Onești (Romanian pronunciation: [oˈneʃtʲ]; Hungarian: Ónfalva), formerly known as Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej,[3] is a city in Bacău County, Romania, with a population of 34,005 inhabitants as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Moldavia.

Onești
View from Perchiu Hill
Heroes Monument
Salt Crystal artesian well
Borzești Church
Flag of Onești
Coat of arms of Onești
Location in Bacău County
Location in Bacău County
Onești is located in Romania
Onești
Onești
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°15′31″N 26°46′09″E / 46.25861°N 26.76917°E / 46.25861; 26.76917
CountryRomania
CountyBacău
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Victor-Laurențiu Neghină[1] (PMP)
Area
52.48 km2 (20.26 sq mi)
Elevation
210 m (690 ft)
Highest elevation
398 m (1,306 ft)
Lowest elevation
180 m (590 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
34,005
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
601003–601159
Area code(+40) 02 34
Vehicle reg.BC
Websitewww.onesti.ro

Administratively, the villages of Slobozia and Borzești form part of Onești.

History

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Onești in 1965

The locality was documentary attested as a village on 14 December 1458. In 1952, the communist authorities decided to build a large petrochemical industrial platform (Borzești Petrochemical Plant) and a new related city in the area of Onești and Borzești villages. Borzești, according to legend, was the birthplace of Stephen III of Moldavia. It is the site of the Borzești Church, which was built on his orders in 1493–1494.[4]

At the death of the Communist leader Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej in March 1965, Onești was renamed Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, but the name was changed back in 1990[3] shortly after the Romanian Revolution.

Above the borough Malu, on the right-hand side of the river Cașin, were discovered archaeological fragments from a settlement dating from the Neolithic.

Geography

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Onești is located in the Tazlău-Cașin Depression of the Eastern Carpathians at an average altitude of 210 metres (690 ft).[5] It lies at the confluence of the rivers Trotuș, Cașin, Oituz, and Tazlău, some 60 km (37 mi) southwest of the county capital, Bacău. The city is crossed by the European road E574 and by the national roads DN11A and DN12A that connect it to Bucharest, to the northern part of the country, and to Transylvania. Rail connections are made through the Căile Ferate Române network, and the proposed A13 Brașov–Bacău Motorway will link the city to the rest of Romania's highway network as a second connection to the country's major cities.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1930 3,828—    
1956 11,253+194.0%
1966 35,663+216.9%
1977 41,738+17.0%
1992 58,810+40.9%
2002 51,681−12.1%
2011 39,172−24.2%
2021 34,005−13.2%
Source: Census data

At the 2011 census, Onești had 39,172 inhabitants, of which 90.29% were Romanians, 1.39% Roma, 0.53% Hungarians, and 0.13% Greeks. At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 34,005; of those, 79.75% were Romanians, and for 19.77% the ethnicity was not known.[6]

Economy

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Borzești is a neighborhood in the southeast of Onești, under separate administration until 1968.[7] The Borzești Petrochemical Plant is located there.[8][9]

Culture

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Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of the city, whose inhabitants are predominantly Romanian Orthodox. St. Nicholas Day, 6 December, is the municipal day of Onești.[citation needed]

Popular tourist attractions are Perchiu Hill and the Hero Cross from atop the aforementioned hill, the Municipal History Museum, a steel monument dedicated to the Romanian national poet Mihai Eminescu, and the city park.[citation needed]

Mayors

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  • Emil Lemnaru [ro] (PSD), 1996–2012
  • Victor-Laurențiu Neghină (PSD), 2012–2015
  • Alexandru Cristea (UNPR), 2015–2016
  • Nicolae Gnatiuc (PSD), 2016–2020
  • Victor-Laurențiu Neghină (PMP), 2020–2024

Natives

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Twin towns and sister cities

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Primar". www.onesti.ro. Onești City Hall. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ^ a b "Onești | Romania". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  4. ^ Rozalia & Teodor Verde (July 2003). Monografia Municipiului Onești – în date și evenimente. Onești. p. 12.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ "Anuarul statistic al județului Bacău" (PDF). INSSE. 2019. p. 27.
  6. ^ "Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.
  7. ^ Rozalia & Teodor Verde (July 2003). Monografia Municipiului Onești – în date și evenimente. Onești. p. 51.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Ioan Șandru, Constantin V. Toma, Nicu Aur (1989). Orașele Trotușene – Studiu de geografie umană II. Bacău: Întreprinderea Poligrafică Bacău. p. 190.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Pintilie, Rusu (1980). Județele Patriei – Județul Bacău. Sport-Turism București. p. 158.
  10. ^ "Municipiul Onești s-a înfrățit cu orașul Streșeni din Republica Moldova". Timpul (in Romanian). 23 August 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
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  •   Media related to Onești at Wikimedia Commons