Neamț County

Neamț (Romanian pronunciation: [ne̯amt͡s]) is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț.

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 452,900 and a population density of 76.81/km².

Geography

This county has an area of 5,896 km².

The relief decreases from west to east. In the western part, there are mountains, the Eastern Carpathians, with heights of over 1800m and the impressive peak of Mount Ceahlău. Along the Bicaz River lies the canyon of Cheile Bicazului. Construction of the Bicaz Dam in the 1950s on the Bistrița River led to the formation of the Lake Bicaz (Lake Izvorul Muntelui), Romania's largest artificial lake.

On the western side, the lowest point, at about 160m, is found along Siret River's valley.

Neighbours

Economy

Piatra Neamț

Piatra Neamț (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈpjatra ˈne̯amt͡s]), German: Kreuzburg an der Bistritz, Hungarian: Karácsonkő) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Moldavia, eastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is considered one of the most picturesque cities in Romania. The Nord-Est Regional Development Agency is located in Piatra Neamț.

Etymology

The piatra toponym (meaning rock in Romanian) was always part of the settlement's name throughout its history. Other names that the city has been called are: Piatra lui Crăciun (Christmas Rock, thus also corresponding to the Hungarian name of the city, "Karácson-Kő"); Târgu Piatra (Rock Fair, Rock Market) (in the middle ages) or simply Piatra to which was added the county name Neamț (Neamț = German), to distinguish it from towns in other counties of the same name.

Geography and access

Piatra Neamț lies in the Bistrița River Valley, surrounded by mountains - Pietricica (590 m), Cozla (679 m), Cernegura (852 m), Bâtca Doamnei (462 m) and Cârloman (617 m), at an average height of 345 m (1,131.89 ft).

Romania

Coordinates: 46°N 25°E / 46°N 25°E / 46; 25

Romania (ⁱ/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a]) is a unitary semi-presidential republic located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It also borders Hungary, Serbia, and Moldova. It covers 238,391 square kilometres (92,043 sq mi) and has a temperate-continental climate. With its 19.94 million inhabitants, it is the seventh most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth largest city in the EU. The River Danube, which is Europe's second longest river after the Volga, rises in Germany and flows southeastwards for a distance of 2,857 km, coursing through ten countries before emptying in Romania's Danube Delta. Some of its 1,075 km length bordering the country drains the whole of it. The Carpathian Mountains, with their tallest peak Moldoveanu at 2,544 m (8,346 ft), cross Romania from the north to the southwest.

Modern Romania emerged within the territories of the ancient Roman province of Dacia, and was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. During World War II, Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, fighting side by side with the Wehrmacht until 1944, then it joined the Allied powers after being occupied by the Red Army forces. During the war, Romania lost several territories, of which Northern Transylvania was regained after the war. Following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition back towards democracy and a capitalist market economy.

County

A county, abbreviated Cnty. (US) or Co. (UK and Ireland), is a geographical region of a country used for administrative or other purposes, in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French conté or cunté denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count (earl) or a viscount. The modern French is comté, and its equivalents in other languages are contea, contado, comtat, condado, Grafschaft, graafschap, Gau, etc. (cf. conte, comte, conde, Graf).

When the Normans conquered England, they brought the term with them. The Saxons had already established the districts that became the historic counties of England, calling them shires (many county names derive from the name of the county town with the word "shire" added on: for example, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire). The Vikings introduced the term earl (from Old Norse, jarl) to the British Isles. Thus, "earl" and "earldom" were taken as equivalent to the continental use of "count" and "county". So the later-imported term became a synonym for the native English word scir ([ʃiːr]) or, in Modern English, shire. Since a shire was an administrative division of the kingdom, the term "county" evolved to designate an administrative division of national government in most modern uses.

Ceahlău Massif

The Ceahlău Massif (pronounced [t͡ʃe̞ahˈləw]) is one of the most notorious mountains of Romania. It is part of the Bistriţa Mountains range of the Eastern Carpathians division, in Neamţ County, in the Moldavia region. The two most important peaks are Toaca (1904 m altitude) and Ocolaşul Mare (1907 m altitude). It is bounded to the east by the Bistriţa River and Lake Bicaz, to the south by the Bicaz River. From the south, the main access point is the village of Izvorul Muntelui, located 12 km north from the town of Bicaz. To the north, Mount Ceahlău is also accessible from Durău.

Activities

Ceahlău National Park shelters a large variety of flora and fauna; some of the species are endemic or rarely seen elsewhere in Romania.

Hiking

Mount Ceahlău is a popular hiking destination in Romania. There are seven main marked trails built for hikers and tourists. There are entering fees for visiting Ceahlău National Park. and fines for non respecting park's regulations. The park is monitored by local rangers and there is also a mountain rescue service (Salvamont).