View source for Bacău

{{Short description|Municipality in Bacău County, Romania}}
{{For|Bacău de Mijloc village|Bata, Arad}} 
{{Redirect|Bakó|people with the Hungarian surname|Bako (name)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type                   = municipality 
|county                 = Bacău
|population_total       = auto
|official_name             = Bacău
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
|perrow = 2/2/1
|border = infobox
|total_width = 300
|image3 = Palat Administrativ municipiul BACĂU - 1891.JPG
|alt1 =
|caption1 = Mărășești boulevard
|image2 = Catedrala Bacau.jpg
|alt2 =
|caption2 = Cathedral of the Lord's Ascension
|image4 =
|alt3 =
|caption3 = The Prefecture
|image1 = Bacău, Calea Mărășești 2022 - 02.jpg
|alt4 =
|caption4 = Precista Fortified Church 
|image5 =
|alt5 =
|caption5 = 
}}
|image_flag                = Flag of Bacau.png
|image_shield              = ROU_BC_Bacau_CoA.png
|image_map                 = Bacau jud Bacau.png
|map_caption               = Location in Bacău County
|leader_name               = Lucian Stanciu-Viziteu<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale09062024v2/ |title=Results of the 2024 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=28 July 2025 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|term                      = 2024&ndash;2028
|leader_party              = USR 
|established_date          = 1408 (first official record)
|area_total_km2            = 43.19
|elevation_m               = 165
|coordinates               = {{coord|46|35|N|26|55|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code               = 600xxx
|area_code                 = (+40) 234 
|website                   = [https://municipiulbacau.ro municipiulbacau.ro]
}}

'''Bacău''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|b|æ|k|aʊ}} {{respell|BAK|ow}};<ref name="Collins">{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bacau|title=Bacău|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=28 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|b|ə|ˈ|k|aʊ}} {{respell|bə|KOW}},<ref name="Collins"/><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Bacau|access-date=28 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Bacau|access-date=28 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|ro|baˈkəw|lang|Ro-Bacău.ogg}}; {{langx|hu|Bákó}}; {{langx|la|Bacovia}}) is the main city in [[Bacău County]], [[Romania]]. With a population of 136,087 (as of [[2021 Romanian census|2021 census]]), Bacău is the [[List of cities and towns in Romania|14th largest city]] in Romania.<ref name="RPL2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tabel-1.03_1.3.1-si-1.03.2.xls|title=Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]]|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}</ref> The city is situated in the historical region of [[Western Moldavia|Moldavia]], at the foothills of the [[Carpathian Mountains]], and on the [[Bistrița River (Siret)|Bistrița River]] (which meets the [[Siret River]] about {{convert|8|km|mi}} to the south of Bacău). The [[Ghimeș Pass]] links Bacău to the region of [[Transylvania]].

==Etymology==
The town's name, which features in Old Church Slavonic documents as ''Bako'', ''Bakova'' or ''Bakovia'', comes most probably from a [[personal name]] of Hungarian origin.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 371.</ref> Men bearing the name Bakó or Bako are documented in medieval [[Transylvania]]<ref name='Rădvan 456'>Rădvan 2010, p. 456.</ref> and in 15th-century Bulgaria, but according to Victor Spinei the name itself is of [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]{{spaced ndash}}most probably of [[Cuman language|Cuman]] or [[Pecheneg language|Pecheneg]]{{spaced ndash}}origin.<ref>Spinei 2009, p. 342.</ref> [[Nicolae Iorga]] believes that the city's name is of Hungarian origin (as [[Adjud]] and [[Sascut]]).<ref>Nicolae Iorga: Privilegiile șangăilor dela Târgu-Ocna, Extras din Analele Academiei Române, seria II, tom. XXXVII (1915), p. 246</ref> Another theory suggests that the town's name has a [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] origin, pointing to the [[Proto-Slavic language|Proto-Slavic]] word ''byk'', meaning "ox" or "bull", the region being very suitable for raising cattle; the term, rendered into [[Romanian alphabet]] as ''bâc'', was probably the origin of ''Bâcău''.<ref name="a">[[Gh. Ghibănescu]] - Ispisoace și Zapise. vol.VI, partea a II-a, Tipografia „Dacia” Iliescu, Grossu & Comp., Iași, 1926, pag.177</ref> In German it is known as ''Bakau'', in Hungarian as ''Bákó'' and in Turkish as ''Baka''.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

== History ==
Similarly to most [[urban center]]s in Moldavia, Bacău emerged on a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] that allowed water passage.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 332.</ref> There is archaeological evidence of human settlement in the centre of Bacău (near [[:ro:Curtea_Domnească_din_Bacău|Curtea Domnească]]) dating from the 6th and the 7th centuries; these settlements were placed over older settlements from the 4th and the 5th centuries. A number of vessels found here are ornamented with crosses, hinting that the inhabitants were [[Christians]].<ref>Dan Gh. Teodor, ''Creștinismul la est de Carpati'', Editura Mitropoliei Moldovei și Bucovinei, Iași, 1984, p. 25, 32, 160.</ref> [[Pechenegs]] and [[Cumans]] controlled the Bistrița valley during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.<ref>Eugen Șendrea, ''Istoria municipiului Bacău'', Bacău, Editura Vicovia, 2007, p.45-90.</ref> [[Colonist]]s played a significant role in the development of the town.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 388.</ref> Archaeological finds, some surface or semi-buried dwellings from the second half of the 15th&nbsp;century, suggest that [[Hungarians]] started to settle in the region after 1345&ndash;1347 when the territory was under the control of the [[Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages|Kingdom of Hungary]].<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 388., 427., 455.</ref> They mainly occupied the flat banks of the river Bistrița.<ref>Dobre 2009, p. 86.</ref> Discoveries of a type of 14th-century grey ceramic that has also been found in [[Northern Europe]] also suggests the presence of [[Germans|German]] colonists from the north.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 365.</ref> Originally the town focused around the [[Roman Catholic]] community that settled near a regular local [[Marketplace|market]] frequented by the population of the region on the lower reaches of the river.<ref name='Rădvan 456'/>

The town was first mentioned in 1408 when Prince [[Alexander the Good]] of Moldavia (1400&ndash;1432) listed the [[Custom house|customs points]] in the principality in his privilege for [[Polish people|Polish]] merchants.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 343.</ref><ref>Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. ''lii.'', 32.</ref> The customs house in the town is mentioned in [[Old Church Slavonic]] as ''krainee mîto'' ("the customs house by the edge") in the document which may indicate that it was the last customs stop before Moldavia's border with [[Wallachia]].<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 453-454.</ref> 
An undated document reveals that the ''șoltuz'' in Bacău, that is the head of the town elected by its inhabitants, had the right to sentence felons to death, at least for robberies, which hints to an extended privilege, similar to the ones that royal towns in the Kingdom of Hungary enjoyed.<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 399., 456.</ref><ref>Treptow, Popa 1996, p. 188.</ref> Thus this right may have been granted to the community when the territory was under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary.<ref name='Rădvan 456'/> The [[Seal (emblem)|seal]] of Bacău was oval which is exceptional in Moldavia where the seals of other towns were round.<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 406., 455.</ref>

Alexander the Good donated the wax collected as part of the tax payable by the town to the nearby [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] [[Bistrița Monastery]].<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 416-417.</ref> It was most probably his first wife named Margaret who founded the [[Franciscan]] Church of the Holy Virgin in Bacău.<ref name='Rădvan 455'/> But the main Catholic church in the town was dedicated to [[Saint Nicholas]].<ref name='Rădvan 456'/> A letter written by John of Rya, the Catholic bishop of [[Baia]] refers to Bacău as a ''civitas'' which implies the existence of a Catholic bishopric in the town at that time.<ref name='Rădvan 455'>Rădvan 2010, p. 455.</ref><ref>Dobre 2009, p. 70.</ref> The letter also reveals that [[Hussite]] immigrants who had undergone persecutions in [[Bohemia]], [[Moravia]], or Hungary were settled in the town and granted privileges by Alexander the Good.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 497.</ref>

The monastery of Bistrița was also granted the income from the customs house of Bacău in 1439.<ref>Rădvan 2010, pp. 373., 416.</ref> In 1435 [[Stephen II of Moldavia]] (1433&ndash;1435, 1436&ndash;1447) requested the town's judges not to hinder the merchants of [[Brașov]], an important center of the [[Transylvanian Saxons]] in their movement.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 410.</ref><ref>Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. ''lii.'', 48.</ref>
From the 15th&nbsp;century ''ungureni'', that is [[Romanians]] from Transylvania began to populate the area north of the marketplace where they would erect an Orthodox church after 1500.<ref name='Rădvan 456'/> A small residence of the princes of Moldova was built in the town in the first half of the 15th&nbsp;century.<ref name='Rădvan 454'>Rădvan 2010, p. 454.</ref> It was rebuilt and extended under [[Stephen III the Great]] of Moldavia (1457&ndash;1504) who also erected an Orthodox church within it.<ref name='Rădvan 454'/> But the rulers soon began to donate the neighboring villages that had thereto supplied their local household to monasteries or noblemen.<ref>Treptow, Popa 1996, pp. ''lii.'', 46.</ref> Thus the local princely residence was abandoned after 1500.<ref name='Rădvan 457'>Rădvan 2010, p. 457.</ref>

The town was invaded and destroyed more than one time in the 15th and 16th centuries.<ref name='Rădvan 457'/> For example, in 1467 King [[Matthias I of Hungary]] during his expedition against Stephen the Great set fire to all towns, among them Bacău in his path.<ref>Rădvan 2010, p. 461.</ref> The customs records of [[Brașov]] shows that few merchants from Bacău crossed the [[Carpathian Mountains]] into Transylvania after 1500, and their merchandise had no particularly high value which suggests that the town was declining in this period.<ref name='Rădvan 457'/>

The Catholic bishop of [[Curtea de Argeș|Argeș]] whose see in Wallachia had been destroyed by the [[Crimean Tatars|Tatars]] moved to Bacău in 1597.<ref name='Rădvan 457'/><ref>Benda 2002, p. 33.</ref> From the early 17th&nbsp;century the bishops of Bacău were Polish priests who did not reside in the town, but in the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]].<ref name='Benda 36'>Benda 2002, p. 36.</ref> They only travelled time to time to their see in order to collect the [[tithes]].<ref name='Benda 36'/>

According to Archbishop Marco Bandini's report of the [[canonical visitation]] of 1646, the ''șoltuz'' in Bacău was elected among Hungarians one year, and another, among Romanians.<ref name='Rădvan 456'/><ref name="Benda 35"/> The names of most of 12 inhabitants of the town recorded in 1655 also indicate that Hungarians still formed their majority group.<ref name='Rădvan 457'/> In 1670 Archbishop Petrus Parceviop c, the [[Apostolic vicariate|apostolic vicar]] of Moldavia concluded an agreement with the head of the Franciscan Province of Transylvania on the return of the Bacău monastery to them in order to ensure the spiritual welfare of the local Hungarian community.<ref name='Benda 35'>Benda 2002, p. 17.</ref><ref>Pozsony 2002, pp. 94-95.</ref> But the Polish bishop protested against the agreement and the [[Holy See]] also refused to ratify it.<ref name='Benda 35'/><ref>Pozsony 2002, p. 95.</ref>

Due to the frequent invasions by foreign armies and plundering by the [[Tatars]] in the 17th century, many of its Catholic inhabitants abandoned Bacău and took refuge in Transylvania.<ref>Mărtinaș 1999, pp.36-38.</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2021}} But in 1851 the Catholic congregation in the town still spoke, sang, and prayed in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]].<ref>Pozsony 2002, p. 102.</ref>

The first [[paper mill]] in Moldavia was established in the town in 1851.<ref name='Treptow 32'>Treptow, Popa 1996, p. 32.</ref> The town was declared a [[Municipiu|municipality]] in 1968.<ref name='Treptow 32'/>

==Climate==
Bacău has a type of [[humid continental climate|continental climate]] that falls short of permanent winter snow cover due days averaging above freezing. Winters are also quite dry in the area. Summers are quite rainy due to [[convection]] and temperatures are often hot due to its inland location. Due to its mid-latitude location surrounded by a vast landmass, Bacău has a large temperature amplitude by European standards. Since 1980, a record heat of {{convert|42.5|C|F}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/2012/bacau/valeurs/15150.html|title=Climatologie de l'année 2012 à Bacau|publisher=Infoclimat|language=fr|access-date=21 October 2023}}</ref> and a record cold of {{convert|-28|C|F}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1985/bacau/valeurs/15150.html|title=Climatologie de l'année 1985 à Bacau|publisher=Infoclimat|language=fr|access-date=21 October 2023}}</ref> have been measured, which is a net difference of {{convert|70.5|C-change}}.

{{Weather box
|location = Bacău, Romania (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1980)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 16.7
|Feb record high C = 21.4
|Mar record high C = 26.0
|Apr record high C = 32.2
|May record high C = 34.1
|Jun record high C = 38.3
|Jul record high C = 40.3
|Aug record high C = 42.5
|Sep record high C = 37.2
|Oct record high C = 32.9
|Nov record high C = 26.0
|Dec record high C = 18.4
|year record high C = 42.5
|Jan avg record high C = 11.0
|Feb avg record high C = 14.6
|Mar avg record high C = 20.5
|Apr avg record high C = 25.1
|May avg record high C = 30.1
|Jun avg record high C = 33.1
|Jul avg record high C = 34.6
|Aug avg record high C = 34.8
|Sep avg record high C = 29.9
|Oct avg record high C = 25.8
|Nov avg record high C = 19.5
|Dec avg record high C = 12.6
|year avg record high C = 35.7
|Jan high C = 1.8
|Feb high C = 4.3
|Mar high C = 10.2
|Apr high C = 17.1
|May high C = 22.9
|Jun high C = 26.6
|Jul high C = 28.7
|Aug high C = 28.5
|Sep high C = 22.9
|Oct high C = 16.1
|Nov high C = 8.7
|Dec high C = 2.8
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = -2.2
|Feb mean C = -0.4
|Mar mean C = 4.2
|Apr mean C = 10.5
|May mean C = 16.1
|Jun mean C = 20.0
|Jul mean C = 21.7
|Aug mean C = 20.9
|Sep mean C = 15.7
|Oct mean C = 9.8
|Nov mean C = 4.4
|Dec mean C = -0.8
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -5.6
|Feb low C = -4.1
|Mar low C = -0.3
|Apr low C = 4.7
|May low C = 9.8
|Jun low C = 13.7
|Jul low C = 15.2
|Aug low C = 14.6
|Sep low C = 10.2
|Oct low C = 5.3
|Nov low C = 1.1
|Dec low C = -4.5
|year low C = 
|Jan avg record low C = -16.7
|Feb avg record low C = -14.9
|Mar avg record low C = -8.4
|Apr avg record low C = -1.9
|May avg record low C = 3.3
|Jun avg record low C = 8.3
|Jul avg record low C = 10.4
|Aug avg record low C = 8.8
|Sep avg record low C = 3.5
|Oct avg record low C = -2.7
|Nov avg record low C = -7.1
|Dec avg record low C = -14.1
|year avg record low C = -19.5
|Jan record low C = -28.0
|Feb record low C = -25.5
|Mar record low C = -21.0
|Apr record low C = -7.1
|May record low C = -1.2
|Jun record low C = 5.5
|Jul record low C = 7.5
|Aug record low C = 5.4
|Sep record low C = -1.8
|Oct record low C = -7.4
|Nov record low C = -21.4
|Dec record low C = -23.4
|year record low C = -28.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 24.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 24.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 33.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 49.9
|May precipitation mm = 72.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 99.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 97.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 49.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 52.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 50.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 33.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 31.6
|year precipitation mm = 
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.6
|Feb precipitation days = 5.8
|Mar precipitation days = 6.5
|Apr precipitation days = 7.6
|May precipitation days = 9.5
|Jun precipitation days = 9.5
|Jul precipitation days = 9.2
|Aug precipitation days = 6.7
|Sep precipitation days = 5.8
|Oct precipitation days = 6.1
|Nov precipitation days = 5.5
|Dec precipitation days = 6.6
|year precipitation days = 
|Jan sun = 64
|Feb sun = 89
|Mar sun = 139
|Apr sun = 180
|May sun = 236
|Jun sun = 246
|Jul sun = 275
|Aug sun = 261
|Sep sun = 183
|Oct sun = 134
|Nov sun = 71
|Dec sun = 52
|year sun = 
|source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA9120>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Romania/CSV/Bacau_15150.csv
|title = Bacau 1991–2020 Climate Normals
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]
|access-date = 21 October 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = Infoclimat<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/bacau/valeurs/15150.html
|title = Climatologie de l'année à Bacau
|publisher = Infoclimat
|language = fr
|access-date = 21 October 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Politics==
The local authority in the city is split between the Mayor and the Local Council. Between 1950 and 1968 the city was governed by the Sfatul popular (People's Council). It replaced the local Provisional Committee ({{langx|ro|Comitetul Provizori}}), which functioned from 1948 to 1950, based on the Law of the People's Councils, no. 17/1949.<ref>Andrei Florin Sora, Comunizarea administrației românești: sfaturile populare (1949-1950), în „Revista istorică”, tom XXIII, nr. 3-4/2012</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|source = Census data, 1930–1948.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sas.unibuc.ro/storage/downloads/analize-regionale-9/AG48a.RECENSAMANT48.pdf |title=Populatia RPR la 25 ianuarie 1948, p. 14 |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=10 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410172753/https://sas.unibuc.ro/storage/downloads/analize-regionale-9/AG48a.RECENSAMANT48.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|1859 |8972
|1900 |16187
|1912 |18846
|1930 |31138
|1941 |38965
|1948 |34461
|1956 |54138
|1966 |73414
|1977 |127299
|1992 |205029
|2002 |175500
|2011 |144307
|2021 |136087
}}

As of [[2021 Romanian census|2021 census]] data, Bacău has a population of 136,087,<ref name="RPL2021"/> a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census.

At the [[2011 Romanian census|2011 census]], Bacău had a population of 144,307, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census.<ref name="INSSER">{{cite web | url = http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sR_Tab_8.xls | title = Population as of 20 October 2011 | date = 5 July 2013 | access-date = 4 January 2016 | publisher = [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]] | language = ro | archive-date = 18 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160118131243/http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sR_Tab_8.xls | url-status = dead }}</ref> The ethnic makeup was as follows:

* [[Romanians]]: 97.93%
* [[Romani people|Roma]]: 0.92%
* [[Hungarians]]: 0.09%
* [[Jews]]: 0.03%
* Other: 0.34%

The [[Bacău metropolitan area]], a project for the creation of an administrative unit to integrate Bacău with the nearby communes, would have a population of some 190,000.

== Transportation ==

The city is about {{convert|300|km|0|abbr=off}} North of [[Bucharest]]. It is served by [[George Enescu International Airport]], located at {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}}, which provides direct links with the Romanian capital, [[Bucharest]], and with several cities in Europe. Bacău air traffic control centre is one of Europe's busiest, as it handles transiting flights between the Middle and Near East and South Asia to Europe and across the Atlantic.

[[File:Complexul muzeal Iulian Antonescu Bacau.jpg|thumb|right|Museum Complex '"[[Complexul Muzeal Iulian Antonescu din Bacău|Iulian Antonescu]]"]]

The [[Bacău railway station]] (''Gara Bacău'') is one of the busiest in Romania; it has access to the [[Căile Ferate Române|Romanian railway]] main trunk number 500. Thus the city is connected to the main Romanian cities; the railway station is an important transit stop for international trains from [[Ukraine]], [[Russia]], and [[Bulgaria]].

The city has access to the [[DN2]] road ([[European route E85|E85]]) that links it to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (to the South) and the cities of [[Suceava]] and [[Iași]] (to the North). The [[European route]] [[European route E574|E574]]/[[DN11]] is an important access road to Transylvania and the city of [[Brașov]]. The city is also located at the intersection of several [[Roads in Romania|national roads]] of secondary importance, and will be served in the future by the [[A7 motorway (Romania)|A7 motorway]] running from the border with [[Ukraine]] at [[Siret]] to [[Ploiești]] (junction with [[A3 motorway (Romania)|A3]]). As of 2020, this motorway intersects with the Bacău bypass (''Centura Bacău'').

== Culture ==
Bacău has a public university and several colleges. Two major Romanian poets, [[George Bacovia]] and [[Vasile Alecsandri]] were born here. The "[[Mihail Jora]]" Athenaeum and a Philharmonic Orchestra are located here, as well as the "G. Bacovia" Dramatic Theater and a Puppet Theater. Around Christmas every year, a Festival of Moldavian Winter Traditions takes place, reuniting folk artists from all the surrounding regions. The exhibition "[[Saloanele Moldovei]]" and the International Painting Camp at [[Tescani]], near Bacău, reunite important plastic artists from Romania and from abroad.
The local History Museum, part of the Museum Complex "[[Complexul Muzeal Iulian Antonescu din Bacău|Iulian Antonescu]]" has an important collection of antique objects from ancient [[Dacia]]. The city also has an astronomical observatory, The [[Victor Anestin]] Astronomical Observatory.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

==Jewish community==
{{See also|Old Jewish Cemetery, Bacău}}
The 1772-1774 Census registered 5 Jewish families, the 1820 Census registered 108 families. The 1852 Census registered 504 Jewish inhabitants. The 1930 Census registered 9424 Jewish inhabitants. The first mentions about Jewish inhabitants are from the beginning of the 18th century. The Register of Chevra Kadisha begins with the year 1774. The first leader of the Community is mentioned in 1794. The community was officially recognized in 1857.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

Before [[World War I]], the number of Jews was almost equal to that of Romanians in Bacău. According to the 1930 census, after some of the village population was in town, Bacău had 19,421 who have declared are Romanian, 9,424 declared Jews, 822 Hungarians and 406 German.

The first synagogue would be built in Bacău in 1820. In 1841 Jews who observe the [[Chabad]] [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] movement built another Sinagoga. In 1864 there were 14 functioning synagogues in Bacău. Among the most notable being Synagogue Burah Volf, Furriers Synagogue, Synagogue Alter Ionas and tanners. "In 1880, in Bacău we had 21 synagogues and prayer houses. In 1916 we were active following synagogues Froim Aizic, Alter Leib, Itzik Leib Brill, Lipscani, the Tailors Young, coachmen, Shoemakers Synagogue, Cerealista, masonry, Rabbi Israel Synagogue, "Brotherhood of Zion" Snap Synagogue Saima Cofler itself and Der Mariesches SIL.

After World War I, some synagogues were closed and others were razed. Some carried the names of rabbis deceased or people in life who had influence on the community: synagogue Wisman, synagogue Gaon Bețael Safran, synagogue Rabbi Blane, synagogue David Herșcovici, synagogue Filderman, the synagogue rabbi Wahramn, and synagogue Rabbi Lan.

In December 2015, the new headquarters of the Jewish community was opened at 2 Erou Costel Marius Hasan St.<ref>[http://adevarul.ro/locale/bacau/foto-evreii-bacau-si-au-inaugurat-noul-sediu-prezenta-mareluirabin-rafael--shaffer-deputatuluiaurel-vainer-presedintele-fcer-1_5669d2337d919ed50e1820d1/index.html#photo-head FOTO Evreii din Bacău și-au inaugurat noul sediu, în prezența Marelui Rabin Rafael Shaffer și a deputatului Aurel Vainer, președintele FCER]</ref>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania}}

===Twin towns/Sister cities===
Bacău is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Petah Tikva]], [[Israel]].
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Turin]], Italy<ref name="Turin twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.comune.torino.it/relint/inglese/gemellaggieaccordi/index.shtml|title=International Affairs - Twinnings and Agreements|access-date=2013-08-06|last=Pessotto|first=Lorenzo|work=International Affairs Service in cooperation with Servizio Telematico Pubblico|publisher=City of Torino|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618182559/http://www.comune.torino.it/relint/inglese/gemellaggieaccordi/index.shtml |archive-date=2013-06-18}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|PHL}} [[Mandaue]], Philippines
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Caxias do Sul]], Brazil ''(since 2017, after relationships between its citizens have developed exponentially'')

== Sports ==

'''[[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* CS Știința Bacău
* CSȘ Bacău

'''[[Badminton]]'''
* CS Știința Bacău
* CSȘ Bacău

'''[[Basketball]]'''
* CSȘ Bacău

'''[[Boxing]]'''
* SCM Bacău

'''[[Contract bridge|Bridge]]'''
* Bridge Club Bacău

'''[[Association football|Football]]'''
* [[FCM Bacău]]
* [[CS Aerostar Bacău]]
* CS FC Pambac Bacău
* [[FC Willy Bacău]]
* AS Clipa VIO Bacău
* Siretul Bacău
* LPS Bacău
* [[ACS FC Bacău|FC Bacău]]
* [[CSM Bacău (football)|CSM Bacău]]

'''[[Gymnastics]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* CS Știința Bacău

'''[[Team Handball]]'''
* [[C.S. Știința Municipal Dedeman Bacău]]
* [[CS Știința Bacău]]
* CSȘ Bacău
* [[CSM Bacău (men's handball)|CSM Bacău]]

'''[[Judo]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* Judo Club Royal Bacău

'''[[Karate]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* CS Știința Bacău
* CS Seishin Karate-Do Bacău
* Siretul Bacău
* Sfinx Club Karate-Do Bacau
'''[[Fights]]'''
* SCM Bacău

'''[[Modelism]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* CS Aerostar Bacău

'''[[Swimming (sport)|Swimming]]'''
* SCM Bacău (înot, sărituri în apă)
* LPS Bacău (înot)

'''[[Tennis]]'''
* SCM Bacău
* ASTC Bistrița Bacău
* CSȘ Bacău

==People==
* [[Aaron Aaronsohn]], agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist
* [[Vasile Alecsandri]], poet
* [[Angela Alupei]], rower
* {{ill|George Apostu|ro}}, sculptor
* [[Constantin Avram]], academician
* [[Radu Beligan]], actor, poet, essayist
* [[George Bacovia]], poet
* [[Dragoș Benea]], politician
* {{ill|Dimitrie Berea|ro}}, painter
* [[Julius Borcea]], mathematician
* [[Andrei Burcă]], footballer
* [[Constantin Cândea]], chemist
* [[Vlad Chiricheș]], footballer
* {{ill|Radu Cosașu|ro}}, writer and activist
* {{ill|Sile Dinicu|ro}}, composer and conductor
* {{ill|Ion Drăgoi|ro}}, violinist
* {{ill|Nicu Enea|ro}}, painter
* [[Gabriela Firea]], journalist and politician, mayor of Bucharest
* {{ill|Mariana Zavati Gardner|ro}}, poet
* [[Paul Grigoriu]], journalist
* [[Nicolae Gropeanu]], painter
* [[Iulius Iancu]], Jewish poet and writer
* [[David Korner]], communist militant, syndicalist, and journalist
* [[Radu Lecca]], double spy, journalist, fascist, antisemite, declared a war criminal by the communists
* [[Narcisa Lecușanu]], handball player
* [[Solomon Marcus]], mathematician
* [[Ioan Măric]], artist
* [[Agnès Matoko]], model 
* [[Dumitru Mazilu]], politician
* [[Doina Melinte]], athlete, Olympic gold medalist
* [[Mihaela Melinte]], athlete
* [[Marius Mircu]], journalist and memoirist
* {{ill|Cornel Palade|ro}}, humorist and TV host
* [[Costel Pantilimon]], footballer
* [[Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu]], Marxist intellectual and politician
* [[Vasile Pârvan]], istoric, archaeologist, and academician
* [[Gabriela Potorac]], gymnast
* {{ill|Gheorghe Rădoi|ro}}, communist politician
* [[Monica Roșu]], gymnast
* [[Mirela Rusu]], double world champion in aerobic gymnastics
* [[Alexandru Șafran]], Rabbi and senator
* [[Doru Sechelariu]], racing driver
* [[Gianina Șerban]], politician
* {{ill|Olga Tudorache|ro}}, theater and film actress, university professor
* [[Răzvan Petru Umbrărescu]], racing driver
* [[Anamaria Vartolomei]], actress
* [[Nicolae Vermont]], painter
* [[Max Yankowitz]], accordionist

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Bâcau, Romania. Monumentul Mircea Cancicov, March 2001.jpg|[[Mircea Cancicov]] memorial
File:Winter festival in Bacău, Romania.jpg|Winter Festival
File:DetaliuPrecista.jpg|"Precista", detail
File:9th_of_May_street,_Bacău.jpg|"[[Romanian War of Independence#Overview|9th of May]]" Street
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Bacău metropolitan area]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Commons category|Bacău}}
{{wikivoyage|Bacău}}
{{wikisource1911Enc|Bacau}}
* Benda, Kálmán (2002). The Hungarians of Moldavia (Csángós) in the 16th&ndash;17th&nbsp;Centuries. ''In:'' Diószegi, László (2002); ''Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia''; Teleki László Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation; {{ISBN|963-85774-4-4}}.
* Dobre, Claudia Florentina (2009). ''Mendicants in Moldavia: Mission in an Orthodox Land''. AUREL Verlag. {{ISBN|978-3-938759-12-7}}.
* Mărtinaș, Dumitru (1999). ''The Origins of the Changos''. The Center for Romanian Studies. {{ISBN|973-98391-4-2}}.
* Pozsony, Ferenc (2002). ''Church Life in Moldavian Hungarian Communities''. ''In:'' Diószegi, László (2002); ''Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia: Essays on the Past and Present of the Hungarian Csángós in Moldavia''; Teleki László Foundation - Pro Minoritate Foundation; {{ISBN|963-85774-4-4}}.
* Rădvan, Laurențiu (2010). ''At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities''. BRILL. {{ISBN|978-90-04-18010-9}}.
* Spinei, Victor (2009). ''The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth century''. Koninklijke Brill NV. {{ISBN|978-90-04-17536-5}}.
* Treptow, Kurt W.; Popa, Marcel (1996). ''Historical Dictionary of Romania''. The Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|0-8108-3179-1}}.

{{Bacău County}}
{{Cities in Romania}}
{{RoJudCapitals}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacau}}
[[Category:Bacău| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Romania]]
[[Category:Capitals of Romanian counties]]
[[Category:Localities in Western Moldavia]]
[[Category:Populated places in Bacău County]]