Bârlad

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This article is about the city. For the river, see: Bârlad River
Bârlad
Municipality
Bârlad - public places and buildings

Coat of arms
Bârlad
Location of Bârlad
Coordinates: 46°13′N 27°40′E / 46.217°N 27.667°E / 46.217; 27.667Coordinates: 46°13′N 27°40′E / 46.217°N 27.667°E / 46.217; 27.667
Country  Romania
County Vaslui County
Status Municipality
Government
 • Mayor Constantin Constantinescu (Social Democratic Party)
Area
 • Municipality 15 km2 (6 sq mi)
 • Metro 20 km2 (8 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Municipality 49,929
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website http://www.primariabarlad.ro/

Bârlad (Romanian pronunciation: [bɨrˈlad] ( listen)) is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the Bârlad River, which waters the high plains of eastern Moldavia.

At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret, the other skirting the Prut; both reunite at Galați. Along with a maze of narrow and winding streets, Bârlad features several notable modern buildings, including the hospital administered by the Saint Spiridion Foundation of Iași.

In the vicinity of the city there are traces of a Roman camp.

Etymology

Scholars continue to debate the origin of the city's name. The Hypatian Codex mentions a market town called Berlad, and some historians, influenced by a document Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu published in the 19th century, have tried to link this town and its inhabitants (variously considered Romanians, Russians or an amalgam) with the Moldavian Bârlad. Ioan Bogdan demonstrated that the Hasdeu document was false, thus invalidating the hypothesis. Like Siret and Suceava, the medieval town took its name from the adjacent river, but nothing more can be said for certain. Constantin Cihodaru linked the name, of possible Hungarian origin, to a Slavic word (berlo — "rod", "cottage" or birlo — "swamp"), to which was added the Hungarian suffix -d, also found, for example, in the names Cenad, Arad, Tușnad and Tășnad. Supporting this notion is the historic presence of a significant Hungarian community, with traditions recalling the fight against the Tatars in the mid-14th century.[2]

Population

  • 1900: 24,484 (of which one-quarter were Jewish)
  • 2000: 69,183
  • 2002: 78,633
  • 2011: 49,929

Natives

Education

Bârlad features a total number of 43 school units, of which 23 kindergartens, 12 primary and secondary schools, 4 high schools, one vocational school, one music and arts school, an orphanage for preschool children and one for school children.

All these units are subordinated to the Romanians Ministry of Education.

The four high schools in Bârlad are Colegiul National Gheorge Roşca Codreanu (Gheorghe Roșca Codreanu National College) - the only national college in the county of Vaslui, Liceul Teoretic Mihai Eminescu (Mihai Eminescu Theoretical High School) Grupul Scolar Industrial Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Alexandru Ioan Cuza Industrial High School) and Liceul Pedagogic Alexandru Vlahuţă (Alexandru Vlahuţă Pedagogical High School).

Sport

Rulmentul Bârlad is a rugby team from the city, currently playing in the first rugby league in Romania. One of the pioneers of rugby in Romania, the first team was created in 1956 under the name of CONSTRUCTORUL, meaning the "builder" in Romanian. C.S. RULMENȚI S.A. Bârlad was formed later on in 1962, competing in the first tier of the Romanian rugby division ever since. The team colours are white and blue. Notable performances are the winning of the 1986 and 1987 F.R.R cup (Romanian cup).

Fepa 74 Bârlad was the city's football team, changing its name to FC Bârlad. Its best performance was promotion in the second tier of Romanian football championship in mid-1980s.

See also

  • Shale gas by country#Romania

Notes

  1. ↑ Romanian census data, 2011; retrieved on March 4, 2013
  2. ↑ Laurenţiu Rădvan, Oraşele din Ţările Române în Evul Mediu, p.486-87. Editura Universităţii "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" din Iaşi, 2012, ISBN 978-973-703-719-0

External links

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Vaslui County, Romania
Cities
Towns
Communes
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