Rădăuți

Rădăuţi (/rə'dəuʦʲ/) (German: Radautz, Hungarian: Radóc, Yiddish: ראַדעװיץ / Radevits, Polish: Radowce, Ukrainian: Радівці / Radivtsi) is a town in Suceava County, Romania with a population of 27,759 inhabitants.

Geography

Rădăuţi is situated in Bukovina, northern Moldavia, on a plain between the Suceava and Suceviţa rivers, 37 km (23 miles) north from Suceava, at 375 m (410 yards) altitude. It is one of the oldest settlement in Moldavia, known since the 15th century.

History

The mention of "Radomir's village" (as part of a review of boyar possessions) in a 1392 document (uric) is generally believed to be the town's first mention, and indication of the origin of the name Rădăuţi (other theories state that the settlement had its origins in earlier periods, and that the name is a Slavic-influenced transformation of the Latin word Rottacenum, as used by soldiers in the Roman garrison in Siret). The oldest mention of Rădăuţi as such dates from 1413, in a document issued by Prince Alexandru cel Bun.

By the middle of the 14th century, Rădăuţi was already a flourishing settlement, the seat of a prominent Eastern Orthodox church during the times of Bogdan I (1359-1365), and subsequently a bishopric. Around the St. Nicholas church (Bogdana Monastery), 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 formation of the Moldavian state.

File:Zonning.jpg

Map of the city

Awarded the privilege of organizing fairs, Rădăuţi evolved due to its favorable location midway between the Carpathians and the the tableland area (with traders from both regions establishing contact in the local market). The fairs at Rădăuţi have been dated to the time of Stephen the Great (a document from 1481; however, since the mention includes details of Stephen's intervention in solving a commercial dispute, it is possible that the fairs was well-established by then).

Rădăuţi was one of the larger cities of the Duchy of Bukovina under the Habsburg administration, during which time it saw a high level of German immigration.

Many Jews fleeing the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (as well as other Habsburg areas) from intense persecution and anti-Semitism during the Middle Ages settled in Rădăuţi (see History of the Jews in Romania). The majority of Rădăuţi's Jewish population was exterminated during the Holocaust.

Natives

• Avigdor Arikha
• Lothar Rădăceanu