Welcome to Botoşani in County Botoşani,
part of the Bucovina region of Romania! Discover historic Botoşani and
surrounding villages, see things to do and understand the rich Bucovina
culture unfolding in historic county Botoşani. Rest Romania will help
you find the perfect hotel or B&B in our section on Botoşani lodging, B&B
(bed and breakfast), or great activities further out in County Botoşani.
Check
out your transportation options in Botoşani in County Botoşani, part of
the region of Bucovina in Romania. Find your accommodation options in
either Botoşani or Botoşani, with fun things to do from eoc-tourism, to
nearby hiking and even skiing.
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The County capital of Botoşani is only a half hour by road
from the County seat of Suceava in the Bucovina region to the west.
As the northern-most major Moldovan city, the culture of Botoşani
is similar to that of powerhouse Iaşi, but with the inflections and
nuances of the cousins in the Ukraine to the north, as well as the
slightly more Austrian influences from Bucovina to the west.
The name of the city probably has its origin in the name of a
boyar family called Botaş, whose name can be found in old records
from the time of Prince Stephen the Great (late 15th century) as one
of the most important families of Moldavia, records which trace it
back to the 11th century.
Another possible origin of the name is that of a Mongol chief,
Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, who occupied this region in the
13th century.
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Botoşani
City Hall
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Săveni is the next largest town in the southern County Botoşani
area, and as such does not quite qualify as being a village.
Established in 1964, the rather well put together museum of Săveni
specialises in the regions archeological finds, including displays found
at the necropolis of Ripiceni, as well as Miorcani, Draguşeni, Hăneşti
and Săveni.
With 69 Communes in County botoşani, we
chose one which is typical of most!
Truşeşti
The 5800 villagers who make their homes in the commune of Truşeşti,
provide interesting insights on how the last few decades has treated the
communities of southern
County Botoşani,
and probably the Moldova
Region as well.
In addition to the main village of Truşeşti with it's 2000
villagers, the namesake commune includes the hamlets of Ionăşeni (1500
inhabitants), Buhaceni (1100) and Drislea (1100). All of the
chemists, doctors and the hospital are in Truşeşti, along with the bank,
veterinarian and other "town" type amenities.
Christmas Eve in Truşeşti!
Communist Truşeşti
Truşeşti as a place-name was first mentioned in historical documents
in early 1568, and through the last set of decrees signed by the mad
dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu in September 1989, the commune of Truşeşti
was transformed into an urban zone.
However, the post-revolutionary transitional government downplayed
all such matters from the communist era, and the locality reverted to
it’s more natural state and size as a commune soon after.
The post-revolutionary zeal was so strong at first that it reversed
many of the construction projects begun under the dictatorship,
including the removal or recent apartment blocks and farm building begun
prior to 1989.
“I turned the first sod at all these major construction works, and
now I hasten their demise!” declared Ioan Aflăcăilor, who was the mayor
of the town for the 21 years before and the 4 years after the
revolution. Two of the buildings were actually built in the
years after 1989. Aflăcăilor was one of few mayors who put
forth their point of view as vehemently at the time.
Pigs, Rabbits and Chickens!
In those days, Truşeşti had taken on the guise of a small town and
had a pig-raising association with over 60,000 members, an egg farm with
a capacity to produce a quarter million eggs daily and a rabbit farm.
To all of this was added the now infamous Zatrus sugar refinery, which
had a difficult start, and even more so after the revolution, when the
much hoped-for investment did not materialise.
Truşeşti and the EU
However, it was the long lead-up to Romania’s EU membership saw
hopes rise in Truşeşti, with villagers of the commune participating in a
referendum to sanction the elevation of Truşeşti as a proper town.
However, it’s not clear that most of the commune’s residents were
correctly informed about the implications of this process. Most
had really not realised the process of forming their commune into a town
would also involve new taxes and fees for residents, according to the
current mayor, Mr. Dumitru Oghişcă.
Forced to make rather rapid steps towards the EU, the inhabitants of
Commune Truşeşti were disoriented. A large part of the blame was
with the county administration, which did not communicate well the steps
needed. “Those at the county level were constantly asking me
what we’d done in the commune for EU integration. But what could
we do? We hadn’t even seen a poster in our area, not even a flyer
with details on the subject. Many here had heard about the EU, but
didn’t really know what it was. I’d say we went into the EU
with heads held high but gazing at our feet”, said the mayor.
Things to Do in Truşeşti
If you know anything about country villages in Botoşani, you're
probably on the floor rolling with laughter now at the thought of
Truşeşti as a cultural tourist town.
Really, for a town this size, they're lucky to have a good bank and
train station!
But, like all Romanian rural centres, there is much more culture and
interest that might meet the travel-weary eye. The secret of
finding your place in a country town like Truşeşti is to live like the
locals, whilst keeping a firm tourist eye out for the exceptional,
interesting, and of course, photo opportunities for the folks back home
too!
The Truşeşti Village Museum
EU funding has meant an somewhat unexpected influx of cash for
heritage issues and museology, and this funding has even found it's way
to Truşeşti under the EU's PHARE program. The "Heritage from
our Elders" program, partnered with the Stephan Luchian cultural fund
and a trans-border cooperation project with the Republic of Moldova, saw
the establishment of the Truşeşti Village Museum in November 2007.
The heritage program has brought some excellent objects of art
realised by local masters, from both around the Truşeşti commune, as
well as County Botoşani at large (many objects are on rotation with the
main County museum in Botoşani). And, to further foster the
trans-border friendliness, many of the objects are from craftsmen and
traditional artists in County Fălesti, just across the Prut river in
communist Moldova.
The exhibits were opened by local officials and many of the local
artists too, and there is a documentary film on exhibit, along with
flyers and brochures.
About 90% of the startup funding came from Brussels, with 10% from
the Republic of Moldova. For more information, e-mail
Dana Petrariu, the executive director of the County Directorate for
Culture, Religion and National Heritage, or call on +40 (231) 516 925.
The Truşeşti Train Station
Truşeşti is on the main line running between Iaşi
and Dorohoi
The Truşeşti High School
Truşeşti as a Town?
Commune Truşeşti remains an important commercial centre, with a BCR
bank which serves 14 communities, a library with 25,000 volumes, a
cinema with 150 seats and its own hospital, although many cases are
stabilised and transported to the Urgent Care hospital in Botoşani.
To these things and to the diverse geographical setting of the town
(Truşeşti benefits from being on major road and rail lines), the County
Supervisor affirmed that Truşeşti deserves to be a town.
"The conclusion of discussions is that we need to respect the wishes
of the villagers to transform Truşeşti from a commune to a town,"
Cristian Roman, the current county supervisor had said.
But it’s
the guy caught in the middle who needs to decide this issue. The
villagers of Truşeşti want to become proper townsfolk, but moreover they
wish simply to be more prosperous, and not burdens on society or the EU.
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This website is a
general tourist guide, designed to help English-speaking tourists
understand Romania, and as such, provides historical
information for the interest of our traveller readers. History
can be a contentious issue, and we welcome input where readers think
clarification or correction is advisable. Please
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if you have questions or comments about anything in this history
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Theatre in Botoşani
Early Botoşani History
The oldest item (to be dated precisely) found in the area is an
Armenian tombstone dated 1350. The first mention of Botoşani in writing is
the Chronicles of Moldavia by Grigore Ureche, which records a devastating
invasion of the Tatars on November 28, 1493.
The city was initially a
market town, being placed at the juncture of several commercial roads; in
the 16th century, it already had "the biggest and the oldest fair of
Moldavia".
Large communities of Jewish and Armenian traders were present in this
city starting with the 17th century.
Mihai Eminescu, Romania's national poet, was born near Botoşani, in
Ipoteşti, and the famous Romanian historian and later prime minister Nicolae Iorga was born in the
city.
Someone taps my arm, a delicate touch like a butterfly. I turn and find
a young lady offering me a book. It's old and yellow with dog-eared corners
and a familiar face printed on the front: Mihai Eminescu,
the national romantic poet with rock-star looks.
"In English, buried in our cupboard!" Says the librarian, with a
perfect smile. I thanked her and open the book. The poems are lyrical,
dreamy and evocative.
For a translation, the language has an authentic fluidity, the meter
rises and falls just at the right time, the rhymes are not forced.
Eminescu had a good translator for this collection. I turn back the
pages keen to find out who. A youthful face gazes up from the fly leaf.
The young man looks about 18 years old. His features are symmetrical and
very Romanian: a strong nose, firm jaw and dark eyes -- intense but
mischievous.
The young man's name is
Corneliu M. Popescu. I get the feeling he is a
clever kid. But did he really translate all these beloved poems? There are
dozens. I'm intrigued, now.
It is also the location of A.T. Laurian National College, one of
Romania's oldest (founded 1859) and most prestigious pre-university
educational institutions.
See a Road Map of the Botoşani Area
To these things and to the diverse geographical setting of the town
(Truşeşti benefits from being on major road and rail lines), the County
Supervisor affirmed that Truşeşti deserves to be a town.
Get your hotel or accommodation seen to the world with a premium accommodation listing with Rest Romania.
