Piatra

Piatra (PEATRA), the capital of the department of Neamtzu Rumania, situated on the left bank of the river Bistritza, where it cuts a way through the Carpathian foothills. Pop. (1900), 1 7,39 1. A branch railway passes through the town, and at Bacau meets the main line from Czernowitz in Bukowina to Galatz. The church of St John's (or the Prince's) monastery was founded in 1497 by Stephen the Great. There are saw-mills and textile factories in Piatra, which has a considerable trade in wine and timber. Neamtzu is one of the most densely forested regions in Moldavia. Lumber rafts are floated down the Bistritza to the Sereth, and so on to Galatz. There are several monasteries in the neighbourhood.