Slobozia
Municipality
Orthodox Cathedral of Slobozia
Orthodox Cathedral of Slobozia
Coat of arms of Slobozia
Coat of arms
Location in Ialomița County
Location in Ialomița County
Slobozia is located in Romania
Slobozia
Slobozia
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 44°33′50″N 27°21′58″E / 44.56389°N 27.36611°E / 44.56389; 27.36611
CountryRomania
CountyIalomița
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Dragoș Soare[1] (PNL)
Area
126.72 km2 (48.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
41,550
 • Density330/km2 (850/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
9200xx
Area code(+40) 02 43
Vehicle reg.IL
Websitemunicipiulslobozia.ro

Slobozia (Romanian pronunciation: [sloboˈzi.a]) is the capital city of Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, with a population of 41,550 in 2021.

Etymology

Its name is from the Romanian "slobozie", which meant a recently colonized village which was free of taxation. The word itself comes from the Slavic word "slobod" which means "free". As it is located in the middle of flat land (Bărăgan Plain), it was very vulnerable to Tatar and Ottoman incursions. To encourage peasants to settle there, they were exempted from some taxes, hence the name.

Geography

Slobozia lies roughly in the middle of the county, on the banks of Ialomița River, at about 120 km (75 mi) east of Bucharest and 150 km (93 mi) west of Constanța, important port at the Black Sea. The city is within 17 km (11 mi) of the Bucharest-Constanța A2 Motorway (Autostrada Soarelui).

The total area of the municipality is 126.72 km2 (48.93 sq mi). In the present administrative form, Slobozia consists of Slobozia proper and the neighbourhoods of Bora and Slobozia Nouă.

Economy

The main activity in the area is agriculture, processing of the agricultural products and light industry.

Culture

Traditional costume of the Slobozia region

In 1990 the Cultural Centre was inaugurated, bearing the name of the conductor and composer Ionel Perlea, a city native. The building houses exhibition and performance rooms, bookstores, cultural institutions. In 1999 the Cultural Centre Ionel Perlea entered the UNESCO circuit.

The city is the headquarters of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Slobozia and Călărași, established in 1993.

Demographics

At the 2002 census, 97.6% of inhabitants were ethnic Romanians and 2.2% Roma. 98.6% were Romanian Orthodox, 0.4% Seventh-day Adventist and 0.2% Roman Catholic.

Tourism

The main tourist attraction consists of the nearby Lake Amara, situated 5 km (3.1 mi) away. Amara Resort is also a balneoclimateric resort. Access to Amara is by minibuses that leave every 15 minutes from the Slobozia Train Station. As part of a private tourist complex, there is a small copy of the Eiffel Tower 54 m (177 ft) high.

Twin towns – sister cities

Slobozia is twinned with:[3][4][5]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ↑ "Semicentenar Slobozia, 50 de ani de existență a reședinței de județ". agendaialomiteana.ro (in Romanian). Agenda Ialomițeană.ro. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  4. ↑ "Sister cities". nanyang.gov.cn. Nanyang. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  5. ↑ "Партнери и мрежи". veles.gov.mk (in Macedonian). Veles. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
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