Moinești


Moinești is a city in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania, with a population of 21,787. Its name is derived from the Romanian-language word moină, which means "fallow" or "light rain". Moinești once had a large Jewish community; in Jewish contexts the name is often given as Mojnescht. The city administers one village, Găzărie.

History

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, 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.

Economy

The area around Moinești is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, salt and timber. Between the years 1950s and 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 1896, honoring Tristan Tzara, the founder of Dadaism who was born in Moinești, a monument was built on the side of the road that enters the town. It was created from concrete and steel by the German-Romanian sculptor Ingo Glass in the true Dada spirit and 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, Pine Tree Park, Ghindaru Hill, the Dada Monument, Cetățuia and the Jewish Cemetery.

People