Siret

Siret
Siret German: Sereth; ; Polish: Seret; Hungarian: Szeretvásár
	Town
	Statue of Margareta Mușat and policlinic of Siret.
	Coat of arms
	Coat of arms
	Location of Siret in Suceava County
Country	Romania
County	Suceava
First mentioned	1339
Subordinated villages	Villages Mănăstioara; Pădureni
Government
• Mayor	Adrian Popoiu (USL)
Area
• Total	43.40 km2 (16.76 sq mi)

Main	Births etc

Siret (German: Sereth; Polish: Seret; Hungarian: Szeretvásár) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the eleventh largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 9,676 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census. It is one of the oldest towns in Romania and it was the capital of the former principality of Moldavia, in the late 14th century. It also administers the villages of Mănăstioara and Pădureni (with the status of associated village).

Geography[]

The town of Siret is located at the north-eastern limit of Suceava County, 2 kilometres (1 mile) from the border with Ukraine, being one of the main border passing points in the north of the country, having both a road border post and a rail connection.

The rail is on a standard gauge on the Romanian side and continues as a Russian-style broad gauge into Ukraine. Siret (actually the nearby border passing point called Vicşani - Vadul Siret) is one of the few places in Romania which provides a gauge change equipment, allowing transportation without transfer.

Siret is situated at the half distance between Chernivtsi and Suceava, on the right banks of Siret River. The European route E85 crosses the city.

History[]

During 1211-1225, on a hill near Siret was built a fortress by the Teutonic Knights. In 1241 the town and the Teutonic castle were destroyed by the Tatars. The first document of Siret dates back to 1339, according to some historical sources. The town was the capital of the former principality of Moldavia, in the late 14th century.

The Russian Army conquered the town in 1770, and as a consequence, an epidemic of cholera broke out. Together with the rest of Bukovina, Siret was under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy (later Austria-Hungary) from 1775 to 1918.

At the beginning of the Twentieth century there was a prominent Jewish community, but most have now emigrated to Israel. Other denominations in the town are Romanian Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic and Protestant.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1910	7,948	—
1930	9,905	+24.6%
1948	8,058	−18.6%
1956	5,664	−29.7%
1966	8,018	+41.6%
1977	8,264	+3.1%
1992	10,071	+21.9%
2002	9,329	−7.4%
2011	7,976	−14.5%
Source: Census data

Siret reached its peak population in 1992, when more than 10,000 people were living within the town limits.

According to the 2011 census data, 7,976 inhabitants lived in Siret, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census, when the town had a population of 9,329 inhabitants. In 2011, of the total population, 95.85% were ethnic Romanians, 2.55% Ukrainians, 0.72% Poles, 0.42% Germans and 0.28% Russians and Lipovans.

Siret is the eleventh most populated urban locality in Suceava County.

Natives[]

Yitzhak Artzi - Israeli politician
Elisabeth Axmann - Romanian-German poet
Elisabeta Lipă - Romanian rower
Victorin Ursache - Romanian archbishop

International relations[]

Siret is a member of the Douzelage, a unique town twinning association of 24 towns across the European Union. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals.^[1]^[2] Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros in Cyprus, Škofja Loka in Slovenia, and Tryavna in Bulgaria).

Twin towns - sister cities[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania

Siret is twinned with:

Altea, Spain - 1991 Bad Kötzting, Germany - 1991 Bellagio, Italy - 1991 Bundoran, Ireland - 1991 Granville, France - 1991 Holstebro, Denmark - 1991 Houffalize, Belgium - 1991 Meerssen, Netherlands - 1991	Niederanven, Luxembourg - 1991 Preveza, Greece - 1991 Sesimbra, Portugal - 1991 Sherborne, United Kingdom - 1991 Karkkila, Finland - 1997 Oxelösund, Sweden - 1998 Judenburg, Austria - 1999 Chojna, Poland - 2004	Kőszeg, Hungary - 2004 Sigulda, Latvia - 2004 Sušice, Czech Republic - 2004 Türi, Estonia - 2004 Zvolen, Slovakia - 2007 Prienai, Lithuania - 2008 Marsaskala, Malta - 2009 Dębica, Poland^[3]