The place in Romania with fully paved roads and houses for everyone. What facilities does a small town at the end of Romania have in 2025

A small town in the extreme north of Moldova is one of the few towns in Romania that has 100% paved roads. It is about Săveni, the city that in the last decade has experienced a spectacular development with the help of European and government funds.

Săveni is the city with all paved streets PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

It is very difficult to find an urban settlement in Romania, including in the big cities, where all the streets, including those in the border areas, are paved. Well, the miracle happened in a small provincial town located in the extreme north of Romania, in Botoșani county. It's called Săveni and it was one of the poorest and most undesirable cities in Romania 15 years ago. Originally a fair, dominated by Jewish trade, in the 19th century, Săveniul is taking shape in 2025 as a big provincial urban surprise, with extraordinary facilities especially for young families.

From prosperous fair to post-communist apocalyptic ruin

Săveni is located approximately 40 kilometers from Botoşani in the northeastern part of the Moldavian Plain. Located at the crossroads of old commercial roads, the ones that crossed the Bașeu Valley and the Prut Valley, Săveniul is first attested in 1546 during the reign of Petru Rareș. In 1818, it became a fair through the charter of Scarlat Callimachi and acquired the right to hold 12 fairs annually. During this period, a strong Jewish community settled in the market, developing trade and crafts. That is precisely why, in the middle of the 19th century, Săveniul becomes the “capital” of Plasa Bașeu.

After 1940, the Jewish community almost disappeared in Săveni and the locality became a commune. Only in 1968 and thanks to the cheese factory that delivered goods for export, Săveniul acquired the status of a city. Săveni cheese has remained a brand even today, recognized at European level. However, during the communist period, the old fair decays. After 1990, Săveniul becomes almost a ghost town haunted by unemployment, homeless people and poverty. A city in name only where people lived worse than in the countryside. Young people left in waves, many never to return. It looked like a doomed city with no future. It was the place where few Romanians would have wanted to live.

“We probably have over a hundred percent”

A decade ago, a miracle happened in the Bașeu plain, and Săveni transformed radically. From a post-communist catastrophe it has become an increasingly chic provincial town. The pedestrian area was modernized, street lighting appeared everywhere, the buildings in which the institutions functioned were rehabilitated, as well as the schools, kindergartens, including the “Mihai Ciucă” High School in Săveni, the only one that serves an impressed school population from the north-eastern area of ​​the county.

But more than anything, Săveniul is probably the only provincial town that has all its roads paved. There are only three kilometers left in the flood zone. However, it is compensated with paved roads that also lead to agricultural holdings. “I have about 5-6 houses that do not have asphalt in front of the gate, but we probably have more than a hundred percent considering that we paved even the roads that go out into the fields. These roads lead to agricultural farms, holdings. The city has really experienced a spectacular change, but one of the main priorities was to rehabilitate all the roads in such a way that no one is blinded from this point of view. The roads look very good. We started paving them since 2016 and we have now reached 80 kilometers of asphalt”says Relu Târzioru, the mayor of Săveni.

In addition, roads are repaired and upgraded at regular intervals to ensure impeccable infrastructure.

Roads from Săveni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

“Stefan cel Mare and Independenții streets on the strategic road will soon be rehabilitated. I think it will be the most modern road in the city of Săveni. And of course the roads that connect the strategic will be modernized where needed”, adds the mayor.

Five villages belong to the city of Săveni: Bodeasa, Bozieni, Chișcareni, Petricani and Sat Nou. In all these communities there is asphalt everywhere. Including on the roads that connect the villages to the city of Săveni. Next to the roads, ditches and sidewalks were properly laid out. The roads were built over the 10 years with the help of government, European funds and those from the town hall budget.

The place where young families receive free housing or land from the City Hall

Săveni has up to 10,000 inhabitants. A large part of the youth of the 90s and early 2000s migrated abroad en masse due to lack of opportunities and poverty. That is precisely why the local authorities have emphasized all kinds of measures with social impact to reduce the exodus or even to convince young specialists to stay in Săveni.

In addition to asphalt, sidewalks and running water from the Prut (not famous for its quality), the Săveni mayors invested in housing. There are several types of facilities.

Block for specialists Săveni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

On the one hand, we are talking about social housing, housing for specialists, but also those of the ANL type. It is about 71 apartments and social houses, including a modern block with 24 apartments worth one million euros, built with ANL funds, but also another housing facility with social housing, built with European funds.

The idea from which it started was that every child should have his crib and every family, including the needy ones, should have a house. In addition to all this, the town hall arranged an area of ​​two hectares of land, divided into lots of 500 square meters.

Remember PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

This land was offered to the young families who settled in Săveni. A whole neighborhood of houses, perfectly organized, has already been born. Each lot was offered with all utilities but also the access road.

Last but not least, a block of flats was built for specialists from various fields who work in Săveni. “By offering housing to young people, free of charge, many start families and settle in the city of Săveni. Think that if two young people settle in Săveni, they receive a house or a plot of land. This helps them to found a family in friendly and civilized living conditions. We offer conditions in such a way that in our city they can live European, premium”confesses Relu Târzioru.

Pedestrian Săveni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

In Săveni, in addition to a chic pedestrian street full of shops, patisseries and restaurants, there is a hospital, court, Prosecutor's Office, Police, archeology museum, house of culture – where the actors of the theater from Botoșani also come to play -, market, bank branches, markets and many other facilities. Schools and high schools were also rehabilitated with European or government funds. In addition, the cinema was also rehabilitated in Săveni, but several sports bases were also built.