„Şi dacă ne ocoleşte drumul de fier?” Competiţie regională, interese economice şi blocaje militare în configurarea reţelei de căi ferate din Moldova (1859-1914)

Mihai CHIPER

DOI: 10.47743/asui-2024-0017

Abstract: The study concerns the construction of the railway network in 19thcentury Romania, in which the region of Moldavia became a relative loser compared to Muntenia (Eastern part of Wallachia). The Ofenheim concession was designed to serve Austria’s interests in obtaining the shortest possible route to the Black Sea or the Danube Mouths, but it bypassed major Moldavian cities (Iaşi, Botoşani), which would have been the profitable option for the regional economy. By contrast, in Muntenia, the Strousberg network connected the main cities (Craiova, Bucharest, Ploieşti) with the port of Brăila. As a result of the government’s weak negotiating position in the Ofenheim concession, Moldova was affected by path dependence, taking nearly four decades to secure a new north-south crossing, parallel to the Siret River (Iaşi-Vaslui-Bârlad-Galaţi), which allowed the transportation of grain from the north to the ports. Additionally, Moldova was disadvantaged by budget allocations for secondary narrow-gauge lines, initiated in 1882 and 1885, which progressed much more slowly than the investments in Muntenia. Lastly, the military strategic reasons, centralized and aiming to limit the theoretical entry routes of the Russian army towards the capital, played a major role in blocking the transport network in Moldova (Bârlad-Galaţi line). Military thinking marginalized Moldova, disregarding its potential and diminishing interest in investing in the regional transport network.

Keywords: railways; regional economy; path dependency; Moldavia; Wallachia.