Slobozia

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For the town in Moldova, see: Slobozia, Moldova;

For other uses, see Slobozia (disambiguation).

Municipiul Slobozia

County

Ialomiţa

Mayor

Gabi Ionaşcu, since 2000, Social Democratic Party

Area

132.87 km²

Population

- 2002 (census)
- Density

52,710

396.70/km²

Ethnic groups

Romanians, Aromanians, Gipsies

Working languages

Romanian

Sister cities

Silistra, Veles

Geographical co-ordinates

44°33′50″N, 27°21′58″E

Postcode range

920xxx

Municipal Website: http://www.sloboziail.ro

Slobozia is the capital city of the Ialomiţa county, Romania. It is situated roughly in the middle of the county, at cca. 120 Km (74.56 mi) East of Bucharest and 150 Km (93.20 mi) West of Constanţa, important port at the Black Sea.

The total superfice of the municipia is 13,287 ha (32,832.09 acres), of which 11,987 ha (29,620.52 acres) in extravilane and 1,300 ha (3,212.37 acres) in the city. In the present administrative form, Slobozia is composed of Slobozia City and the neighbourhoods of Bora and Slobozia Nouǎ (New Slobozia).

The city's population (at the 2002 census) was 52,710 people. In Slobozia exist: 18,072 dwelling places, 10 kindergartens, 8 schools, 6 lycaeums/high schools, 1 postlycaeum school, one hospital with 600 beds and various cultural settlements. The municipia houses the Bishoprice of Slobozia and Călăraşi.

The preponderent activity in the area is the agriculture and the processing of the agricol products, the light industry.

In 1990 it was inaugurated the Cultural Centre bearing the name of the well-known conductor and compositor Ionel Perlea, son of Ialomiţa. This building houses exposition and spectacle rooms, bookstores, cultural institutions. In 1999 the Cultural Centre Ionel Perlea entered in the UNESCO circuit.

The religious cults have full liberty. There are plenty churches and cathedrals of the different cults. A very important event happent in 1993: the founding, at the clergy's and worshipper's appeal, of the Bishoprice of Slobozia and Călăraşi, with its headquarters at Slobozia, as a recognition of the role played during the centuries by the Saint Voevods (Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel) Monastery in the preserving of the christian-orthodox traditions.

The city was built on the place of the village "Vaideei". The name can be read as "vai de ei" which means "poor them/pity them".

Its name is from Romanian "slobozie", which meant a recently colonized village which was free of taxation. The word itself comes from the Slavic word "slobod" which means "free". As it is located in the middle of flat land (Bărăgan Plain), it was very vulnerable to Tatar and Ottoman incursions. To encourage peasants to settle there, they were exempted from some taxes, hence the name.

As part of a private tourist complex, there is a small copy of the Eiffel Tower (54m).