges. The Bacău Athenaeum and a philharmonic orchestra are located here, as well as Bacovia Dramatic Theatre.