- Bălți
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See also: Belz
Bălți Municipality of Bălţi (in red) in Moldova Coordinates: 47°46′N 27°55′E / 47.767°N 27.917°ECoordinates: 47°46′N 27°55′E / 47.767°N 27.917°E Country Moldova Municipality Bălți Communes Sadovoe, Elizaveta Founded 1421 City rights 1818 Government – Type Municipal Council – Mayor Vasile Panciuc, since 2011 Area – City 78.00 km2 (30.1 sq mi) – Urban 41.43 km2 (16 sq mi) Elevation 59 m (194 ft) Population (2011) – City 144,000 – Density 1,909.9/km2 (4,946.6/sq mi) – Metro 148,900 Time zone EET (UTC+2) – Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Postal code MD-3100 Area code(s) +373 231 X-XX-XX Licence plate BL XX 000 Website www.balti.md Bălți (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈbəlt͡sʲ] ( listen); Polish: Bielce, Russian: 'Бельцы' [Bel’tsy] and Бэлць [Bėlts’], Ukrainian: Бєльці [Byel’tsi], Yiddish: בעלץ [Belts]) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest in terms of area and economic importance after Chișinău, and the third largest in terms of population after Chișinău and Tiraspol. The city is one of the five Moldovan municipalities. Sometimes also called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cultural and commercial centre and transportation hub in the north of the country. It is situated 127 kilometres (79 mi) north of the capital Chișinău, and is located on the river Răut, a tributary of the Dniester, on a hilly landscape in the Bălți steppe.
Contents
Name
The word "bălți" (pl. of Romanian sing. "baltă") in direct translation means "sloughs".[1] It is believed that the city had been named thus because it was founded on a hill dominating the wetland formed where the creek Răuțel ("Little Răut") falls into the river Răut.
In addition to the official name Bălți and the Russian name Бельцы (Beltsy), between 1940-1989 in Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet, and after 1989 in Russian, the name was/is also rendered in Cyrillic as Бэлць (Russian pronunciation: [ˈbeltsʲ]).
History and symbols
Further information: History of BălțiCoat of arms
The current coat of arms and flag of Bălți, elaborated by Silviu Tabac from the Moldovan State Commission for Heraldry, have been adopted by the Municipal Council in April 2006.
A shield, with alternating six silvery strips (symbolizing water), and six blue strips (symbolizing earth) form the background (symbolizing the name of the city). The central element of the shield is an archer in red clothes, in the military outfit (yellow) of Stephen III of Moldavia (Romanian: Ștefan cel Mare) times (15th century). The archer represents the medieval military recruitment, formed by local free peasants.[2]
On top of the shield there is a silver crown in the shape of fortress wall, with seven towers. (The crown represents the fact that the locality is a city. Apart from Bălți, only the capital Chişinău, and Tiraspol are allowed to have seven towers, while other cities must limit this number to three or five.) The shield is supported by two rearing silver horses (the white horse is the traditional symbol of the region, which was part of Iași County before 1812). Under the shield there is a ribbon with the Latin inscription CIDANT ARMA TOGAE, meaning arms yield to togas.
In the Middle Ages, the archer was featured on the coats of arms of the region. In the 19th century, the city and district coats of arms also featured a horse head. In the early 20th century, a shield representing an archer, standing on a hill, the sun, and three bullrush sticks (elements quite sufficient to identify the place where Bălți is situated in the landscape of the north of Moldova) formed the coat of arms of the Bălți county, while these and horse elements - the coat of arms of the city proper.
Flag
The city's flag is composed of two horizontal strips: a blue one on the bottom, and a silver one on top. The shield and archer elements from the coat of arms are also present in the centre of the flag.
Geography
Bălţi is situated on the tops and slopes of three hills and in two small valleys. The land in the north of Moldova is very fertile, mostly consisting of black earth or chernozem. Several extraction sites for raw materials used in the construction industry are also found in the vicinity of Bălţi. The creeks Răuţel, Copăceanca, and Flămândă cross the territory of the municipality, and flow into the river Răut. Also, several lakes are situated in Bălți: City Lake, Komsolskoe Lake, Chirpicinoe Lake, Strâmba Lake.
The municipality covers an area of 78.0 square kilometres (30.1 sq mi), of which the city proper 41.42 square kilometres (15.99 sq mi), the village Elizaveta (an eastern suburb) 9.81 square kilometres (3.79 sq mi), and the village Sadovoe (a north-western suburb) 26.77 square kilometres (10.34 sq mi). Of these, an important portion (20.11 square kilometres (7.76 sq mi)) is agriculturally cultivated.
Neighbourhoods
The city itself is located on portions of three hills. The river Răut separates one of the hills to the north-east, the slopes of this hill are occupied by the neighbourhood Slobozia. Răut's affluent Răuțel separates another hill in the south, the slopes of which are the Podul Chișinăului district. The largest of the three hills dominates the valleys of the creek and river, and contains the downtown area and the old town, and the neighbourhoods Pământeni, Dacia, 6th district, 8th district, the city's main industrial area, and Moldova neighbourhood. The top of this hill is occupied by the medical facilities district. Bălțul Nou neighbourhood is situated in the valley of the Răuțel creek.
A canoe-kayak channel, Autogara neighbourhood, 9th district, the area of the former Bălți concentration camp, and the Bălţi City Airport are situated in the valley of the Răut river.
The names of city neighborhoods reflect different historic influences, such as names of 19th century suburbs that are nowadays within city limits: Pămînteni, Slobozia, Molodova, Podul Chișinăului, Bălțul Nou; others are known by their Soviet-era names: 6th district, 8th district, 9th district. A neighbourhood in the northern part of the city is called Dacia, and is colloquially sometimes referred to as BAM. A district in the eastern part is known as Autogara.
Climate
The all-time maximum temperature registered in the city was 38 °C (100 °F), the all-time minimum −32 °C (−26 °F). There are 450 to 550 mm of annual rainfall, mostly during summer and fall. Winds are generally from the north-east or the north-west at about 2–5 m/s.
Climate data for Bălţi Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1)1.3
(34.3)7.0
(44.6)15.9
(60.6)22.0
(71.6)24.9
(76.8)26.2
(79.2)26.0
(78.8)21.8
(71.2)15.2
(59.4)7.6
(45.7)2.1
(35.8)14.1 Average low °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)−5.4
(22.3)−1.6
(29.1)4.5
(40.1)9.9
(49.8)13.1
(55.6)14.5
(58.1)13.5
(56.3)9.5
(49.1)4.3
(39.7)0.3
(32.5)−4
(24.8)4.2 Precipitation mm (inches) 31
(1.22)28
(1.1)28
(1.1)44
(1.73)55
(2.17)86
(3.39)79
(3.11)49
(1.93)43
(1.69)22
(0.87)34
(1.34)30
(1.18)529
(20.83)Avg. precipitation days 11 11 9 11 12 13 11 8 8 6 9 11 120 Source: World Weather Information Service[3] Seismology
The city is situated in the 7th zone of seismic activity[clarification needed], with a well-felt earthquake (generally without any serious structural damage to the city's buildings) occurring every 35 years on average.
Cityscape
Architecture
Cultural venues in the city include:
- Vasile Alecsandri theatre
- the oldest surviving building, a two-stories boyar house, presently right in the centre of the downtown area, dates back to 1609, but it has been re-constructed and re-modelled many times with total disregard to conservation to the extent that now it simply looks like an odd two-storey building.
- Monument of Stephen the Great (2003)
- others (see down through the text)
Churches:
- Saint Nicolas Church, Bălţi (1795). Although Orthodox, the building, financed by Gheorghe Panaiti, has a degree of catholic influence brought in by the architect Antuan Weismann from Galicia.
- Saint Constantine and Elena Cathedral, Bălţi (1934), Orthodox, built in neo-Byzantine style. The building, at which official opening the Romanian royal family was present, survived almost without visible effects the harsh treatment during the Soviet era, when it was for most of the time a depot, later to be turned into the municipal museum.
- Bishopric Palace, Bălţi (1924–1932), which during the Soviet time was the main office of the agricultural enterprise-institute "Selectia", and the surrounding park
- Saint Parascheva Church, Bălţi (1933), by the bishop Visarion Puiu
- Archangels Michael and Gabriel Church, Bălţi (1912–1933)
- Saint Peter and Paul Church, Bălţi (1915–1929)
- Armenian Saint Gregory Church, Bălţi (1916)
- Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church (1884)
Culture and contemporary life
Entertainment and performing arts
Theaters:
- Vasile Alecsandri theatre
- "Eugène Ionesco" Theatre
- "Licurici" Republican Puppet Theatre
- "B.P.Hajdeu" Republican Drama-Muzical Theatre
- "Mihai Eminescu" National Theatre
- "Luceafarul" Republican Theatre
- Municipal Theatre "Satiricus I.L. Caragiale"
Museums and art galleries:
- "Exhibition of the Union of painters "Constantin Brâncuşi"
- Artum Art Gallery
Nightclubs
The night life in the centre of Bălți is mainly concentrated around the central Vasile Alecsandri square, which, together with adjoining Independence street forms a large esplanade. Numerous cafés and restaurants with international cuisine can be found there, and most of the city's feasts take place in the area.
Bălți is home to two of the biggest clubs in the north of Moldova. The Soho Club, 500 m (1,640.42 ft) from the city centre, in the Palace of Culture (Convention Centre) of the "Răut" Company, is known for its 1980-style parties on Thursdays. The A-Club, located near the Bălţi-Slobozia Railway Station, is known for its after parties on weekends for younger visitors, as well as an after-work Wednesday party.
Media
- Deca-press, the oldest independent press agency in the north of the country.
- Spros i Predlojenie, a major Russian language daily newspaper serving northern Moldova.
- Gazeta.MD the News agency founded in December 2007.
- Golos Bălți the city newspaper, founded in 1947.
- Makler the advertising newspaper from Moldova and Ukraine.
- Belicy-sity information and entertaining portal Belicy-sity.
Radio stations
List of FM radio stations from Bălți for Jule 4, 2009.
- 90,00-«Serebriannii dojdi»
- 90,50-«Prime FM»([1])
- 92,00-«Retro FM»([2])
- 101,0-«Vocea Basarabiei»
- 101,5-«City radio»
- 102,1-«Radio ALLA»([3])
- 102,9-«BBC»([4])
- 103,5-«Vzrosloe radio Shanson»([5])
- 103,9-«Fresh FM»([6])
- 104,9-«Radio Moldova»([7])
- 105,6-«Megapolis Fm»([8])
- 106,2-«Russcoe Radio»([9])
- 107,2-«NOROC»([10])
- 107,6-«Hit FM»([11])
Civil society
Bălți is a source of civil society development both locally and nationwide. Bălți is home to numerous independent and apolitical organisations such as Second Breath, one of the Moldovan NGOs for care of socially vulnerable persons, Tinerii pentru Dreptul la Viață ("Youth for the right to live"), a youth organisation.
Sports
- 7 sport schools in Bălți offer programmes in the following sports: Orienteering, volleyball, handgun shooting sports, equestrianism, basketball, handball, weightlifting, chess, swimming, canoeing, football, athletics, tourism.[4]
- Minicipal Stadium "Olimpia Bălți Stadium" (home of the FC Olimpia Bălţi)
- Olympic Swimming Pool "Central"
- Olympic Swimming Pool "Volna" (open air)
- FC Olimpia Bălți is a football club playing in the top of the national division
Economy
Main article: Economy of BălțiMost of the city's industry centres on food processing, notably in the production of flour, sugar, and wine. Manufacturing of furniture and agricultural machinery also plays an important role in Bălți's economy.
The service sector has developed after 1989 to cover the basic needs of the population.
Manufacturing
This city is an important economic centre, with manufacturing playing an important role. Besides traditional for Moldova wine making, sugar, meat processing, flour milling, oil production, and light industry in general, Bălți is the centre for manufacturing of agricultural machinery, of various construction materials, fur, textile, chemical and furniture industries. A mammoth Soviet-type conglomerate 8,000-worker factory (called "Lenin" before 1989 and "Răut" afterwards) produced a large variety of machine building products for consumer or industry use, from irons and telephone sets to sonar equipment for Soviet military submarines. However, due to swift changes in the economic environment after the breakdown of the Soviet planned economy system, the manufacturing base of the city has severely suffered. Nevertheless, more recently, new economic ties are being created, with collaboration and direct investment mostly from the European Union.[citation needed]
Energy and utilities
The main energy supply of the city comes from the local thermoelectric plant CET Nord, which uses a variety of imported carbon-based fuel (easier to obtain and cheaper than oil). The city is well-connected by high-voltage lines, and there are recent plans for the construction of a new line. Russian-imported natural gas is distributed to households. Winter heating is partially distributed centrally throughout the city by pipelines. Although the city was often left without electricity and heating during the economic upheaval of 1994-2001, it has experienced no major shortages or interruptions since then. The water (which is also drinkable) is supplied into the pipes from a network of local artesian wells (which however are insufficient) and from the river Dniester through a 60 km long pipeline connecting Bălţi to Soroca (which however is not economically feasible[citation needed]).
Shopping
Bălți has several major shopping chain outlets, such as the German Metro Group AG, Ukrainian Fourchette and Moldovan Fidesco.
Numerous shops, can be found in the central (retail), eastern (en gros) and northern (retail) parts of the city. The biggest shopping galleries are located in the centre and in the Dacia district (north) of the city. Souvenir boutiques are mostly found around the central square Vasile Alecsandri. The central market, is open from early morning.
A variety of small private stores and supermarkets are available. There are also six public-owned and four private-owned markets. More recently several supermarket chains have opened stores in the city.
Tourist industry
- Hotel Bălți (former Basarabia)
- Hotel Tinerețe
Health facilities
The city has a big Republican hospital, another multifunctional municipal hospital, a children's hospital, and a range of other medical facilities (smaller clinics and hospitals, as well as buildings, named poly-clinics, gathering doctors offices).[5]
Demographics
- Births (2010): 1573 (10.6 per 1000)
- Deaths (2010): 1447 (9.7 per 1000)
- Growth rate (2010): 126 (0.9 per 1000)
Historical populations Year Pop. ±% 1819 1,600 — 1830 3,738 +133.6% 1861 5,900 +57.8% 1897 18,500 +213.6% 1902 22,300 +20.5% 1915 24,000 +7.6% 1930 30,570 +27.4% 1959 67,666 +121.3% 1970 105,505 +55.9% 1979 126,950 +20.3% 1989 161,475 +27.2% 1995 154,800 −4.1% 2000 151,300 −2.3% 2002 146,500 −3.2% 2004 144,300 −1.5% 2006 143,200 −0.8% 2008 143,200 +0.0% 2010 143,300 +0.1% 2011 144,000 +0.5% According to the 2004 Moldovan Census, data submitted by the Department of Statistics and Sociology of the Republic of Moldova, the population of municipality of Bălți was 127,561, of which the population of the city itself was 122,669, and that of the suburban villages of Elizaveta and Sadovoe was of 3,523, respectively 1,369. Of these, 58,418 were men and 69,143 were women.[6]
Ethnic groups, 2004:[7]
Ethnicity Number % Moldovan 66,877 52.4 % Ukrainian 30,288 23.7 % Russian 24,526 19.2 % Romanian 2,258 1.8 % Bulgarian 297 0.2 % Gagauz 243 0.2 % other 2,889 2,3 % not declared 183 0.1 % The population of Bălți in accordance with available census data.[8]
Year 1897 1930 1959 1970 1979 1989 2004 Population 18,500 30,570 67,666 105,505 126,950 161,475 127,561 In 1897, the first Russian Empire Census was carried out, in 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, Soviet Union population census, and in 1930 a census of Romania (according to which, of the 30,570 inhabitants of the city, 14,200 were Jews, 8,900 Romanians, 5,400 Russians and Ukrainians, 1,000 Poles; 14,400 were Christian Orthodox, 14,250 Judaic, 1,250 Romano-Catholic). In 1939 another Romanian census was carried out, but its data was never processed because of the beginning of World War II. The decrease in population in the 1990s was also affected by the emigration of most of the Jewish population to Israel and other developed countries.
Religion
At the last census, 90.7% of the population (110,961 people) identified themselves as Christian Orthodox, 2.1% (2,609) as Baptist, 0.8% as Catholic, 0.5% as Seventh-day Adventist, 0.4% as Pentecostal, 0.2% as Methodist, 0.1% as Evangelical, 0.09% as Muslim, 0.06% as Presbyterian, 0.04% as Old Believers, 0.04% as Reformed, 1.8% (2161 people) as followers of other religions, 0.4% as atheist, and 2.7% (3,304) as non-religious.[9]
Social aspects
The post-independence decrease in the city population is mainly due to economic and demographic situation of Moldova, which prompted a wave of permanent or temporary emigration.
Remittances from the migrant workers account for 30% of Moldova's GDP, the highest percentage in all of Europe.[10] Often, elderly relatives and children of these workers are left to live in Bălţi.
The majority of the population of Bălţi is bilingual (Romanian and Russian), but some people only know one of these two languages. Many people in the city also understand and/or speak Ukrainian.
Government
Bălți Municipality is a territorial unit of Moldova (one of its 3 municipalities not subordinated to other territorial units; it has the status of municipality since 1994), containing the city itself, and the villages of Elizaveta and Sadovoe.
The Mayor Office (Romanian: Primăria) is headed by the Mayor (Romanian: Primar), and administers the local affairs, while the Municipal Council serves as a consultative body with some powers of general policy determination. It is composed of 35 council members elected every four years. As a result of the last regional elections of local public administration held in June 2007, the Communist Party (PCRM) holds 21 mandates, 11 mandates are held by representatives of other parties, and 3 mandates by independents. There are two factions in the Municipal Council: the PCRM faction (21 members) and "Meleag" (Romanian for "Native land") faction (3 independents and 4 representatives of different parties).
The Mayor of the municipality is elected for four years. Vasile Panciuc, PCRM, is the incumbent from 2001 and was re-elected twice: in 2003 during the anticipated elections (as a result of a new reform of the administrative division in Moldova), and in 2007.
Military
The 1st motorized infantry brigade "Moldova" of the Moldovan army (out of a total of 6 brigades - three infantry, one artillery, one airborne and one anti-aircraft) is located in Bălţi. A unit of Soviet "Tochka-M" short-range rockets, each carrying 500 kg of conventional explosive, was known to be based in the city. No up to date information is available.
Education
Primary and Secondary Education
There are 13 lyceums and 6 professional education institutions (Romanian: colegii) offering the last 3 years of high school education and 2 years post-high school technical education. Also, 14 secondary schools (numbered 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 23), 7 professional or professional-technical schools (numbered 1 through 7), and 3 boarding schools, including one for visually impaired are located in the city.[11]
Higher education
- The Alecu Russo University of Bălţi, the second largest university in Moldova, named after the 19th century Romanian scholar and ethnologist Alecu Russo. The university houses one of the biggest libraries in the South-Eastern Europe. It is a public university.
- The private Dniester Institute of Economy and Law[12]
- The private Moldovan Branch of the non-governmental educational institution "Baltic Institute of Ecology, Politics and Law"[12]
- The private Humanist Contemporary Institute
These schools teach either in Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, English or are mixed. The latter case was inherited from the Soviet system, which provided for education in Russian and Romanian (Moldovan) languages, where mixed schools were created with the administration being carried out in both languages.
Historical monuments and architecture
- Saint Nicolas Cathedral (1795)
- Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (1884)
- Saint Gregory Armenian Church (1916)
- Saint Constantine and Helen Cathedral (1935)
- Saint Parascheva Church (1934)
- Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (1929)
- Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel (1933)
- Bălţi Bishopric (1934)
- Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre
- Matrimonial Palace
- History and Ethnography Museum
- A monument of Stefan the Great (2003)
- Bust of Mihai Eminescu
- Bust of Vasile Alecsandri
- Bust of Taras Shevchenko (2001)
- A monument to soldiers killed in Afghanistan (1999)
Politics
Traditional Balti municipality, political and electoral support PCRM, this is explained by the fact that the municipality, there is a large Russian-speaking minority (43%), they mostly vote for communists. But the last three elections communists is a continuous fall in percentage.
During the last three elections AEI had an increase of 85.0%
Parliament elections results Year AEI PCRM 2010 38.35% 24,496 56.89% 36,348 July 2009 38.93% 22,147 58.16% 33,091 April 2009 24.92% 13,243 56.43% 29,980 Elections
election results in Balti Municipality Summary of 28 November 2010 Parliament of MoldovaParties and coalitions Votes % +/− Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova 36,348 56.89 −1.27 Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova 11,721 18.35 +5.53 Democratic Party of Moldova 8,746 13,69 -1.91 Liberal Party 3,147 4.93 −2.71 Party Alliance Our Moldova 882 1.38 −1.49 Other Party 3,057 4.76 +1.85 Total (turnout 58.73%) 64,233 100.00 Transportation
Main article: Transport in BălţiMotorways
Bălţi is an important transportation hub of Moldova. The best inter-city transportation is done by coach or van (privately or publicly owned). 135 km of Soviet-style highway (portions in good or fair condition) connect the city to the capital Chişinău. By road one can also reach Ukraine (in about 2 hours) to the north or to the east, and Romania (in about 1 hour) to the south-west by the Sculeni–Sculeni crossing point, which leads to the Romanian city of Iaşi (104 km from Bălţi), or to the west by the Stânca–Costeşti crossing.
The Bălţi Inter-City Coach Station provides for regular bus connections throughout Moldova, as well as for numerous European and international connections (Eurolines).
Train
Regular railroad connection to Ocniţa (north), Rezina (east) and Ungheni (south-east), as well as to Chişinău exists, however it takes today 6 hours to cover the 200 km to Chişinău. The railroad lines are not electrified, and contain only a single track between stations. Since Moldova gained independence, the railroad lines became the responsibility of Calea Ferată din Moldova (Railways of Moldova) state company.
There are two railroad stations: Bălţi-City Station and Bălţi-Slobozia Station (the name of a city neighborhood), which both serve internal and international traffic.
Airports
The city also has two operational airports. One of them, Bălţi International Airport, 15 km north of the city center (near the village of Corlăteni), was built in 1980s, modern by Soviet standards, is officially certified. Large aircraft can land (one 2,200 meters runway), it operates both charter passenger and cargo flights. As of October 2007, it does not operate regular passenger flights.
A second airport, for small aircraft, Bălţi-City Airport, is located on the Eastern outskirts of the city. It was the most important airport in the surrounding region during World War II, but currently is only used for municipal and regional public services, agriculture, emergency services and pilot training.
Public transportation in the city
Passenger transport in Bălţi is mainly carried out by the Bălţi Trolleybus Authority and Bălţi Bus Authority, as well as by private bus, minibus and taxi companies. The total amount of transported passengers in Bălţi for 2004 was 35,4 million passengers.[citation needed]
There are around 25 minibus lines in Bălţi and its agglomeration. The Bălţi Bus Authority (B.B.A.) provides for 10 regular bus routes in Bălţi and suburbs. There are also private bus and minibus services, which are not regulated by the B.B.A.
There are 3 trolleybus lines in Bălţi, the fourth line being planned to be constructed in 2007-2008. Most trolleybuses used by the Bălţi Trolleybus Authority (B.T.A.) are different modifications of the Soviet ZiU-682, one Czech Škoda-14TrM, three Belorussian АКСМ–20101 and seven "Trans-Alfa" 5298.00 (375)
Bălţi offers a choice of taxi services, most of which operate for a fixed fee in the inner city. Three taxi companies are branches of Moldovan national companies, two taxi companies are Bălţi registered businesses.
Notable people
- Boris Anisfeld, Russian-American painter and theater designer.[13]
- Natalia Barbu, singer, represented Moldova at the 2007 Eurovision musical competition
- Zelik Berdichever[14]
- Gheorghe Briceag, political prisoner, dissident, and human rights activist with the Helsinki Committee, recipient of the 2004 Homo Homini Award
- Iosif Chisinevschi, communist politician
- Eugen Coşeriu, philologist, founder of the School of Linguistics at Tübingen University
- Roman Greenberg
- Roman Grinberg (de)
- Eugen Coseriu, Notable linguist, specialised in Semiotics
- Lia van Leer, founder and director of the International Jerusalem Film Festival
- Marian Lupu, politician, speaker of the Parliament of Moldova since 2005
- Ion Pelivan, lawyer and politician, co-leader of the Moldavian National Party, minister of the exterior of the Moldavian Democratic Republic, killed by NKVD
- Ştefan Pirogan, mayor of Bălţi (1923–1934)
- Vadim Pirogan, political prisoner and dissident
- Colea Răutu, Romanian movie star
- Leonid Soybelman, musician
- Nicolae Testemiţanu, Moldovan physician, surgeon, hygienist, and politician
- Nicolae Filip, academician
- Vadim Vacarciuc, weight lifter, 1997 World Champion
International relations
Twin towns - sister cities
Bălţi is twinned with:
Consulates
- Consulate-General of Romania, address: 51, Sfântul Nicolae Str.
- Consulate of Ukraine, address: 143, Kiev Str.
Notes and references
- ^ English <-> Romanian Online Dictionary - a Bilingual Dictionary from ECTACO
- ^ In medieval Moldavia Arcașii lui Ștefan (Stephen's archers) were free peasants paying tax only to the country's ruler and ready to serve at the first call. They formed the first line of defence against invaders, and often had to defend their villages and families themselves, or hide them in the forests, before the Principality's army would come to relief.[citation needed] Throughout the hilly part (i.e. most) of Moldova, many summits have an additional man-made earth addition of up to 10 meters in some places, where warning fires were located in the early Middle Ages. One can easily recognize these spots on the Moldovan, now deforested, mainly cultivated landscape, all the way to the banks of the river Dniester, across from which the Asian steppe begins, and can observe a repeating peculiarity: From each of the summits the otherwise obscured neighbourhood is very well observable, with at least 3 other such spots in clear view, although possibly at a couple hours' walking distance.
- ^ "Weather Information for Bălţi". World Weather Information Service. http://www.worldweather.org/108/c01423.htm. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ (Russian) "Официальный сайт примэрии города Бэлць - Спортивные учреждения". Balti.md. 2006-05-01. http://www.balti.md/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=39. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ (Russian) Health institutions on balti.md
- ^ "?". Archived from the original on 2007-11-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20071124182216/http://www.statistica.md/recensamint/Populatia_medii_sexe.doc.[dead link]
- ^ (Moldovan) official ethnicity statistics
- ^ "Statistics". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldava. http://www.statistica.md/public/files/Recensamint/Recensamintul_populatiei/vol_1/1_Toate_recensaminteleRne_ro.xls. (Romanian) (Russian) (English)
- ^ official religion statistics
- ^ (Romanian) Romanii din strainatate vor sa revina in tara
- ^ Bălţi schools
- ^ (Russian) Alexandr Goncearenco neksa neksa.net. "Архив за 06.10.2005 - "Независимая Молдова"". Nm.md. http://www.nm.md/daily/article/2005/10/06/0701.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ project page of the catalogue raisonné of the works of Boris Anisfeld
- ^ ru:Бардичевер, Зейлик
External links
- (Romanian) (Russian) balti.md - Official site of the Balti City Hall balti.md
- (English) (Romanian) (Russian) Tourism in Bălţi at www.tur.md
- (English) (Romanian) Official web site of "Alecu Russo" Balti State University
- (English) (Romanian) (Russian) Deca-Press: daily city news
- (Polish) Bielce (Bălţi) in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1880)
- (Romanian) Results of 2010 parliamentary election
Private and commercial
- (Russian) Beltsy-Online private site about Balti www.beltsy.org
- (Russian) Private portal about Beltsy www.beltsy.md
- (Russian) Private site about Beltsy - www.beltsymd.ru
- Private site about Bălţi - balti.110mb.com
- Jewish Cemetery in Beltsy
Cities and communes of
the Municipality of Bălţi, MoldovaCities Communes Cities of Moldova (alphabetical order) Municipalities Chişinău (national capital) · Bălţi · Bender (Tighina)2
Capitals of
autonomous unitsDistrict seats4 Anenii Noi · Basarabeasca · Briceni · Cahul · Cantemir · Călăraşi · Căuşeni · Cimişlia · Criuleni · Donduşeni · Drochia · Edineţ · Făleşti · Floreşti · Glodeni · Hînceşti · Ialoveni · Leova · Nisporeni · Ocniţa · Orhei · Rezina · Rîşcani · Sîngerei · Soroca · Străşeni · Şoldăneşti · Ştefan Vodă · Taraclia · Teleneşti · Ungheni
Other cities Biruinţa · Bucovăţ · Căinari · Camenca1 · Ceadîr-Lunga · Codru · Corneşti · Costeşti · Crasnoe1 · Cricova · Cupcini · Dnestrovsc1 · Dubăsari1 · Durleşti · Frunză · Ghindeşti · Grigoriopol1 · Iargara · Lipcani · Maiac1 · Mărculeşti · Otaci · Rîbniţa1 · Sîngera · Slobozia1 · Tiraspolul Nou1 · Vadul lui Vodă · Vatra · Vulcăneşti
1 In Transnistria. 2 Controlled by the Transnistrian authorities. 3 Also a municipality. 4 The seat of Dubăsari District is the commune of Cocieri (not a city).Administrative divisions of Moldova Districts Anenii Noi · Basarabeasca · Briceni · Cahul · Cantemir · Călăraşi · Căuşeni · Cimişlia · Criuleni · Donduşeni · Drochia · Dubăsari · Edineţ · Făleşti · Floreşti · Glodeni · Hînceşti · Ialoveni · Leova · Nisporeni · Ocniţa · Orhei · Rezina · Rîşcani · Sîngerei · Soroca · Străşeni · Şoldăneşti · Ştefan Vodă · Taraclia · Teleneşti · UngheniAutonomous regions Municipalities 1 The political status of Transnistria is not settled.Categories:- Bălţi
- Cities in Moldova
- Districts of Moldova
- 1421 establishments
- Populated places established in the 1420s
- Shtetls
- Moldova articles needing attention
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