Galaţi
From Freepedia
| Galaţi | |
|---|---|
| Image:Galati in Romania.PNG | |
| Facts | |
| County | Galaţi County |
| Status | County capital |
| Mayor | Dumitru Nicolae since 2000 |
| Area | km² |
| Population | 350,000 inh/km² |
| Geographical coordinates | 45°27' N / 28°02' E |
| Web | City Website |
Galaţi is a city in eastern Romania, on the banks of the Danube, very close to Brăila. It has a population of about 350,000, making it Romania's 7th largest city.
The city has a large iron and steel plant (Sidex SA Galaţi, formerly state-owned and bought by Ispat in 2000), and the country's largest shipyard. Notable buildings include the 17th-century cathedral of St. George (Sfântu Gheorghe).
Education
Galaţi has a university, the Universitatea Dunărea de Jos (Lower Danube University), founded in 1948 and given university status 1974, and a teacher-training college as well as a host of other educational and cultural institutions. Among these, the Vasile Alecsandri National College - ranks as the first pre-university level educational institution in Galaţi. The oldest school in Galaţi is School No. 24, founded in 1832.
History
The name of the city is derived from Cuman "galat", which was borrowed from Arabic "qal'at" (fortress). There have been other etymologies suggested, such as Serbian "galac", but the "galat" root was also used in other nearby toponyms, some of which show clearly a Cuman origin, for example "Gălăţui Lake", which has the typical Cuman "-ui" ending, meaning "water".
The first historical mentioning of the city dates from 1445. In 1789 Galaţi was burnt down by the Russian general Kamensky. There has been a peasant revolt in and around the city in 1907, which was crushed by the Romanian army, including then-Lieutenant Ion Antonescu.
Tourist sights Galati has a fine orthodox cathedral, and another particularly striking church on the banks of the Danube,(legend has it that there is a tunnel from the church under the river). Other features of the city include a sculpture park, a fine botanical gardens, several museums, a television tower accessible to the public and from which can be obtained a fine view of the city, a bustling central market, a newly-restored opera house, and a beautiful promenade of several kilometres alongside the Danube, where huge sculptures are placed on either side.
