Botoșani

Botoșani
County capital
Colaj Botoşani.jpg
Coat of arms
Location of Botoșani
Coordinates: 47°44′55″N 26°40′10″E / 47.74861°N 26.66944°E / 47.74861; 26.66944Coordinates: 47°44′55″N 26°40′10″E / 47.74861°N 26.66944°E / 47.74861; 26.66944
Country	Romania
County	Botoșani County
Status	County capital
First mention	1493
Government
• Mayor	Ovidiu Portariuc (Social Democratic Party)
Area
• Total	40.7 km2 (15.7 sq mi)
Elevation	170 m (560 ft)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	106,847
• Density	2,625/km2 (6,800/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	710xxx
Area code(s)	(+40) 231
Vehicle registration	BT
Climate	Dfb
Website	http://www.primariabt.ro

Botoșani [Romanian pronunciation: [botoˈʃanʲ]] (Hungarian: Botosány, Polish: Botoszany, German: Botoschan) is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa.

The name of the city probably has its origin in the name of a boyar family called Botaș, whose name can be found in old records from the time of Prince Stephen the Great (late 15th century) as one of the most important families of Moldavia, records which trace it back to the 11th century.

Botoșani is first mentioned in 1439, in which one chronicle says that "the Mongols came and pillaged all the way to Botușani". The town is then mentioned only during the conflicts between Moldavia and Poland: several battles were fought near the town, in 1500, 1505 and 1509. During the reign of Petru Rareș, the town was set ablaze by the Poles. It was during his reign then that we know that the town had a hill fort.

In the 15th century, it was still not a fully-fledged town, but archeological evidence shows that it was a pre-urban settlement. During the second part of the 14th century, some Transylvanian colonists (most likely German or Hungarian) settled in Botoșani. Additionally, a large community of Armenian traders settled in the 14th or 15th centuries.

Being placed at the junction of several commercial roads (including the "Moldavian Road", which linked Iași to Hotin) the city was initially a market town; in 1579 it already had "the biggest and the oldest fair of Moldavia".