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Timişoara
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Little Vienna
Location of Timişoara
Coordinates: 45°45′35″N 21°13′48″E / 45.75972, 21.23
Country	Romania
County	Timiş County
Status	County Capital
Government
- Mayor	Gheorghe Ciuhandu (Christian-Democratic People's Party)
Area
- City	129.2 km² (49.9 sq mi)
- Metro	1,070.4 km² (413.3 sq mi)
Population (July 01, 2007 [1])
- City	307,347
- Density	2,379/km² (6,161.6/sq mi)
- Metro	359,132
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Website: http://www.primariatm.ro/

Timişoara (pronunciation in Romanian: /timiˈʃo̯ara/; Hungarian: Temesvár, German: Temeschburg, Temeswar, or Temeschwar, Bulgarian: Тимишоара, Serbian: Темишвар, Temišvar, Banat Bulgarian: Timišvár, Turkish: Tamışvar-Tamişvar or Temeşvar), also known as "The City of Athletes", is a city in the Banat region of western Romania. It is the capital of Timiş County.

With 312,400 inhabitants^{citation needed}, Timişoara is a large economic and cultural center in Banat in the west of the country.

It is a multicultural city with influential minorities, primarily Hungarians, Germans, and Serbs, as well as Italians, Arabs, Indians, Bulgarians, Roma people, Jews and Greeks.

The city is also called "Little Vienna", because it belonged for a very long time to the Habsburg Empire and the entire city center consists of buildings built in the Kaiser era, which is reminiscent of the old Vienna. Timişoara is an important university center with the emphasis on subjects like medicine, mechanics and electro-technology. An industrial city with extensive services, it was the first European city to be lit by electric street lamps in 1884. It was also the second European and the first city in what is now Romania with horse drawn trams in 1867. There are numerous claims that Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built one of Timişoara's footbridges over the Bega.

The old city consists of historic city quarters with several historic squares and proms. These are: Cetate (Belváros in Hungarian, Innere Stadt in German), Iosefin (Józsefváros, Josephstadt), Elisabetin (Erzsébetváros, Elisabethstadt), Fabric (Gyárváros, Fabrikstadt). Numerous bars, clubs and restaurants have opened in the old center in the fine old baroque square.

Name

All of the variants of its name derive from the Timiş River, known in Roman Antiquity as river Tibisis or Tibiscus. The evolution of the river name from antiquity (with the phonetic change "b" → "m") can be explained by the transition of Latin into Old Romanian. Although the Bega passes through Timisoara, the city received its name from the Timiş river because at the time of the setting of the name, the Bega and Timiş river's paths were very much mixed up. It is frequently spelled in English simply as Timisoara (without the diacritical mark beneath the s which actually produces a "sh" sound as in "shape").

History

Main article: History of Timişoara

A fountain in the centre of Timişoara

Temeswar the hungarian name of Timişoara in the Hungarian Kingdom in a 1685 engraving by Wagner

In the Roman period, in the place where Timişoara is today, or in its immediate proximity there was a military camp named Zambara or Zurobara.^[2] During the time of the invasions of the nomad tribes from the Central-Asian plains, especially that of the Avars, on the site of the ruins of Zambara, a new settlement, called Beguey, was built.

In 1019 the locality of Dibiscos/ Bisiskos/ Tibiskos/ Tibiskon/ Timbisko/etc., presumed to be the future Timisoara , was mentioned for the first time in written documents of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, although not all historians do agree with this identification. In 1154, the Arabian geographer Sarif al Idrisi mentioned the city telling that "it is a nice city offering a lot of riches". The first mention of the fort of Timişoara (Castrum Temesiensis) is found in the decree of King Andrew II of Hungary dating from 1212. Timişoara itself was first mentioned in official documents as a city in 1474. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1552 and remained under their control until it was taken by the Habsburg army led by the Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1716.

The demographic conditions of the region changed dramatically during the 167 year of Ottoman rule. In 1582, the city of Temeswar, in spite of the bloody siege, still had a Hungarian majority (the chief judge was István Herczegh^[3]). Later, the largest ethnic group in the city were Muslim Turks, and other smaller groups included Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies.^[4]

After the city was occupied by the Austrian Empire, the Turkish population fled. Of the remainder, we know of about 600-700 inhabitants out of which 446 were Serbs, 144 Jewish, and 35 Armenians. ^[5] The "Armenische Stadt" as a separate quarter existed until the Great Plague of 1738. According to the 1720 data, the largest ethnic group in the city was Serb. Other smaller groups included Romanians and Jews; there were no Hungarians or Germans in the city at that time.^[4] Later, many Germans settled in the city, and gradually they became the largest ethnic group.

In 1718, the first beer factory in Transylvania was built. The first tobacco mill in today's Romania was set up in Timişoara. Between 1728 and 1771 a canal Bega was built to unite the city with the Danube river. In 1849 Timişoara became the capital of the Austrian crownland of Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat as the result of the Spring of Nations revolution; the province was ethnically extremely diverse, as its population was made up of Romanians, Germans, Serbs, and Hungarians. The crownland was abolished in 1860 and passed to Hungarian rule in 1867 with the creation of the dual monarchy.

The city was also the first city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to have public lighting using suet candles and lamps with oil and grease. Timişoara also became the first city in Europe to have electric public lighting on the 12th of November 1884,^[6] (four years after New York City). A tram hauled by horses also came into service around this period. Meanwhile, in 1869 Timişoara was also the first city in the Kingdom of Hungary to have an ambulance station.

A street light description

In 1910, the town had 72,555 inhabitants: 31,644 (43.6%) Germans, 28,552 (39.3%) Hungarians (most probably including the Hungarian speaking Jews) , 7,566 (10.4%) Romanians and 3,482 (4.8%) Serbs.^[7]

After World War I, the town was occupied by Serbian troops in November 24, 1918. They withdrew from the city on July 26, 1919 and the Romanian army entered the city on August 3 after an ultimatum of the Romanian government. This situation was confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon.

During the next decades as a result of the city's development and of population movements from the Romanian villages of the surrounding region and from other regions of the country, Romanians became the majority in the city. A relative Romanian majority was first recorded in the 1941 census. After the Second World War many ethnic Germans emigrated in Germany, also almost all of the Jews emigrated to Israel and to the West. Timişoara's population has more than tripled over the last 50 years (it was slightly more than 90,000 at 1930 census), while the percentage of Magyars (Hungarians) has decreased from 30% to 7.5%, the Germans' from 30% to 2% and the Jews from 8% to almost 0%.

On December 16, 1989 many citizens of the town came to support the Hungarian Calvinist pastor László Tőkés against the authorities and Securitate (secret police)'s decision to deport him. In these circumstances on 17th December a popular uprising started in Timişoara against the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu. This was the beginning of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which put an end to the Communist regime a week later.

Demographics

Timişoara has a population of 303,200 (2006). The average annual population growth is -1,5%. 14,2% of the population are under 15 years of age, 4.0% are old over 75. The municipalities population dynamics and ethnic composition:

Economy

Iulius Mall with its 210 shops is one of the largest shopping centres in Romania^[9]

Timişoara has been a strong economic center since the 18th century when the Habsburg administration was installed. Due to the Austrian colonization, the ethnic and religious diversity and the innovation of laws, the economy began to develop. The technicians and craftsmen that settled in the city established guilds and helped develop the city’s economy.

During the Industrial Revolution most of the modern innovations were introduced. It was the first city with streets illuminated in the monarchy, and the first city of Europe illuminated by electric light. In this period the Bega river was channelled - Bega canal. It was the first navigable canal in the recent Romanian territory. In this way the city had contact with Europe, and even with the world through the Black Sea. This led to the evolution of commercialism. In the 19th century the railway system of the Hungarian Kingdom reached Timişoara. It is the first city in today’s Romania with international routes. In this way the city had all the needs for commercialism.

In recent years, Timişoara has enjoyed a significant economic boom as the number of foreign investments, especially in high-tech sectors, has risen constantly. It is frequently considered the second most prosperous city in Romania (following Bucharest) and there have been frequent debates on whether the so-called "Timişoara Model" could be applied to other cities. In an article in late 2005, French magazine L'Expansion called Timişoara Romania's economic showcase, and referred to the increased number of foreign investments as a "second revolution".

Apart from the several local investments, many substantial investments from the European Union take place in Timişoara, particularly from Germany and Italy, as well as from the USA. Continental AG has produced tires here for several years. The company Linde produces technical gases, and a part of the wiring moulds for BMW and Audi vehicles are produced by the company Draexelmaier. The US company Solectron maintains a large workplace in the west of the city for the production of mobile telephony and government inspection department devices. The American company Procter & Gamble manufactures washing and cleaning agents in Timişoara. The Swiss company Nestlé produces waffles here.

A city bus in Timişoara, running on route 33.

Healthcare

Spitalul Clinic Judeţean de Urgenţă Timişoara

Transport

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Timişoara's public transport network consists of 11 tram lines, 9 trolleybus lines and 15 bus lines, and is operated by Regia Autonomă de Transport Timişoara (RATT) [1], an autonomous corporation of the City Hall. The city is served by Romania's second busiest airport, Traian Vuia International Airport, which is the hub of the Romania's second-largest airline, Carpatair. The city is connected to a series of major European and domestic destinations. Timişoara is a major railway centre and is connected to all other major Romanian cities, as well as local destinations, through the national Căile Ferate Române network.

Neighborhoods

Main sights

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• Timişoara Orthodox Cathedral
• Timişoara State Theater
• The Roman Catholic Cathedral (The Dome)
• Millennium Church
• Huniade Castle

Education

"Politehnica" University's main building, the "Lloyd Palace", situated in Victoria square

High Schools:

Colegiul Bănăţean, Jean Louis Calderon High School, Grigore Moisil High School, C.D. Loga High School, Nikolaus Lenau High School, Bartók Béla High School, Ion Vidu High School, William Shakespeare High School and Carmen Silva High School are some of the leading high schools in Timişoara.

Universities:

• The West University of Timişoara
• The Politehnica University of Timişoara
• Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara
• The Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences in Timişoara
• The Dimitrie Cantemir University of Timişoara
• The Tibiscus University of Timişoara

Sport

Football:

• FCU Politehnica Timişoara
• U.M. Timişoara
• CFR Timişoara
• Chinezul - historic 6 titles
• Ripensia Timişoara - historic 4 titles
• Banatul Timisoara - historic

Basketball:

• Elba Timişoara

Handball:

• Politehnica-Izometal Timişoara

Sister cities

Famous natives

• Lőrincz Schlauch dr.( 1892-+1903).Cardinalis of rom.chatolic catedralis in Oradea.
• Mircea Baniciu (1949- ), Romanian rock singer
• Iolanda Balaş (1936- ), Romanian athlete, Olympic champion
• Ana Blandiana (1942- ), Romanian poet
• Félix Bodrossy (1920-1983), Hungarian cinema cameraman and director
• J. Edward Bromberg (Joseph Bromberger), (1903-1951) US actor
• Ioan Mihai Cochinescu (1951- ), Romanian writer and musicologist
• Virgil Cosma ( ) Romanian musicologist
• Nicu Covaci (1947- ), Romanian rock musician and painter, founder of Phoenix rock band
• Robert Dornhelm (1947- ), US-Austrian cinema director
• Ezra Fleischer (1928-2006), Israeli Hebrew poet and literary historian
• Catalin Dorian Florescu(1967), Swiss writer of German expression
• André François (Farkas) (1915-2005), French illustrator and cartoonist
• Peter George Oliver Freund (1936), US physicist
• Michael Harish (1936- ), Israeli politician, minister of trade and industry
• Arnold Hauser (1892-1978), British-Hungarian historian and sociologist of arts
• Ioan Holender (1935- ), Austrian bariton and manager, director of the Opera of Vienna
• Hugo Jan Huss (1934-2006), Romanian-American conductor
• Ion Ivanovici (1845-1902), Romanian conductor and composer, author of the waltz "The Waves of the Danube"
• Károly Kerényi (1897-1973), Hungarian-Swiss philologist and historian of religion
• Roberto Schlosser ( 1937- ), Romanian-Mexican Director, Actor, Producer
• György Klapka (1820-1892), Hungarian general, hero of the 1848 Revolution
• Frederic Klein, Romanian entomologist
• Károly Kós (1883-1977), Hungarian-Romanian architect, author and politician
• Eva Lonn, (1956-) Canadian cardiologist
• George Lusztig (1946- ), US mathematician
• Margarete Matzenauer, (1881 - 1963) US opera singer, mezzosoprano and dramatic soprano
• József Méliusz(Nelovankovic) (1909-1995), Hungarian-Romanian poet
• Zoltan Mesko (1986- ), US football player
• Pelbartus Ladislaus of Temesvár (1430-1504), Hungarian Catholic philosopher and preacher
• Reuven Ramaty (1937-2001), Israeli-US astrophysicist
• Cornel Trăilescu (1926- ), Romanian composer and conductor
• Timotei Ursu (1939- ), Romanian cinema and TV programs director and author
• Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984), US Olympic swimmer, best known for his role as Tarzan
• Myriam Yardeni (1932- ) Israeli historian, specialist in the history of the Huguenots
• Mircea Ciugudean (1940- ) founder and first dean of Electronics and Telecommunications at The "Politehnica" University of Timişoara
• Hermann Kövess Commander-in-Chief of Austria-Hungary's army
• Sandra Romain (1978- ) Film Actress
• Miss Platnum (1980- ) Singer

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Timişoara

• Timisoara metropolitan area

Gallery

Orthodox Church	The Orthodox Cathedral (other view)	The Bega Canal	The Unirii Square
The Orthodox Cathedral	The Orthodox Cathedral (other view)	The Victory Square(view at The Orthodox Church)	The City Hall
The Prefect's Office	King Carol I Street	The Victory Square	The Victory Square
The Baroque Palace	The Catholic Cathedral	The Unirii Square	The Unirii Square (summer)
The Catholic Cathedral (other view)	The Unirii Square and the Statue	The Serbian Church	Pub in Unirii Square
Lenau School in Unirii Square	The BT Cafe	The Libertatii Square	The Floral Clock
The Park near the Floral Clock	Catholic Church	The National Bank of Romania	The National Bank of Romania (at night)
Iulius Mall at Christmas	The Traian Square	The Millennium Cathedral	The Millennium Cathedral (other view)
The Roses Park	The Court of Law	Take Ionescu Street	Cardinal Points
Orthodox Church in Mehala	Dan Paltinisanu Stadium	The Timisoara county Hospital	Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy
The Bega Channel	Alpinet Park	Orthodox Cathedral

References/Notes

External links

• http://e-timisoara.info People from Timisoara
• http://www.timisoreni.ro/en/video/timisoara/intro Welcome to Timisoara, An introduction to Timisoara made by Prof. Harry W. Morgan
• http://timisoara.com CyberTim, Timisoara's home page, the oldest Romanian page on the net.
• http://timisoara.org City of Timisoara; Homepage.
• http://www.timisoara-tourism.com Timisoara Tourism
• Tourist Bureau of Romania
• Updated map of Timisoara
• Timisoara's interactive map and many photos from Timisoara city
• Satellite image from Google Maps
• "Traian Vuia" Int'l Airport (in Romanian, English)

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