Dănceni

Dănceni is a village in Ialoveni District, Moldova. It is located on the bank of a retention basin called Lake Danceni. The village of Dănceni is located 15 km from the capital of the Republic of Moldova, Chișinau, in the southwest direction. It borders the Suruceni, Chișinau, Ialoveni, Sociteni and Ruseștii Noi localities.

In the locality, there is a vocational school (ȘP no. 11, trades: locksmiths, welders, masons, tractor drivers, cooks), the "Alexandrina Rusu" gymnasium, the "Albinuța" kindergarten, the "Andrei Vartic" Public Library, a medical center, fish farms and forestry and a poultry farm. There is also a church called "Saint Demetrius", Sfântul Dumitru.

History and etymology
The name of the locality comes from the name of the boyar Danciu, whose estate would have been located at this particular place.

The first documented mention of the locality is the act of 16 April 1617 (7125): "Ispisoc de la Radu Vodă. adecă al nostru credincios cinstit boiarin, dumnealui Ureche marile vornic m-am milostivit domnia me cu o asabită a noastră milă dumnezească, am dat și am întărit a lui dripte ocine și moșii, cumpărături și danii domnești, toate satile care are în țara domniei mele și de moșie de cumpărături și de danie dintr-a lui dripte drese mărturii ci-au avut dela alții domni mai dinainte (urmează un șir de sate și moșii din Moldova și Bucovina)... și satul Dancini pe Ișnovăț și partea lui din satul Culii din Ișnovăț...". The first elementary school in Dănceni was opened in 1894. In the year 1988, the construction of the new "Alexandrina Rusu" gymnasium, was completed, with 1989 being the first year of the school's operation.

The retention basin now present in the valley adjacent to Dănceni was a project carried out by the Soviet planners in the late 1980s to curb flooding problems and create a large water source for farming. There was a small pond at the bottom of the valley before, near the Ișnovăț river, but it was only 5 ha and had a depth of 1.5 m. Most people were relocated from the old village, now underneath the lake, to a higher elevation, which is the current village. This started in 1974, with the construction of the dam, and finished in 1980.

In 1980, the Olympic flame was carried through many villages in Moldova on its way to Moscow for the Summer Olympics, and it passed by Dănceni on what is now known as "Olympic Street", "Strada Olimpicilor". 368 Moldovan athletes carried the torch at some point on their way to Moscow.

In the late 1980s, a Soviet plan to construct a headquarters for vinicultural purposes was carried out. However, this 75 m building was unfinished and now stands as a decaying concrete structure on the hill opposite Dănceni, near Ialoveni. It is frequently used by rope jumpers, but was also previously used as a place to train firefighters. In 1974, 1978 and 1980, archaeological excavations were carried out in Dănceni, and a settlement from the Middle Bronze Age and from the 5th-6th century was discovered. It was found that the Dănceni II necropolis is among the largest burial sites known in the Republic of Moldova, where 405 human burials were discovered, the largest part belonging to the Roman period, being attributed to the culture Sântana Mureș-Cerneahov from the 3rd-4th centuries.

During the Transnistria War, in 1992, the "Alexandrina Rusu" gymnasium was used as a shelter for 420 refugees from the village of Cocieri.

In 2021, a new water purification centre was constructed, and the sewage system for Dănceni was extended and upgraded after many years of stagnation in construction.

Geography
Dănceni is located on the bank of the retention basin, Lake Danceni, which is located in the Ișnovăț river valley. The lake has a capacity of 4 million m3 and a surface area of 2.2 km2. In more recent years, the lake has regressed somewhat, especially during droughts or drier seasons, with the most northern part of it being taken over by many reeds, and tall grasses. These reeds were subject to arson in May 2024, as pelicans which usually stop to feed at the lake on their yearly migrations were proving difficult to the fishermen. The relief of the village was formed after the regression of the Sarmatian Sea, which disappeared about 5 million years ago. It is situated on a broad hill that rises steeply from the north, and slopes towards the east. The highest elevation near the forest is 220 meters, while the lowest near Poiana Pinului is 80 meters. Dănceni has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) characterised by long, warm summers and cold, windy winters. Extreme seasonal variations are not uncommon. Winter minimum temperatures are often below 0 °C, although they drop below -10 °C on some occasions, for short periods of time. Most winters also see a cold wave in the form of a blizzard, usually from the east, that brings about a large snowfall which can last a long time. In summer, the average maximum temperature is approximately 28 °C, however, temperatures occasionally reach 35 to 40 C in mid-summer. Although average precipitation and humidity during summer is relatively low, there are infrequent yet heavy storms, which can raise the humidity, and can cause flooding at lower elevations. June is the month of the most average precipitation, contributing to an average total of 555 millimetres of rain per year. Dănceni sees a lot of sun compared to Western European cities of this latitude, especially during the hotter months. The average total for the year is around 2,277 hours.

Spring and autumn temperatures tend to have a large diurnal variation and the highs vary between 16 and 25 C, and precipitation during this time tends to be lower than in summer but with more frequent yet milder periods of rain.

Attractions
In Dănceni, there are many tourist attractions located nearby the lake. These places take full advantage of the lake atmosphere, especially during summer, where many parties, festivals and celebrations are held. There are areas such as "Poiana Pinului", which is a row of pine trees near the lake, the dam at the end of the lake, which is popular for fishing, and several piers or decks on the bank of the lake. At the highest elevations of Dănceni is the large forest that is popular with picnics and is home to a small zoo called "Bârlogul Ursului".

Politics
The composition of the Dănceni local council (11 councillors), elected on 5 November 2023, is as follows:

Demographics
According to the 2014 census, the population of the town was 2406, which is a decrease compared to 2004, when 2796 inhabitants were recorded. Of the 2406, 1209 are men, and 1197 are women.

As with the rest of Moldova in the past two decades, Dănceni has seen mass emigration, contributing to the large population decrease. Population by sex: Evolution of the number of inhabitants: Footnotes:

* There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

* ''Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence, thus giving official status to the name Romanian. In 2023, the Parliament of Moldova approved a law on referring to the national language as Romanian in all legislative texts and the constitution.  ''

Notable people

 * Anatolii Buruian
 * Teodor Neaga, member Sfatul Țării
 * Andrei Vartic