Bălți


Bălți is a city in Moldova. It is the third-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău and Tiraspol. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cultural and commercial centre and transportation hub in the north of the country. It is situated north of the capital Chișinău, and is located on the river Răut, a tributary of the Dniester, on a hilly landscape in the Bălți steppe.

Name

The word "bălți" in direct translation means "puddle". It is believed that the city had been named thus because it was founded on a hill dominating the wetland formed where the creek Răuțel falls into the river Răut.
In addition to the official name Bălți and the Russian name Бельцы, between 1940 and 1989 in Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet, and after 1989 in Russian, the name was/is also rendered in Cyrillic as Бэлць.

History and symbols

Coat of arms

The current coat of arms and flag of Bălți, elaborated by Silviu Tabac from the Moldovan State Commission for Heraldry, were adopted by the Municipal Council in April 2006.
A shield, with alternating six silvery strips, and six blue strips, form the background. The central element of the shield is an archer in red clothes, in the military outfit of Stephen III of Moldavia times. The archer represents the medieval military recruitment, formed by local free peasants.
On top of the shield is a silver crown in the shape of a fortress wall with seven towers. The shield is supported by two rearing silver horses. Under the shield, there is a ribbon with the Latin inscription CEDANT ARMA TOGAE, meaning let arms yield to the toga.
In the Middle Ages, the archer was featured on the coats of arms of the region. In the 19th century, the city and district coats of arms also featured a horse head. In the early 20th century, a shield representing an archer, standing on a hill, the sun, and three bullrush sticks formed the coat of arms of the Bălți county, while these and horse elements - the coat of arms of the city proper.

Flag

The city's flag is composed of two horizontal strips: a blue one on the bottom, and a silver one on top. The shield and archer elements from the coat of arms are also present in the centre of the flag.

Geography

Bălți is situated on the tops and slopes of three hills and in two small valleys. The land in the north of Moldova is very fertile, mostly consisting of black earth or chernozem. Several extraction sites for raw materials used in the construction industry are also found in the vicinity of Bălți. The creeks Răuțel, Copăceanca, and Flămândă cross the territory of the municipality, and flow into the river Răut. Also, several lakes are situated in Bălți: City Lake, Komsolskoe Lake, Hunters and Fishermen Lake, Strâmba Lake.
The municipality covers an area of, of which the city proper, the village Elizaveta , and the village Sadovoe . Of these, an important portion is agriculturally cultivated.

Neighbourhoods

The city itself is located on portions of three hills. The river Răut separates one of the hills to the north-east, the slopes of this hill are occupied by the neighbourhood Slobozia. Răut's affluent Răuțel separates another hill in the south, the slopes of which are the Podul Chișinăului. The largest of the three hills dominates the valleys of the creek and river, and contains the city centre and the old town, and the neighbourhoods Pământeni, Dacia, 6th district, 8th district, the city's main industrial area, and Molodova neighborhood. The top of this hill is occupied by the medical facilities district. Bălții Noi neighborhood is situated in the valley of the Răuțel creek.
A Soroca neighborhood, 10th district, 9th district, the area of the former Bălți concentration camp, and the Bălți City Airport are situated in the valley of the Răut river.
The names of city neighborhoods reflect different historic influences, such as names of 19th century suburbs that are nowadays within city limits: Pământeni, Slobozia, Molodova, Podul Chișinăului, Bălții Noi; others are known by their Soviet-era names: 6th district, 8th district, 9th district. A neighbourhood in the northern part of the city is called Dacia, and is colloquially sometimes referred to as BAM. A district in the eastern part is known as 10th district.

Cityscape

Architecture

Cultural venues in the city include:
Churches:
Bălți has a warm-summer humid continental climate. The all-time maximum temperature registered in the city was, the all-time minimum. There are of annual rainfall, mostly during summer and fall. Winds are generally from the north-east or the north-west at about 2–5 m/s.

Seismology

The city is situated in the 7th zone of seismic activity, with a well-felt earthquake occurring every 35 years on average.

Demographics

According to the 2024 census, 94,546 inhabitants lived within the Bălți municipality limits, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2014, when 102,457 inhabitants were registered. The population of the city itself was 90,954, and that of the suburban villages of Elizaveta and Sadovoe was 2,620, and 972, respectively.

Social aspects

The post-independence decrease in the city population is mainly due to the economic and demographic situation of Moldova, which prompted a wave of permanent or temporary emigration.
Remittances from the migrant workers account for 30% of Moldova's GDP, the highest percentage in all of Europe. Often, elderly relatives and children of these workers are left to live in Bălți.
The majority of the population of Bălți is bilingual. Many people in the city also understand and/or speak Ukrainian.

Pre-WWII Jewish Community

"Between the two world wars, the Jewish community of Bălți was a vibrant population of trade, industry and culture, Zionism and Yiddish, political parties and youth movements. Bălți was the second-largest populated city in Bessarabia, with the second-largest number of Jewish inhabitants after Chișinău, and the economic center of the region. In the official 1930 census, Bălți was listed as having 14,229 Jewish residents, about 60% of its total population.
"Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Agreement, Bălți was absorbed into the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940, coming under Soviet rule.
"On 22 June 1941, the Germans invaded the USSR. On 9 July, Bălți was occupied by German and Romanian armies, and waves of abuse and murder began. At the end of July, the German units and Gestapo officers left the city in the hands of the Romanians. In September 1941 the last of the Jews of Bălți– some 2,800 people – were expelled to the Mărculești Camp, and the Jewish population of the city ceased to exist. In Mărculești, many members of the community died, and the rest were deported to Transnistria."

Culture and contemporary life

Entertainment and performing arts

Theaters:
  • Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre
  • "Eugène Ionesco" Theatre
  • "Licurici" Republican Puppet Theatre
  • "B.P. Hajdeu" Republican Drama-Muzical Theatre
  • "Mihai Eminescu" National Theatre
  • "Luceafarul" Republican Theatre
  • Municipal Theatre "Satiricus I.L. Caragiale"
Museums and art galleries:
  • "Exhibition of the Union of painters "Constantin Brâncuși"
  • Artum Art Gallery

    Media

  • , news agency founded in March 2018
  • Spros i Predlojenie, a major Russian language daily newspaper serving northern Moldova
  • Deca-press, the oldest independent press agency in the north of the country
  • Golos Bălți, the city newspaper, founded in 1947
  • Makler, an advertising newspaper operating in Moldova and Ukraine

    Civil society

Bălți is a hub for civil society development, both locally and nationally. The city hosts numerous independent and apolitical organizations, such as Second Breath, a Moldovan NGO supporting socially vulnerable individuals, and Tinerii pentru Dreptul la Viață, a youth-focused organization.

Sports

Historically Bălți was known for producing tobacco. They also had many vineyards and orchards.
Most of the city's industry centres on food processing, notably in the production of flour, sugar, and wine. Manufacturing of furniture and agricultural machinery also plays an important role in Bălți's economy.
The service sector has developed after 1989 to cover the basic needs of the population.