Rădăuţi

Rădăuţi is a municipality in Suceava County, Romania

Rădăuţi is situated in Bukovina, northern Moldavia, on a plain between the Suceava and Suceviţa rivers, 37 km (23 miles) north from Suceava, at 375 m (410 yards) altitude. It is one of the oldest settlement in Moldavia, known since the 15th century.

The mention of "Radomir's village" (as part of a review of boyar property in the area) in a 1392 document (uric) is generally believed to be the town's first mention, and indication of the origin of the name Rădăuți (other theories state that the settlement had its origins in earlier periods, and that the name is a Slavic-influenced derivative of the Latin word Rottacenum, as allegedly used by soldiers in the Roman garrison in Siret). The oldest mention of Rădăuți as such dates from 1413, in a document issued by Prince Alexandru cel Bun.

By the middle of the 14th century, Rădăuți was already a flourishing settlement, the seat of a prominent Eastern Orthodox church during the times of Bogdan I (1359-1365), and subsequently a bishopric. Around the St. Nicholas church (Bogdana Monastery), archaeologists have uncovered a habitation layer preceding Bogdan's period of rule, one which could point to the existence of a local center prior to the formation of the Moldavian state.

Awarded the privilege of organizing fairs, Rădăuți evolved due to its favorable location midway between the Carpathians and the tableland area (with traders from both regions establishing contact in the local market). The fairs at Rădăuți have been dated to the time of Stephen the Great (a document from 1481; however, since the mention includes details of Stephen's intervention in solving a commercial dispute, it is possible that the fairs was well-established by then).

Rădăuți was one of the larger cities of the Duchy of Bukovina during the period of Habsburg administration (1777-1918). During that time it saw a high level of German (especially Swabian) immigration.

A Jewish community was present before the Habsburg takeover, and is attested to have been overseen by a starost.

Many Jews fleeing the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (as well as other Habsburg areas) from intense persecution and anti-Semitism during the Middle Ages settled in Rădăuţi. The community was allowed a degree of self-administration, and witnessed a period of prosperity and cultural effervescence during the 19th century.

The majority of Rădăuţi's Jewish population was exterminated during the Holocaust. Persecutions became widespread around 1938, when Jews were harassed and attacked by authorities under the Octavian Goga government; they were confirmed by anti-Semitic legislation passed by the Ion Gigurtu cabinet, and, in late 1940, exceptionally violent following the establishment of the National Legionary State. In October 1941, all Jews present in Rădăuţi (more than 10,000) were deported to concentration camps in Transnistria.

The Princely Church at Rădăuţi contained the graves of Bogdan I and his son Laţcu, both Voivodes/Princes of Moldavia, as well as a later ruler, Roman I of Moldavia. Is the oldest monastery from Moldova and Bucovina 1365. Inside the monastery are 14th thumbs (like Bogdan I (1359-1365), Laţcu Voievod (1365-1373), Roman I (1391-1394), Ştefan I (1394-1399), Bogdan, the brother Alexandru cel Bun, Bogdan, son of Alexandru cel Bun and others.