Rădăuți
Rădăuți is a city in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Rădăuți is the third largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 23,822 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census. It was declared a municipality in 1995, along with two other cities in Suceava County: Fălticeni and Câmpulung Moldovenesc. Rădăuți covers an area of 32,30 km² and it was the capital of former Rădăuți County.
Administration and local politics
Town council
The town's current local council has the following political composition, according to the results of the 2016 Romanian local elections:Geography
Rădăuți is situated in Bukovina, on a plain between the Suceava and Sucevița rivers, north-west from Suceava, the county capital. The city is located in the depression with the same name, at altitude. It is one of the oldest settlements in Moldavia, known since the 15th century. The towns of Siret, Solca, Milișăuți and Vicovu de Sus are located relatively close to the city, in the Rădăuți urban area of influence.Demographics
Rădăuți reached its peak population in 1992, when more than 31,000 people were living within the city limits. As of 2016, the town of Rădăuți was the second most populated urban settlement in Suceava County, after the county capital, Suceava.At the 2011 census, Rădăuți had a population of 23,822 inhabitants: 96.97% of inhabitants were ethnic Romanians, 0.89% Russians and Lipovans, 0.88% Roma, 0.54% Ukrainians and 0.23% Germans. 83.4% were Romanian Orthodox, 9.1% Pentecostal, 3.1% Roman Catholic, 0.9% stated they belonged to another religion, 0.8% were Greek-Catholic and 0.7% each Baptist and Lipovan Orthodox.
History
The mention of "Radomir's village" in a 1392 document is generally believed to be the town's first mention, and indication of the origin of the name Rădăuți. The oldest mention of Rădăuți as such dates from 1413, in a document issued by Moldavian Prince Alexandru cel Bun.By the middle of the 14th century, Rădăuți was already a flourishing settlement, the seat of a prominent Eastern Orthodox church during the times of Bogdan I, and subsequently a bishopric. Around the St. Nicholas church, archaeologists have uncovered a habitation layer preceding Bogdan's period of rule, one which could point to the existence of a local center prior to the foundation of Moldavia.
Awarded the privilege of organizing fairs, Rădăuți evolved due to its favorable location midway between the Carpathians and the tableland area. The fairs at Rădăuți have been dated to the time of Stephen the Great.
Rădăuți has a cathedral with the tombs of several Moldavian princes. Rădăuți was also the seat of a Greek bishopric, moved to Chernivtsi in 1786.
Rădăuți was one of the largest cities of the Duchy of Bukovina during the period of Habsburg administration. During that time it saw a high level of German immigration, which would later form the basis for the Bukovina Germans in the whole region.
Jewish history of Rădăuți
A Jewish community was present before the Habsburg takeover, and is attested to have been overseen by a starost.Many Jews fleeing the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria from intense persecution and anti-Semitism during the Middle Ages settled in Rădăuți. The community was allowed a degree of self-administration, and witnessed a period of prosperity and cultural effervescence during the 19th century.
The majority of Rădăuți's Jewish population was exterminated during the Holocaust. Persecutions became widespread around 1938, when Jews were harassed and attacked by authorities under the Octavian Goga government; they were confirmed by anti-Semitic legislation passed by the Ion Gigurtu cabinet, and, in late 1940, exceptionally violent following the establishment of the National Legionary State. In October 1941, all Jews present in Rădăuți were deported to concentration camps in Transnistria.
