Suceava is the county seat of the homonymous county in Romania. The locality is located in the southern part of the historical region of Bucovina (except for the Burdujeni neighborhood). The city is situated in the Suceava Plateau, along the Suceava River, 21 km away from its confluence with the Siret River.
History of Suceava
The municipality of Suceava is one of the oldest and most important cities in Romania and is traversed by the European road E85 (DN2), which provides the road connection with Bucharest, located 432 km away. The CFR 500 railway line passes through the city, which is a railway hub, with a railway line branching off to Transylvania. Suceava is among the oldest and most important settlements in Romania. It was first documented in 1388, during the reign of Moldavia’s ruler Petru II Mușat, who moved the capital from Siret to Suceava. It served as the capital of the Principality of Moldavia for nearly two centuries, until 1565. The history of the settlement is linked to the names of some of Moldavia’s most renowned rulers, such as Alexandru cel Bun, Ștefan cel Mare, and Petru Rareș. Between 1774 and 1918, Suceava was a city in the Austrian Empire (later Austria-Hungary), part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and the Duchy of Bukovina. During this period, it served as an Austro-Hungarian border town with the Kingdom of Romania. In the 20th century, the city expanded by incorporating the neighboring localities of Burdujeni and Ițcani, which became neighborhoods. During the communist period, there was a significant process of industrialization in Suceava, leading to a population increase of over tenfold. Suceava was granted municipality status in 1968. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 92,121 inhabitants, making it the 23rd largest urban center in Romania.