Soroca is a city and municipality in northern Moldova, situated on the Dniester River about 160 km 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–Ukrainian 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. Soroca was known for producing grapes, wheat, maize, and tobacco in 1919. The town's sizeable Jewish populated was murdered in the Holocaust during World War II.

Demographics

According to the 2014 census, the population of Soroca amounted to 22,196 inhabitants (making it the eight largest city in Moldova), a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 28,362 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 10,575 were men and 11,621 were women. Footnotes: ***** There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians. ***** ''Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence, thus giving official status to the name Romanian. '' 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, the city had a Jewish population of around 18,000, but there are only 100 today and 20 of them are considered Jewish according to the halakha. The city has a sizable Romani minority and is popularly known as the "Romani capital of Moldova".

Mayor

The Mayor of Soroca is head of the executive branch of Soroca City Council.

Climate

The climate in Soroca is a warm-summer subtype (Köppen: Dfb) of the humid continental climate.

Media

Natives

Gallery

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Soroca is twinned with: