|
|
|
|
Galati
|
| |
|
| |
Galati is a city in eastern Romania (Moldavia), the capital city of Galati County on the banks of the Danube, very close to Braila forming with it the Cantemir metropolitan area. In 2002, according to the official Romanian census, the city had a population of 298,861 people, making it Romania's 7th largest city.
name of the city appears to have derived from Cuman galat, which was borrowed from the Arabic qal'at (fortress).
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Galati' Start a new discussion about 'Galati' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Galati is a city in eastern Romania (Moldavia), the capital city of Galati County on the banks of the Danube, very close to Braila forming with it the Cantemir metropolitan area. In 2002, according to the official Romanian census, the city had a population of 298,861 people, making it Romania's 7th largest city.
Name
The name of the city appears to have derived from Cuman galat, which was borrowed from the Arabic qal'at (fortress). Also other etymologies were suggested, such as the Serbian galac; however the galat root appears in several nearby toponyms, some of which show clearly a Cuman origin, for example Galatui Lake, which has the typical Cuman -ui suffix for "water". A derivation from Galatia (Gaul), suggesting a Celtic origin, is possible, but unlikely.
Names in other languages:**
History
The first mention of the city dates from 1445. In 1789, during the Russo-Turkish War, Galati was burnt down by the Russian forces led by general Mikhail Kamensky.
A peasant revolt took place in and around the city in 1907, but eventually it was crushed by the authorities.
Tourist sights
Galati has a fine 20th century Romanian Orthodox cathedral - St. George (Sfântu Gheorghe) and another particularly striking fortified church (that of St. Mary - Sf. Precista) on the banks of the Danube, which was built in 1647 by Vasile Lupu (legend has it that a tunnel was dug from the church and under the river).Other features of the city include a botanical garden, several museums, a television tower opened to the public and offering full view of the city, the newly-restored Galati Opera House, and a sculpture park lining a promenade of several kilometres along the banks of the Danube.
Remarkable architectural structures
- Galati TV Tower (Romanian: Turnul de televiziune Galati), a 150-metre tall telecommunication tower built of concrete, also used for FM broadcasting
Education
Galati has a university, the "Dunarea de Jos" University, founded in 1951 as a Naval and Mechanical Engineering Institute and given university status in 1974, by merging the Polytechnical Institute (the successor of the initial Institute) with the College of Education (founded in 1959). The city also a host to other educational and cultural institutions; among these, the "Vasile Alecsandri" and "Mihail Kogalniceanu" National Colleges rank as the first pre-university level educational institutions in Galati and the country.
Economy
The city has the largest iron and steel plant in Romania the Arcelor-Mittal Galati, state-owned until 2001. It is still commonly referred to under the old name "Sidex". Also, the country's largest shipyard on Danube is located here, benefiting from the good access Galati has to the Black Sea through the Danube and the short distance between its facilities and the Mittal Plant.
Sister cities
- Coventry, United Kingdom; since 1963.
- Piraeus, Greece; since 1985.
- Wuhan, China; since 1987.
- Pessac, France; since 1991.
- Limón, Costa Rica; since 1992.
- Hammond, United States; since 1997.
- Mykolaiv, Ukraine; since 2002.
- Odessa, Ukraine; since 2002.
- Sevastopol, Ukraine; since 2002.
- Yalta, Ukraine; since 2002.
- Ancona, Italy.
- Jesi, Italy; since 2003.
- Scottsbluff, United States; since 2007
- Mumbai, India; since 2007.
- Brindisi, Italy; since 2007.
External links
|
| |
|
|
