Location of Bieltsy, Belz, Beltz or Bălţi (written description)

Bălţi (Бэлць) Moldova or Romanian, Bel'tsy (Бельцы) Russian, Belz (Yiddish), Bielce (Polish), also can be written as Baltsi, Baltsy, Bel'cy, Bel’tsy, Belts', Beltsi, Beltsy, Beltz, Belz', Belzy, Bieltsi, Byelcy or Byelcy. There are two Russian names - the older one is Бельцы (Bel'tsy), the newer, and quite often used spelling is Бэлць (Belts').

The name might derive from the marshland with the same name near the town. The town is also referred to as the Capital of the North.

The town straddles the small river Răut, a tributary of the Dniestr, which is flowing eastwards direction. Due to occasional floods, the river was straightened and dams were erected. The town itself occupies a small valley and is surrounded by rolling hills. Around the town, the very fertile Chernosem ('black soil') allows intensive agriculture. The area around the town is also called Bălţi Steppe.

Bieltsy is today the third largest city in Moldova.

Bălţi is an industrial town surrounded by huge factories. However, many of the factories seem to have shut down years ago. Next to the industrial complexes there are many rather dull residential areas. Some parts of the suburbs are characterized by very poor looking tiny huts. The center itself is quite spacious. The main road is the long Boulevard Ştefan cel Mare. The oldest buildings of the town line up along this road.

Bălţi was first mentioned in the year 1421, but at the end of the same century it was destroyed by the Tartars. Not much happened until the 18th century. At that time, the town became one of the major battlefields in the struggle agains the Ottomans. Bălţi and the rest of Moldova was part of Moldovia, which is present day Eastern Romania with Iaşi as its capital. In 1818, Bălţi was granted town rights. Later on, it became the centre of industrialization. In the Soviet Union, the industrialization was pushed ahead. Workers were needed, and so many Russians settled in and around Bălţi. Since almost the entire industry broke down after 1991, Balti started to suffer a severe economic crisis, which explains the dramatic drop in the population

The latitude and longitude coordinates of Bieltsy are 47°46' 27°56'.

Bieltsy is:
• 68 miles NW of Chişinău (Kishinev)
• 40 miles SE of Edineţ (Yedintsy),
• 44 miles NNE of Iaşi (Yash).