Focșani

Sister cities

• Bălți
• Chișinău
• Potenza
• Berd
• Majdanpek
• Andernach
• Alytus
• Ramat Gan
• Tivoli
• Patras
• Banja Luka

History

A small 13th-century fort discovered at Focșani has been suggested as a candidate for the civitas de Mylco (on the Milcov River), the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Cumania mentioned in a 1278 papal letter (see Roman Catholic Diocese of Cumania: List of bishops). As a town on the Moldavian-Wallachian border, Focșani developed into an important trade center halfway between the Russian Empire and the Balkans. A congress between Imperial Russian and Ottoman diplomats took place near the city in 1772. Near the town, the Ottomans suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the allied forces of the Habsburg monarchy under Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Imperial Russia under Alexander Suvorov in 1789 (see Battle of Focșani). In the 1850s (after the Crimean War), Focșani grew in importance as the center of activities in favor of the union between Wallachia and Moldavia (the Danubian Principalities), leading up to the double election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in Iași and Bucharest in 1859. From 1858, it housed a Central Commission regulating the common legislation of the two countries, as well as the High Court of Justice. Both institutions were disestablished in 1864, when the Romanian Principality was founded as a unified state. Focșani's role in the forming of the modern Romanian state is immortalized in the Union Square Obelisk. It was suggested that Focșani become the capital of the United Principalities in 1861, as a desire to establish a more strategically located capital and represent both Wallachia and Moldavia as a compromise. On 30–31 December 1881, following the impact of Zionism on the Romanian Jewish community, the First Congress of all Zionist Unions in Romania for the promotion of the return to Eretz Israel was held at Focșani. It was…

Geography

Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of convergence for tectonic geologic faults, which raises the risk of earthquakes in the vicinity. Though Vrancea County is one of the most popular wine-producing regions in Romania, Odobești being just to the northwest, in Romania, Focșani itself is not considered a wine-producing center. The wine sold as Weisse von Fokshan in Germany and some other European countries is generally a Fetească Albă de Odobești wine, and practically a second-rated wine which does not comply to the European Union rules of naming the regions of origin of wines. The vicinity is rich in minerals such as iron, copper, coal, and petroleum. The city administers two villages, Mândrești-Moldova and Mândrești-Munteni. Focșani lies within the strategically important Focșani Gate. In the 19th century, the Focșani–Nămoloasa–Galați line was built to defend this area more properly. The territory of Vrancea County corresponds to the most seismically active zone of Romania. The earthquakes with the epicenter in Vrancea are caused by the movements of the nearby fault blocks. Devastating earthquakes measuring 7 to 8 on the Richter scale have been recorded in 1738, 1802, 1838, 1940, 1977 and 1986.

Most-observed species

• Tree-of-Heaven

  Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle · Magnoliopsida
  2,648
• Common Amaranth

  Amaranthus retroflexus L. · Magnoliopsida
  826
• Common Purslane

  Portulaca oleracea L. · Magnoliopsida
  579
• Ashleaf Maple

  Acer negundo L. · Magnoliopsida
  469
• Canadian Fleabane

  Erigeron canadensis L. · Magnoliopsida
  462
• Johnson-grass

  Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. · Liliopsida
  285
• False-acacia

  Robinia pseudoacacia L. · Magnoliopsida
  213
• Ragweed

  Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. · Magnoliopsida
  213

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2026-08-25
  13 km SSE of Comandău, Romania
• M 4.6 — 2026-08-11
  9 km ESE of Vama Buzăului, Romania
• M 4.5 — 2026-02-26
  1 km SSW of Paltin, Romania
• M 4.2 — 2025-10-25
  12 km W of Nereju Mic, Romania
• M 4.4 — 2025-08-24
  2 km S of Spulber, Romania
• M 4.1 — 2025-05-16
  13 km NNW of Gura Teghii, Romania