Soroca is a city and municipalityLEGE 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 in northern Moldova, situated on the Dniester River about north of Chișinău. It is the administrative center of the Soroca District.
History
It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established by the Moldavian prince Stephen the Great (Ștefan cel Mare in Romanian) in 1499. The origins of the name Soroca are not fully known. Soroca (сорока) is the East Slavic word for magpie. Its location is only a few kilometers from the Moldova–Ukraine border.
The original wooden fort, which defended a ford over the Dniester, was an important link in the chain of fortifications which comprised four forts (e.g., Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, then known as Akkerman, and Khotyn) on the Dniester, two forts on the Danube, and three forts on the north borders of medieval Moldavia. Between 1543 and 1546, under the rule of Peter IV Rareș, the fort was rebuilt in stone as a perfect circle with five bastions situated at equal distances.
During the Great Turkish War, John III Sobieski's forces successfully defended the fort against the Ottomans. It was of vital military importance during the Pruth River Campaign of Peter the Great in 1711. The stronghold was sacked by the Russians in the Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39). The Soroca Fort is an important attraction in Soroca, having preserved cultures and kept the old Soroca to the present day.
The locality was greatly extended in the 19th century, during a period of relative prosperity. Soroca became a regional center featuring large squares, modernized streets, hospitals, grammar schools and conventionalized churches. During the Soviet period, the city became an important industrial center for northern Moldova.Tourist towns of Moldova ,"
Soroca was known for producing grapes, wheat, maize, and tobacco in 1919.
In the past, Socora was notable for its sizeable Jewish population. First mentioned in 1653, the town had one of the oldest Jewish populations in Eastern Europe. As of 1930, 5,462 Jews lived in Socora, which constituted 36% of the population. During the Holocaust, many of the Jews living in Socora were either killed or deported to Transnistria. Following the war, there were an estimated 1,000 Jews in the village. As of 2004, only about 200 Jews lived in Socora.Wolf Moskovich, "Soroca", in The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe", at https://encyclopedia.yivo.org/article/942.
Climate The climate in Soroca is a warm-summer subtype (Köppen: Dfb) of the humid continental climate.
Demographics According to the 2024 census, 21,135 inhabitants lived in Soroca (making it the tenth largest city in Moldova), a decrease compared to the previous census in 2014, when 22,196 inhabitants were registered.
The population was estimated at 35,000 in 1919. It consisted mainly of Jews. Romanians, Germans, and Russians also lived in the city. Before the Holocaust, Soroca had a Jewish population of around 18,000, but there are only around 40 Jews living there today.
The city has a sizable Romani minority and is popularly known as the "Romani capital of Moldova".Steve Kokker, Cathryn Kemp (2004) "Romania and Moldova" (a travel guide), p.322
Mayor The Mayor of Soroca is head of the executive branch of Soroca City Council.
List of mayors of SorocaNameFromUntilPartyPool Mihail Popovschi20032007PCRM2003 Victor Său20072011PNL2007 Elena Bodnarenco20112015PCRM2011 Victor Său20152019PLDM2015 Lilia Pilipețchi2019PresentPSRM2019
Media Observatorul de Nord, a newspaper from Soroca, founded in 1998Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, „Nici tu ploaie ca lumea, nici tu limpezirea apelor în domeniul politicii”Reporter european Vocea Basarabiei, 67,69 and 103.1
Natives
Samuel Bronfman (1889–1971), a Jewish-Canadian entrepreneur, former owner of Seagram Alexandru Cimbriciuc Arkady Gendler (1921–2017), Jewish-Ukrainian Yiddish Singer Sofia Imber, a Venezuelan journalist, founder of the Contemporary Art Museum of Caracas Isaac Kitrosser, French Jewish photojournalist James J. Matles, United States labor union leader Anna Mincovschi, mother of Robert Hossein Kira Muratova, a Soviet and Ukrainian film director, screenwriter and actress David Seltzer (1904–1994), New York Yiddish language Jewish writer, journalist and poet Marina Shafir, a Moldovan mixed martial arts and professional wrestler currently works for All Elite Wrestling. Nicolae Șoltuz, a member of Sfatul Țării Robert Steinberg, a Jewish-Canadian mathematician Leonte Tismăneanu, a Romanian communist activist Eugen Ţapu (1983–2009), a protester in the post-election riots in Chișinău who died while in police custody Gheorghe Ursu (1926–1985), a Romanian construction engineer and dissident Mark Tkaciuk, historian, politician The family of Karl Maramorosch
Gallery
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities Soroca is twinned with: Bryansk, Russia Flămânzi, Romania Suceava, Romania
See also History of the Jews in Bessarabia Romani people in Romania Armenians in Moldova
References
Further reading Soroki/Soroca (pp. 376–380) at Miriam Weiner's Routes to Roots Foundation
External links