Vulcănești

Vulcănești
Valkaneş
Vulcănești WWII monument
Vulcănești WWII monument
Coat of arms of Vulcănești
Vulcănești is located in Găgăuzia
Vulcănești
Vulcănești
Location of Vulcănești in Moldova
Vulcănești is located in Moldova
Vulcănești
Vulcănești
Vulcănești (Moldova)
Coordinates: 45°41′00″N 28°24′10″E / 45.68333°N 28.40278°E / 45.68333; 28.40278
Country Moldova
District Gagauzia
Founded1712
Government
 • MayorNikolai Posmak[1]
Area
 • Total
15.26 km2 (5.89 sq mi)
Population
 • Total
10,919
 • Density715.5/km2 (1,853/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2024 census)
 • Gagauz people70.17%
 • Moldovans13.3%
 • other16.53%
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ClimateCfb
Websiteprimariavulcanesti.com

Vulcănești (Romanian pronunciation: [vulkəˈneʃtʲ]; Gagauz: Valkaneş; Russian: Вулканешты, romanized: Vulkaneshty) is a city and district[3] in Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit of the Republic of Moldova. The district of Vulcănești is the southern exclave of Gagauzia surrounded by the Cahul District (Moldova) and Odesa Oblast (Ukraine). One village-rail station also named Vulcănești, is administered by the city.

History

The site of the city has been settled by humans for centuries, archaeological investigations have revealed a Neolithic sculpture that echoes Rodin's The Thinker.[4][5]

The present day town was settled in the 18th century by Gagauz and Moldovan refugees from the Ottoman Empire.

The symbol of the town, the monument dedicated to the Battle of Cahul was erected in around 1849. Signifying a battle that took place in the proximate area in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). The monument was designed by the Italian architect Francesco Boffo.

After the Union of Bessarabia with Romania in 1918 Vulcănești was integrated into the Cahul county in Romania. In 1930 the town was recorded to have 6,538 people, including 3389 men and 3149 women.[6]

In 1965 the then village received the status of urban-type settlement and in 1995 city status.[7]

Demographics

According to the 2024 census, 10,919 inhabitants lived in Vulcănești, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2014, when 12,185 inhabitants were registered.[8][9]

Ethnic composition of Vulcănești (2024)
Ethnic group Population % Percentage
Gagauz 7,662 70.17%
Moldovans[a] 1,452 13.3%
Russians 691 6.33%
Ukrainians 518 4.74%
Bulgarians 401 3.67%
Others 195 1.77%
Total 10,919 100%
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1930 6,538—    
1970 13,637+108.6%
1979 15,493+13.6%
1989 18,230+17.7%
2004 15,729−13.7%
2014 12,185−22.5%
2024 10,919−10.4%

Media

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ceadîr-Lunga is twinned with:[10]

Notable people

Notes

  1. ↑ There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.gagauzia.md/ru/administracziya-regiona/primarii/primariya-g.-vulkaneshtyi.html
  2. ↑ Results of Population and Housing Census in the Republic of Moldova in 2014: "Characteristics - Population (population by communes, religion, citizenship)" (XLS). National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  3. ↑ LEGE Nr. 248 din 03.11.2016 pentru modificarea și completarea Legii nr. 764-XV din 27 decembrie 2001 privind organizarea administrativ-teritorială a Republicii Moldova Archived 2019-02-19 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
  4. ↑ Gimbutas, Marija (1982). "The 'Sorrowful God'". The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe 6500-3500 B.C. Myths and Cult Images. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 230–234. ISBN 0-520-04655-2.
  5. ↑ Passek, T.S.; Gerasimov, M.M. (1967). "Novaja statuetka iz Vulkaneshty". KSIIMK Archaeological Museum of the Institute of History of the Moldavian Socialist Republic. 111: 38–41.
  6. ↑ Recensamantul Romaniei Din 1930 Vol. 1. pp. 52, 53.
  7. ↑ "История города". Примэрия Вулканешты (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  8. ↑ "Rezultatele finale ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor 2024: Caracteristici etnoculturale ale populației". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (in Romanian)
  9. ↑ "2014 Moldova Census of Population and Housing". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (in Romanian, Russian, and English)
  10. ↑ https://www.gagauzia.md/ru/administracziya-regiona/primarii/primariya-g.-vulkaneshtyi.html