Piatra Neamț facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids

Piatra Neamț

Municipality

15th-century Stephen's Tower (the city symbol) in the medieval town square

Princely Court Assembly

St. John Church

Ceahlău Hotel

The CFR railway station

Coat of arms

Location in Neamț County

Piatra Neamț

Location in Romania

Country

Romania

County

Neamț

Area

77.4 km² (29.9 sq mi)

Elevation

345 m (1,132 ft)

Population

(2011)

Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Time zone

EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)

Postal code

610004–610292

Piatra Neamț is a beautiful city in northeastern Romania. It is the main city of Neamț County. People think it is one of the most scenic cities in Romania. This is because it is located right in the Eastern Carpathians mountains.

What's in a Name?

The name Piatra means 'rock' in Romanian. This word has always been part of the city's name. It was also called Piatra lui Crăciun, which means 'Christmas Rock'. The county name Neamț was added later. This word means 'German'.

Where is Piatra Neamț Located?

Piatra Neamț is in the Bistrița River Valley. It is surrounded by several mountains. These include Pietricica (530 meters), Cozla (679 meters), and Cernegura (852 meters). The city is about 345 meters above sea level. The Doamna River flows into the Bâtca Doamnei Reservoir near the city.

The city is about 350 kilometers north of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The closest airport is Bacău, which is 60 kilometers south. You can reach Piatra Neamț by train or by national roads. These roads connect it to other big cities like Bacău, Iași, and Suceava.

Map of Piatra Neamț

Bâtca Doamnei Reservoir

City Areas

Piatra Neamț is divided into different areas called cartiere. Some of these are:

1 Mai
Centru
Mărăței
Precista
Sarata
Speranța

Some areas like Ciritei, Doamna, and Văleni are actually separate villages. They are managed by the city.

A Look Back in Time

Stephen's Tower built in 1499

The area around Piatra Neamț has been home to people for a very long time. The oldest signs of human life here are from about 100,000 years ago. The Cucuteni culture also lived here. This culture was known for its beautiful pottery. Many ancient objects from this time have been found.

Archaeologists found the ruins of a large Dacian city called Petrodava near Piatra Neamț. This city was important around the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE. It had strongholds and shrines.

The first towns in this area appeared in the 14th century. Piatra lui Crăciun was one of them. The Princely Court of Piatra Neamț was first mentioned in 1491. It was built by Stephen the Great between 1468 and 1475. He also built the Princely Cathedral in 1497–1498. The tall Bell Tower was built in 1499.

How Many People Live Here?

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1859	11,805	—
1899	17,384	+47.3%
1912	18,965	+9.1%
1930	29,827	+57.3%
1948	26,303	−11.8%
1956	32,648	+24.1%
1966	45,852	+40.4%
1977	77,812	+69.7%
1992	123,360	+58.5%
2002	104,914	−15.0%
2011	85,055	−18.9%
2021	77,393	−9.0%
Source: Census data

In 2011, Piatra Neamț had about 85,055 people. This makes it one of the larger cities in Romania. Most of the people living here are Romanians (over 98%). There are also smaller groups of Roma, Lipovans, and Hungarians.

City's Economy

Piatra Neamț has several important industries. These include a fertilizer plant and a paper mill. There are also food processing factories. Other companies make farm machines, medicines, and more paper products.

The city's main industrial area is 11 kilometers south, in Săvinești. This area used to have a very big chemical plant. Today, it is part of an Italian company.

Centru district, with Pietricica Hill

Some well-known Romanian brands started in Piatra Neamț. These include Rifil (synthetic fibers), Altex (electronics stores), Köber (paints), and Amicii-Kubo Ice Cream (ice cream).

The city also has local TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers.

Getting Around the City

Public Transportation

One of the trolleybuses that served the city until 2019, this being a secondhand Renault from France

Public transport in Piatra Neamț uses buses. There are seven bus lines that connect different parts of the city. They also go to nearby towns. Many private companies also run minibuses.

Taxis

You can also find several taxi companies that operate within the city.

Train Travel

The Piatra Neamț railway station is the main train station. From here, trains go to Bacău every day. You can also take a train to Bucharest, the capital.

Roads

Piatra Neamț is an important meeting point for national roads. There are also three bus stations in the city. From these stations, you can take buses to other major cities in Romania.

Culture and Learning

Piatra Neamț is a center for culture and education. It has the Teatrul Tineretului (Youth's Theatre) and the G. T. Kirileanu Library. Many cultural events happen here. These include an International Theatre Festival and classical music events.

The city has some very good schools. These include the Petru Rareș National College and the National College of Computer Science.

Since 2009, Piatra Neamț has hosted a short film festival called "Filmul de Piatra". This name means "Stone-film Festival". It shows short films from Romania and around the world. The festival also has concerts and workshops.

Youth's Theatre
Art museum
Central Post
Petru Rareș National College
"Victor Brauner" Fine Arts College

Fun Things to Do

Batca Doamnei Reservoir

Piatra Neamț is a great place for tourists. People enjoy the beautiful mountains and lakes. There are also many historic buildings and museums to visit. The city is working to become an even better tourist spot. They have built a cable car and winter sports areas. You can take the cable car from the railway station to the top of Cozla mountain.

Famous Places to See

Cucuteni Museum

St John the Baptist church (built in 1497–1498) and Stephen's tower (built in 1499). These were built during the time of Stephen the Great.
The Princely Court.
The History & Archaeology Museum. This museum has the largest collection of ancient Cucuteni artifacts in southeastern Europe.
The Fine Arts Museum.
The Natural Sciences Museum.
The "Calistrat Hogaș" Memorial Museum.
The "Schimbarea la Față" Wooden Church in Văleni.
The Bistrița Monastery, founded in the early 15th century, is 8 kilometers west of the city.
The Wooden Synagogue.

Parks and Recreation

Central Park
Cozla Park (which has a zoo and a ski run)
Ștrandul Tineretului (which includes an Equestrian Stadium)

Sports in Piatra Neamț

Ceahlăul Stadium

FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț is the city's football (soccer) team. They even played against the famous Juventus Torino team in 1999!

The men's handball team, HCM Piatra Neamț, has won the Romanian championship three times. The women's volleyball team is VC Unic Piatra Neamț.

Piatra Neamț is also home to Constantin "Ticu" Lăcătușu. He was the first Romanian mountain climber to reach the top of Mount Everest.

The Piatra Neamț Equestrian Stadium hosts international horse riding competitions.

Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Capacity
FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț	Liga III	Football	Stadionul Ceahlăul	1919	18,000
VC Unic Piatra Neamț	Divizia A	Volleyball	Polyvalent Hall	1964	4,000

Famous People from Piatra Neamț

See also (related category): People from Piatra Neamț

Many notable people were born in Piatra Neamț. Here are a few:

Marcel Adams (1920–2020), a real estate investor.
Victor Brauner (1903–1966), a famous painter.
Luminița Dinu-Huțupan (born 1971), a well-known handball player.
Constantin Lăcătușu (born 1961), the first Romanian to climb Mount Everest.
Alexandru Maxim (born 1990), a football player.
Mihaela Rădulescu (born 1969), a popular TV host.
Mihai Trăistariu, a singer and songwriter.

City Partnerships

Piatra Neamț has "twin city" relationships with many cities around the world. These partnerships help build friendships and cultural exchange. Some of its twin cities include: