Slobozia 3.61

Slobozia is the capital city of Ialomița County, Romania, with a population of 48,241 in 2011.EtymologyThe city was founded on the site of a village by the name "poor". During the Tatar invasion, it was attacked and conquered. In order to keep the villagers in the settlement, the rulers of Wallachia withdrew some taxes. This explains the city's name, which comes from the Romanian word of Old Bulgarian origin "ѕlobozie", which means "free village from taxes."GeographySlobozia lies roughly in the middle of the county, on the banks of Ialomita River, at ca. 120km east of Bucharest and 150km west of Constanța, important port at the Black Sea. The city is within 17km of the Bucharest-Constanța A2 Motorway (Autostrada Soarelui).The total area of the municipality is 126.72km2. In the present administrative form, Slobozia consists of Slobozia proper and the neighbourhoods of Bora and Slobozia Nouǎ.EconomyThe main activity in the area is agriculture, processing of the agricultural products and light industry.CultureIn 1990 the Cultural Centre was inaugurated, bearing the name of the conductor and composer Ionel Perlea, a city native. The building houses exhibition and performance rooms, bookstores, cultural institutions. In 1999 the Cultural Centre Ionel Perlea entered the UNESCO circuit.The city is the headquarters of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Slobozia and Călărași, established in 1993.