Suceava

Introducing Suceava

Barring the inevitable ţuică binge, Suceava won’t exactly make your ears smoke with excitement. At first glance, it appears to be one concrete block connected to another by crumbling concrete promenades. Yet there’s a palpable charm to the city that, combined with its worthwhile attractions, should leave visitors fulfilled. Furthermore, its stout and exceptional tourism infrastructure, unmatched outside of Transylvania, caters to every possible tourism desire in Bucovina and beyond.

The capital of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565, Suceava was a thriving commercial centre on the Lviv–Istanbul trading route. By the end of Ştefan cel Mare’s reign in 1504, Suceava had approximately 40 churches. It fell into decline after the Turks bulldozed through in 1675.

During the Ceauşescu regime in the 1980s, Suceava became notorious for its toxic pulp and paper works (still in operation), which churned out 20 tonnes of cellulose and fibre waste a day, causing respiratory and nervous disorders known as Suceava Syndrome. Recognising that having the word ‘syndrome’ affixed to the city name was bad for PR and morale, civic leaders eventually installed new filters and pollution has greatly decreased. The local economy is still dependent on forestry, wood-processing, chemical production and mining for its survival.

The colourful Moldavian Furrier Fair is held here every year in mid-August. Alternatively there’s Suceava Days (late June), yet another religious-holiday-turned-street-party, with biblical amounts of beer, street food and music.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009