HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE

The name of the village Mindresti is very Romanian and reminds the name of a man or of the hills that proudly rise to the sky. The name of the village does is not the only occurrence on the territory of Romania , as villages with such a name are found in three Romanian counties: Tutova, Tecuci, Rimnicul–Sarat. Moreover, villagers originating from Mindresti ‘gave birth’ to new settlements bearing the same name. In 1919, 40 families from Mindresti moved to live on the land they possessed near Balti and founded a village with the name Mindrestii – Noi (New-Mindresti). Another colony of Mindresti people settled in Vranesti, close to Singerei. Their number was too small to give the same name to the village they came to.

The village Mindresti is documentarily attested in 1610 – 1611 during the rule of Ieremia Movila. According to a ruler’s resolution Ion Mindru and Petrache Roadedeal benefited of such a privilege. Lacking documents, we listen to what old people have to say about the legend of the village. The two landowners had a fight regarding the name of the estate. They agreed to have a horse race all around the estate and who would win, would gave a name to the place. Starting in a gallop from Harghel’s well to the farthest corner of the estate, they reached the river at the willows. They wanted to cross a small precipice when Ion Mindru’s horse got scared of something and dropped him dead to the ground. Roadedeal gave the name to the place in the honor of his friend – Mindresti.

The first settlement of the village was in the region of the Ciuluc plains called by the natives „Intre Ciulucuri” (Between the Ciulucs). This headland slightly directed to the East was much higher in the past then it is today and in such a way it was favorable in protecting the people’s huts. The second pre-historical settlement spread from the cross-roads at Tirloaea Well to the slope of the hill Hergheleasca. The third settlement was on the Berd Bridge and was the closest to the one of our times. These settlements around the village Mindresti prove that the place was inhabited since old times.

In 1949 the collective farm „M. Frunze” was created. In January 1950 there were 1,623 households with a population of 3,909 inhabitants. The collective farm had 10,130 hectares of agricultural land. In 1956 three collective farms from the neighboring villages Ciulucani, Mindresti and Codru, merge and the collective farm „XX Partsiezd” is formed. On January 1, 1973 the villages Mindresti and Ciulucani merge and thus it becomes the largest rural community in the district Telenesti. In 1975-76 the collective farm wins the title of “millionaire collective farm”. In the period 1989-90, in connection with the agrarian reform, the collective farm is transformed into the Agricultural Association „Mindresteni”. In 1999-2000 the association is dissolved and three societies with limited responsibilities and three peasant farms are formed.  Approximately 350 land-cottas owners cultivate the land on their own. At the moment (2006), 35 economic agents / enterprises are registered and function in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.