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{{Other uses}}{{More citations needed|date=May 2023}}{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type               = municipality
|county             = Vaslui
|official_name      = Vaslui
|image_map          = Vaslui jud Vaslui.png
|map_caption        = Location in Vaslui County
|image_skyline      = Piata Civica Vaslui.JPG
|image_caption      = Vaslui cityscape
|image_shield       = ROU VS Vaslui CoA1.jpg
|leader_name        = Lucian Braniște<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale09062024v2/romania/pv-final |title=Results of the 2024 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=28 July 2025 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|leader_term        = 2024&ndash;2028
|leader_party       = PSD
|coordinates        = {{coord|46|38|18|N|27|43|45|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation          = 110
|elevation_min      = 90
|elevation_max      = 170
|area_total         = 68.44
|population_as_of   = 
|population_total   = auto
|population_footnotes = 
|postal_code        = 730006–730242
|area_code          = (+40) 02 35
|website            = {{url|https://www.primariavs.ro}}
}}

'''Vaslui''' ({{IPA|ro|vasˈluj}}), a [[Municipalities of Romania|city]] in eastern [[Romania]], is the seat of [[Vaslui County]], in the historical region of [[Western Moldavia]]. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara.

==History==
[[Archaeological survey]]s indicate that the territory of Vaslui was inhabited since the [[Neolithic]]. From the 14th century onwards, it developed as the provincial town of Vaslui, with a population that fluctuated considerably in the following centuries. The name of Vaslui appears first in a Polish document from 1375, referring to [[Karijotas|Koriat]]'s son [[Yuri Koriatovich]]. The name ''Vaslui'' was also mentioned in 1435, in connection with the accession of [[List of rulers of Moldavia|Prince]] [[Iliaș of Moldavia|Iliaș]] to the [[Moldavia]]n throne. The town was burned to the ground in 1439 and 1440 when [[Tatars in Romania|Tatars]] invaded Moldavia.

[[File:Clădire Vaslui.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Building from the medieval Princely Court historical ensemble in Vaslui]]

The peak of Vaslui's importance was in the 15th century, when it was a second-rank capital of Moldavia, during the reign of [[Stephen the Great]] (r. 1457–1504) and its population approached that of the neighbouring [[Iași]]. In 1475, Prince Stephen won his [[Battle of Vaslui|greatest battle]] against the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the Vaslui area. Once the Moldavian capital was moved from [[Suceava]] to Iași and the southern town of [[Bârlad]] became an administrative center of southern Moldavia, Vaslui declined for the next three centuries to eventually become a local [[borough]] (''[[târg]]'').
 
There once was a fairly large [[History of the Jews in Romania|Jewish]] community in the city of Vaslui. Its arrival from [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]] during the second half of the 19th century gave a new impetus to local economic development. In 1899, Jews formed 37% of the population, and Vaslui was home to the ''[[Vasloi (Hasidic dynasty)|Vasloi]]'' [[Hasidism|Hasidic]] dynasty. However, waves of [[pogrom]]s, associated with the [[Holocaust]] (''see [[Romania during World War II]] and [[Holocaust in Romania]]'') as well as [[Aliyah|emigration]] to [[Israel]] during Romania's [[Communist Romania|communist period]] decimated this population.

[[Romania during World War II|During World War II]], the [[Stephen the Great Monument]] was relocated from [[Chișinău]] to Vaslui. On 22 August 1944, Vaslui was captured by [[Red Army|Soviet]] troops of the [[2nd Ukrainian Front]] in the course of the [[Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive|Jassy–Kishinev Offensive]].

The population of Vaslui grew steadily again after 1968, when the town was proclaimed as the administrative center of Vaslui County, with immigration from the neighbouring countryside, attracted by the industries set up by the [[Communist Romania|Communist regime]].

==Demographics==

{{Historical populations
|align=none
|percentages=on
| 1912 | 10,397
| 1930 | 15,310 
| 1941 | 13,923 
| 1948 | 13,738
| 1956 | 14,850
| 1966 | 17,591 
| 1977 | 39,435 
| 1992 | 80,614
| 2002 | 70,571
| 2011 | 55,407
| 2021 | 63,035
}}

According to the [[2021 Romanian census|2021 census]], there were 63,035 people living within the city of Vaslui,<ref name="RPL2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tabel-1.03_1.3.1-si-1.03.2.xls|title=Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]]|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}</ref> making it the 40th largest city in Romania. The ethnic makeup was as follows: 98.63% [[Romanians]], 1.19% [[Romani people in Romania|Romani people]], 0.06% [[Lipovans]], and 0.12% other. The majority of the population is of Romanian ethnicity. Members of the [[Romani people in Romania|Roma minority]] live compactly in the southwestern suburbs of [[Rediu, Vaslui|Rediu]] and [[Brodoc]], in the southwestern part of the main town (in the neighbourhoods around Traian Street) and also scattered in the rest of the locality. In the 1960s and '70s nomadic Roma belonging to the [[Kalderash]] caste were forcibly settled by the Communists in the northern part of the town, scattered among ethnic Romanians. The third ethnic group is that of the Lipovans, who have in the center of the town a church of their [[Old Believers]] Christian branch.

According to data provided by Romanian officials in 2017, the population of Vaslui was 100,170. The substantial increase compared to the [[2011 Romanian census|2011 census]] figures is because tens of thousands of dual citizens from neighboring [[Moldova]] come to Vaslui for their identity documents, where a Vaslui address is listed.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.vremeanoua.ro/vasluiul-s-a-umflat-oficial-resedinta-judetului-a-trecut-de-100-000-de-locuitori "Vasluiul s-a umflat: oficial, resedința județului a trecut de 100.000 de locuitori"], ''Vremea nouă'', May 1, 2017</ref>

==Districts==
Vaslui has several neighborhoods: 13 Decembrie, Ana Ipătescu, Castanilor, Copou, Delea, Alecu Donici, Gheorghe Racoviță, Green Park, Gura Bustei and Traian.

==Education==
The city has ten schools, classes I – VIII, named after  [[Ioan Cuza]], [[Dimitrie Cantemir]], [[Constantin Parfene]], [[Elena Cuza]], [[Ștefan cel Mare]], [[Mihai Eminescu]], [[Constantin Motaș]], [[Alexandra Nechita]], [[Vasile Alecsandri]], [[Mihail Sadoveanu]].

The city also has six high schools, named after [[Mihail Kogălniceanu]], [[Emil Racoviță]], [[Anghel Rugină]], [[Ștefan Procopiu]] and [[Ion Mincu]], as well as a Sports High School.

==Economy==
The main industries are textiles (clothing and knitted wear) and food (baked goods, vegetable oil, meat, dairy). There are also a number of shopping centers and supermarkets.

==Transport==
[[File:Gara Vaslui.jpg|180px|thumb|Train station]]
[[File:Gara vaslui.JPG|180px|thumb|Train station]]
[[File:Spre centrul orasului.JPG|180px|thumb]]
The {{ill|Vaslui railway station|ro|Gara Vaslui}} is located in the south of the city. Originally designed by [[Anghel Saligny]], it opened in 1886. The station was renovated in 2013.

In the city, public transport is provided by buses and taxis. In July 1994, a [[Trolleybuses in Vaslui|trolleybus line]] opened. It closed in July 2009, reopening in August 2016.<ref>"EU funds Romanian trolley revival" ''[[Buses (magazine)|Buses]]'' issue 738 September 2015 page 25</ref>

The {{ill|DN24|ro}} [[Roads in Romania|national road]] passes through the city in a north-south direction ([[Iași]]-[[Bârlad]]). The {{ill|DN2F|ro}} road heads west to [[Bacău]], and the {{ill|DN15D|ro}} road goes north-west to [[Piatra Neamț]]. [[European route E581]] lies to the south-east.

==Sport==
Vaslui is home to [[FC Vaslui]] football club which played in [[Liga I]] until 2014, and [[HC Vaslui]] handball club which are playing in [[Liga Națională (men's handball)|Liga Națională]].
[[File:Stadionul Municipal (Vaslui).jpg|180px|thumb|Municipal Stadium]]
[[File:Stadionul Vaslui.jpg|180px|thumb|Municipal Stadium]]

== Natives ==
* [[Ioan Adam]]
* [[Viviana Gradinaru]]
* [[David M. Hermalin]]
* [[Lora (singer)]]
* [[Nicolae Milescu]]
* [[Gheorghe Mironescu]]
* [[Alexandra Nechita]]
* [[Alina Plugaru]]
* [[Corneliu Porumboiu]]
* [[Nikolai Spathari]]
* [[Constantin Tănase]]
* [[Marcela Topor]]

==Notable residents==
* [[Marcus Eli Ravage]]<ref>*{{cite book 
| year=2009
 |author=M. E. Ravage 
 |title=An American in the Making: The Life Story of an Immigrant 
| chapter=Pt. V, ‘Postscript: Twenty Years Later’
 |publisher=Harper Modern Classics 
| orig-year=1936
 |jstor=j.ctt5hhx2m
 |isbn=978-0-8135-4537-0
}}</ref>

==Twin towns==
Vaslui is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Orașe înfrățite|url=https://www.primariavs.ro/re.do?cmd=classPage&id=247&ids=247,249|publisher=Vaslui|language=ro|access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|MDA}} [[Cahul]], Moldova
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Quarrata]], Italy
*{{flagicon|MKD}} [[Radoviš Municipality|Radoviš]], North Macedonia
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[San Fernando de Henares]], Spain

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Palatul Administrativ Vaslui.jpg|Civic Square
File:Centru vaslui.JPG
File:Biserica Taierea Capului Sfantului Ioan Botezatorul 0090.jpg|Princely Church
File:Parcul Copou, mun. Vaslui.png|Copou Park
File:Centrul orasului vaslui.JPG|Civic Square
File:Casa de cultură Vaslui.jpg|House of Culture
File:Teatrul de vară din Vaslui.jpg|The Summer Theatre
File:Palatul de Justiție, Vaslui.jpg|Palace of Justice
File:Primăria municipiului Vaslui.jpg|City Hall
File:Spitalul judetean de urgenta vaslui.JPG|County Hospital
File:Winmarkt mall.JPG|Central Mall (red)
File:Casa Mavrocordat, azi Palatul Copiilor din Vaslui.JPG|Mavrocordat Palace
File:Train Station Vaslui.jpg|Old Railway Station
File:Gimnaziul Mihail Kogălniceanu Vaslui.jpg|"Mihail Kogălniceanu" High School
File:Vaslui - Curtea cu Juri 1907.jpg|Courthouse (1907)
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Vaslui}}
{{EB1911 Poster|Vaslui}}

* <!-- Other sites -->[http://www.primariavaslui.ro/ Vaslui City Hall website]

{{Vaslui County}}
{{RoJudCapitals}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vaslui| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Romania]]
[[Category:Capitals of Romanian counties]]
[[Category:Localities in Western Moldavia]]
[[Category:Populated places in Vaslui County]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Romania]]