| Cotnari | |
|---|---|
| Commune | |
 Saint Paraskeva Church in Cotnari | |
 Location in Iași County | |
  CotnariLocation in Romania | |
| Coordinates: 47°20′25″N 26°56′27″E / 47.34028°N 26.94083°E / 47.34028; 26.94083 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Iași |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2024) | Vasile Crețu (PSD) |
| Area | 103.53 km (39.97 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 145 m (476 ft) |
| Population | 5,843 |
| • Density | 56/km (150/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 707120 |
| Area code | (+40) 0232 |
| Vehicle reg. | IS |
| Website | primariacotnari |
Cotnari (Romanian pronunciation: [kotˈnarʲ]) is a village and the center of the eponymous commune in Iași County, Romania, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. It is located north-west of Iași and south of Hârlău, in a major wine-producing region of Romania, and is famous for the wine variety known as Grasă de Cotnari. Cârjoaia, the forest of Dumbrava Roșie, and other sites in Cotnari are regional tourist spots.
The commune is composed of eleven villages: Bahluiu, Cârjoaia, Cireșeni, Cotnari, Făgăt, Hodora, Horodiștea, Iosupeni, Lupăria, Valea Racului, and Zbereni.
History
Proof of habitation in the area goes back to the Cucuteni culture; a fortress dating from the 6th or 5th century BC was discovered on the nearby Cătălina Hill (nowadays a nature reserve).
First attested in 1448, Cotnari was the site of a strong Roman Catholic community composed mainly of Germans and Hungarians. The establishment of vineyards is attributed by local tradition to an initiative of Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great, under whose rule the village rose to the status of alternate residence, while stone structures and roads to serve the wine trade were built in the area.
Its Catholic tradition made the village a target for Reformation in the 1560s, under the rule of the Protestant Prince Ioan Iacob Heraclid: Heraclid built a Latin Renaissance academy (Schola Latina), placed under the leadership of Ioannes Sommerus; the church he built on the site was re-established as a Catholic place of worship after Heraclid's death, and served the community until 1873, when it burned down. In 1641, Cotnari became the regional center of Catholic education, until it was replaced 60 years later by the Jesuit school in Iași.
Natives
- Victor Iamandi (1891–1940), politician who served as the Romanian Minister of Justice in 1938–1939
- Cătălin Moroșanu (born 1984), kickboxer, chanbara practitioner, and rugby player
- Cezar Petrescu (1892–1961), journalist, novelist, and children's writer
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The Cotnari schoolhouse
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Wine cellar in Cotnari
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Medieval stone bridge in Cârjoaia
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- "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.