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174-565: Zrenjanin is the 2nd largest city in the Serbian part of the Banat geographical region, and the third largest city in Vojvodina (after Novi Sad and Subotica ). The city was designated European city of sport. The city was named after Žarko Zrenjanin (1902–1942) in 1946 in honour and remembrance of his name. One of the leaders of the Vojvodina communist Partisans during World War II , he

348-535: A Sarmatian ’s graveyard has been found in a city residential district, near the railroad bridge. Finally in the necropolis, not far from Aradac , “Mečka”, more than 120 graves, which date from the end of the sixth and the beginning of the seventh century, have been excavated in 1952. The first historical records mentioning Zrenjanin (Bečkerek) date from the 14th century, the time when Charles I , King of Hungary and Croatia (1301–1342), used to visit Banat and spend time in his capital Timișoara . (Near today's Zrenjanin

522-487: A second language , preferring Romanian. Serbian is more common among older generations educated in it. In 2018, according to official data, over 7,000 foreigners lived in Timișoara. The actual figure is higher, given that many foreigners living in Timișoara do not apply for permanent residence, while spending most of their time in the city. Although much changed throughout its history, the religious composition of Timișoara

696-425: A Byzantine monastery at Morisena, but still kept 7 wives and worshiped Pagan gods at his Court. His vassal Csanád defeated him by the will of King Stephen I of Hungary. The territory of the modern Banat did not form a separate territorial unit in medieval Kingdom of Hungary , it was an integral part of it. The territory was shared by Krassó , Keve , Temes , Csanád , Arad and Torontál counties . In 1233, under

870-459: A city. In 2004, the town's tap water was deemed unsafe for consumption due to high levels of arsenic . As of 2022, the ban remains in place. Zrenjanin is situated on the western edge of the Banat loess plateau, at the place where the canalized River Begej flows into the former water course of the River Tisa . The territory of the city is predominantly flat country. The City of Zrenjanin

1044-511: A coin was found with the inscription "Charles I".) Many noblemen came with the King, including the powerful Imre Becsei . The areas where Becsei settled down were named for him, “Bechereki” and “Beche” ( Novi Bečej ). The oldest written records of Bečkerek date from Budim Capitulum's document of collecting the Pope's tens taxes in 1326, 1331 and 1332. Judging by the size of the taxes, Bečkerek of 1330s

1218-403: A decrease compared to the previous census in 2011, when 319,279 inhabitants were registered. However, these figures are questioned by local authorities and sociologists due to the defective way in which the census was conducted. According to the mayor's office and local population records, Timișoara numbers over 309,000 inhabitants as of 2023. The population of the city represents roughly 38% of

1392-480: A distance of 30 and 27 km from the city, respectively, mentioned since Roman times for the properties of healing waters. Along with Oradea , Timișoara is part of the Art Nouveau European Route. It is also a member of Eurocities . Timișoara has an active cultural scene due to the city's three state theatres, opera , philharmonic and many other cultural institutions. In 2016, Timișoara

1566-415: A few insectivores and rodents. The birds, on the other hand, are numerous, some of which are of hunting importance (the pheasant ). The urban wildlife , although less varied than the forest wildlife, has a higher number of species of hunting interest ( rabbit , deer , quail , partridge , pheasant , hedgehog , etc.) and reptiles. In the parks of Timișoara there are hedgehogs , moles , tree frogs and

1740-604: A lot of birds. Regarding the piscifauna, the dominant species is the carp , along with which live breams , bleaks , roaches , zieges , pikes , natural support for sport fishing . Timișoara used to have the only zoo in western Romania, Timișoara Zoological Garden , but it was closed. The main watercourse is the Bega River , the southernmost tributary of the Tisza . Springing from the Poiana Ruscă Mountains , Bega

1914-773: A part of Central Serbia (the area called Pančevački Rit , forming the left part of the Danube in the municipality of Palilula , included in the Belgrade metropolitan area ). Timi%C8%99oara Timișoara ( UK : / ˌ t ɪ m ɪ ˈ ʃ w ɑːr ə / , US : / ˌ t iː m iː -/ , Romanian:  [ t i m i ˈ ʃ o̯a r a ] ; German : Temeswar [ˈtɛmɛʃvaːɐ̯] , also Temeschwar or Temeschburg ; Hungarian : Temesvár [ˈtɛmɛʃvaːr] ; Serbian : Темишвар , romanized :  Temišvar [těmiʃʋaːr] ; see other names )

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2088-461: A preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018): Zrenjanin no longer has a public transport operator, for the first time in its recent history, following the privatization and subsequent bankruptcy of Autobanat . It used to operate as the city's public transport company and as the regional public transport service to the nearby cities of ( Novi Sad , Belgrade , Kikinda , Vršac ), etc. In

2262-525: A revolt of Romanians. Also governor of the province was not given the title of "ban", the region became known as the Banate of Temes or Banat of Temeswar. It remained a separate province within the Habsburg monarchy and under military administration until 1751, when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria reorganized the province, dividing it between military and civil administration. The Banat of Temeswar province

2436-602: A small northern part of the region, which is part of the Csongrád-Csanád County of Hungary and is made up of seven villages and the district of Szeged , Újszeged. The Hungarian part of Banat used to be the northernmost region of the Torontál County in the Kingdom of Hungary . In Romania, Banat includes all of Timiș and Caraș-Severin counties (with the exception of Băuțar ), Arad County (only

2610-524: A small part included in the Belgrade Region ); and a small northern part lies within southeastern Hungary ( Csongrád-Csanád County ). The region's historical ethnic diversity was severely affected by the events of World War II . Today, Banat is mostly populated by ethnic Romanians , Serbs and Hungarians , but small populations of other ethnic groups also live in the region. Nearly all are citizens of either Serbia, Romania or Hungary. During

2784-478: Is 45. Predominantly under the influence of the maritime air masses from the northwest, Timișoara receives a higher amount of precipitation than the cities in the Wallachian Plain . The average amount of precipitation for the year in Timișoara is 604.4 mm (23.80 in), falling on 87 days. The month with the most precipitation on average is June with 80.8 mm of precipitation. The month with

2958-496: Is Jankov Most. Ethnically mixed settlements are: Aradac (with relative Serb majority) and Belo Blato (with relative Slovak majority). The ethnic composition of the city administrative area: According to the 2002 census, most of the inhabitants of the Zrenjanin municipality were Orthodox Christians (77.28%). Other faiths include Roman Catholic (12.01%), Protestant (2.13%), and other. Orthodox Christians in Zrenjanin belong to

3132-536: Is July with an average temperature of 22.9 °C (73.2 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 0.7 °C (33.3 °F). The highest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is 42.9 °C (109.2 °F), which was recorded in July. The lowest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is −27.5 °C (−17.5 °F), which was recorded in February. The average amount of precipitation for

3306-585: Is a geographical and historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central and Eastern Europe . It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of Timiș , Caraș-Severin , Arad south of the Mureș river , and the western part of Mehedinți ); the western part of Banat is in northeastern Serbia (mostly included in Vojvodina , except for

3480-440: Is canalized, and from Timișoara to its outflow it was arranged for navigation (115 km [71 mi]). The Bega Canal was built between 1728 and 1760, but its final arrangement was made later. The Bega Canal was designed for the access of barges of 600–700 tons and an annual transport capacity of three million wagons. From the multitude of arms that existed before the canalization of Bega, only Bega Moartă (Dead Bega; in

3654-562: Is composed of four counties: Arad, Timiș, Hunedoara and Caraș-Severin; thus it has almost same borders as the Timiș Province ( ținutul Timiș ) of 1938. The Vest development region is also a part of the Danube-Criș-Mureș-Tisa Euroregion . The region was claimed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between 1918 and 1922 (as the province of Banat, Bačka and Baranja between 1918 and 1919) and from 1922 to 1929 it

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3828-481: Is defined as the part of the Pannonian Basin bordered by the Danube to the south, the Tisza to the west, the Mureș to the north and the Southern Carpathians to the east. The historical Banat totals an area of 28,526 km . Various sources indicate figures slightly different from this. When the province was divided in 1920, Romania was assigned an area of 18,966 km (approximately ⅔ of the total),

4002-738: Is diverse. If in 1910 most of the inhabitants were Roman Catholics , in 2011 75% declared themselves Romanian Orthodox . In Timișoara there are 80 churches, 12 of which were built after 1989; 41 belong to the Orthodox Church , eight to the Roman Catholic Church and three to the Greek Catholic Church . In addition, there are three synagogues in Cetate , Fabric and Iosefin neighborhoods, all three built before World War I , when Jews accounted for 10% of

4176-484: Is located at the intersection of the 45th parallel north with the 21st meridian east . As a mathematical position, it is in the northern hemisphere , almost equally distant from the north pole and the equator , and in the eastern hemisphere, using Central European Time . The local time of the city (considered after the meridian) is 1 h 25' 8" ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time , but it is 34' 52" behind

4350-482: Is made up of people who have moved here from elsewhere. In 2017, the former mayor Nicolae Robu stated that the city of Timișoara has an additional population of over 100,000 people compared to the officially registered residents. This includes students, workers, and other categories of floaters, who are not included in the statistical reports as they no longer acquire a residence visa. Timișoara has stood out since ancient times as an ethnically diverse city. In 1910 ,

4524-693: Is monotonous, except for a few morphological units: the Vršac Mountains , the Bela Crkva basin and the east Banat alluvium. The largest stretch of sand in Europe, today stabilized and covered with vegetation, Deliblatska Peščara , also lies in Serbian Banat. The climate of Banat is predominantly temperate ( Cfb , according to Köppen classification ), with a northeastward increase of continental and orographic effects ( Dfb ). Frequent cyclones from

4698-502: Is provided by Lake Surduc , an anthropic lake (1976), the largest in Timiș County, located 87 km (54 mi) from the city. Like parts of Romania , Timișoara exhibits a transitional humid continental ( Köppen : Dfb ) and humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa ), characteristic of the southeastern part of the Pannonian Basin , with some sub-Mediterranean influences. The dominant air masses, during spring and summer, are

4872-468: Is situated at a longitude of 20°23’ east and a latitude of 45°23’ north, in the center of the Serbian part of the Banat region, on the banks of the Rivers Begej and Tisa . The city is located at 80 meters above sea level. Zrenjanin is around 70 kilometres (43 mi) away from Belgrade , and about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Novi Sad , which is also the distance to the present border with

5046-512: Is starting to flow in Zrenjanin. New industrial and work and residential zones are formed and the Town's General Plan 2006-2026 and Sustainable Development Strategy 2006-2013 are made and approved. At the end of 2007, introducing a new national territorial organisation followed by necessary legislation, the Municipality of Zrenjanin has been upgraded to an administrative and territorial status of

5220-601: Is the capital city of Timiș County , Banat , and the main economic, social and cultural centre in Western Romania . Located on the Bega River , Timișoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical Banat region. From 1848 to 1860 it was the capital of the Serbian Vojvodina and the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar . With 250,849 inhabitants at the 2021 census , Timișoara

5394-548: Is the country's fifth most populous city . It is home to around 400,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area , while the Timișoara–Arad metropolis concentrates more than 70% of the population of Timiș and Arad counties. Timișoara is a multicultural city, home to 21 ethnic groups and 18 religious denominations. Historically, the most numerous were the Swabian Germans , Jews and Hungarians , who still make up 6% of

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5568-463: Is the third-level football league in Serbia . The city was designated European city of sport in 2021. Zrenjanin is twinned with: Banat Banat ( UK : / ˈ b æ n ɪ t , ˈ b ɑː n -/ BAN -it, BAHN - , US : / b ə ˈ n ɑː t , b ɑː -/ bə- NAHT , bah- ; Romanian : Banat ; Hungarian : Bánság ; Serbian : Банат , romanized :  Banat )

5742-411: Is to represent the national government at the local level, acting as a liaison and facilitating the implementation of national development plans and governing programs at the local level. In 2003, neighborhood advisory councils were set up as a measure to improve local government consultation with citizens on local public policies. As of 2013, Timișoara had 20 neighborhood advisory councils. Timișoara

5916-516: The Volksdeutsche , people of ethnic German descent. They established the political entity known as Banat in 1941. It included only the western part of the historical Banat region, which was formerly part of Yugoslavia. It was formally under the control of the Serbian puppet Government of National Salvation in Belgrade led by Milan Nedić . It theoretically had limited jurisdiction over all of

6090-625: The 2024 local elections , the Local Council has the following composition by political parties: Additionally, as Timișoara is the capital of Timiș County , the city hosts the Administrative Palace, the headquarters of the County Council ( Romanian : Consiliu Județean ) and the prefect , who is appointed by Romania's central government. The prefect is not allowed to be a member of a political party, and his role

6264-734: The Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18 Bečkerek went under Habsburg rule. As a crown province, Banat belonged directly to the Vienna court. The first governor, appointed by the Emperor, was Count Claudius Mercy . By the imperial edict on 12 September 1718, Banat was divided into 13 districts, with the main administration in Timișoara at its head. The District of Banat included a few settlements: Idjoš , Arač , Bečej , Itebej , Elemir , Ečka and Aradac . The first chief of this district

6438-508: The Avar Khaganate , Bayan I . These views are contradicted by those who believe that "ban" comes from an old Proto-Indo-European root, bha , which means "to speak". At the time of the medieval Hungarian kingdom, the territory of modern Banat appeared in written sources as Temesköz (first mentioned in 1374). The Hungarian name mainly referred to the lowland areas between the Mureș , Tisza and Danube rivers. Its Ottoman name

6612-739: The Bronze Age were discovered. At the beginning of the common era, this area was settled by many native tribes, but also by many newcomer tribes: the Illyrians , the Celts , the Goths , the Geths , the Sarmatian and Jazghs . In the end of the third century and in the middle of the fourth century, in the area of Zrenjanin and its surroundings, the Sarmatian tribe Roxolani appeared. From this period

6786-673: The Dacians who left traces of their past. Several Romanian historians have advanced the idea that the current location of Timișoara corresponds to the Dacian settlement of Zurobara . Although its location is unknown, the coordinates given by geographer Ptolemy in Geographike Hyphegesis place it in the northwest of Banat. It is assumed that in the 9th century Knyaz Glad ruled over these lands, accepting Hungarian sovereignty, though no contemporary accounts exist. Timișoara

6960-520: The Danube River , and were encouraged to restore farming in the area. They cleared the marshes near the Danube and Tisa rivers, helped build roads and canals, and re-established agriculture. Trade was also encouraged. Maria Theresa also took a direct interest in Banat; she colonized the region with large numbers of German farmers, who were admired for their agricultural skills. She encouraged

7134-833: The Eparchy of Banat of the Serbian Orthodox Church with seat in Vršac . Zrenjanin is also the centre of the Roman Catholic diocese of the Banat region belonging to Serbia. The city of Zrenjanin used to be the fourth largest industry center in former Yugoslavia . The economy of Zrenjanin is diverse, as it has developed processing industry , agriculture , forestry , building industry , and transport . As of September 2017, Zrenjanin has one of 14 free economic zones established in Serbia. The following table gives

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7308-508: The European Union (Romania), which makes its position a particularly important transition center and potential resource in the directions north–south and east–west. The city administrative area includes the following villages: The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Cfa (Humid Temperate Climate). The average temperature for the year in Zrenjanin is 12.1 °C (53.8 °F). The warmest month, on average,

7482-673: The Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs in Banat, Bačka and Baranja ; while the Hungarian minority remained loyal to the government in Budapest. Besides these declarations, no other plebiscite was held. In 1938, the counties of Timiș-Torontal , Caraș , Severin , Arad and Hunedoara were joined to form ținutul Timiș , which roughly encompassed the area typically called Banat in Romania. On 6 September 1950,

7656-541: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 9,276 km (approximately ⅓ of the total), and Hungary 284 km (approximately 1% of the total). The Romanian Banat is mountainous in the south and southeast, while in the north, west and southwest it is flat and in some places marshy. Some Banat mountain massifs constitute the western branch of the Southern Carpathians, i.e., Țarcu Mountains and Cerna Mountains. The Poiana Ruscă Mountains and Banat Mountains with

7830-613: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was founded, as the first South Slavic state. The town of Veliki Bečkerek became the administrative centre of Torontal-Tamiš County, and after its repealing, the town became the headquarters of District Office. In 1929 the town became part of the Danube Banovina . By the Town Council decision made on 29 September 1934, and confirmed by the Town Authority on 18 February 1935,

8004-691: The May Assembly , the western Banat became part of the Serbian Vojvodina , a Serbian autonomous region within the Habsburg Monarchy. During the Revolutions of 1848–1849 , Banat was respectively held by Serbian and Hungarian troops. After the Revolution of 1848–1849, Banat (together with Syrmia and Bačka ) was designated as a separate Austrian crownland known as the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat . In 1860 this province

8178-538: The Mediterranean Sea is also strongly felt, which in winter generate complete thawing and in summer impose periods of stifling heat. The average annual temperature was 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) between 1991 and 2020. The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 22.7 °C (72.9 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 1.0 °C (33.8 °F). The lowest temperature recorded in Timișoara

8352-676: The Neolithic populations. In the 4th century BC, Celtic tribes settled in this area. Various Hallstatt and La Tène objects were found in this area. The most important tribes were the Scordisci and the Taurisci . The Scordisci, who formed a powerful state even minted their own coins, imitating the Macedonian tetradrachm. The Scordisci subdued as all the other tribes in the region to the getic ruler Burebista , therefore their region

8526-497: The Palaeolithic  – Old Stone Age and the Neolithic  – New Stone Age. In Zrenjanin's regions no archaeological sites of the Palaeolithic have been found. The only exception makes the discovery of mammoth ’s head and other bones found on the banks of Tisa River near Novi Bečej in the year 1952. The discovered archaeological sites, however, indicate that these regions had already been inhabited in

8700-492: The Pannonian Plain is bounded by the Mureș , the Tisza and the Danube ; the region was very fertile and already offered favourable conditions for food and human livelihood in 4000 BC. Archeological remains attested the presence of a population of farmers, hunters and artisans, whose existence was favoured by mild climate, fertile soil and abundant water and forests. The first identifiable civilisation in Banat were

8874-647: The Serbs , and he is known to have visited Bečkerek on September 30, 1398. The town was granted to Stefan Lazarević at the end of the 1403. The despot became the vassal of the Hungarian King; but he got Bečkerek and the title of the Great Head of the Torontál County . The Hungarian King Ferdinand appointed friar Djordje Martinović, a commander of his forces, to defend the town from the Ottomans. Hungary

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9048-474: The interwar years saw continuous economic and cultural development. A number of anti-fascist and anti-revisionist demonstrations also took place during this time. During World War II , Timișoara suffered damage from both Allied and Axis bombing raids , especially during the second half of 1944. On 23 August 1944, Romania, which until then was a member of the Axis, declared war on Nazi Germany and joined

9222-618: The kuruc and the Turkish civilian population were forced to leave the city after a 48-day siege marked by repeated bombings that destroyed much of the city's buildings. After the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), the Banat of Temeswar became the province of the Habsburg monarchy and was proclaimed "possession of the Crown" with a military administration which ruled Timișoara until 1751 when it

9396-424: The 16th–17th centuries and the Banate of Temeswar in the 18th–19th centuries. The word "Banat" without any other qualification typically refers to the historical Banate of Temeswar , which acquired this title after the 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz . The name was also used from 1941 to 1944, during Axis occupation, for the short-lived political entity (see: Banat (1941–44) ), which covered only today's Serbian part of

9570-440: The 2022 census, the total population of the city of Zrenjanin was 67,129, or 105,722 in the administrative area. Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Zrenjanin, Banatski Despotovac, Botoš, Elemir, Ečka, Klek, Knićanin, Lazarevo, Lukićevo, Melenci, Orlovat, Perlez, Stajićevo, Taraš, Tomaševac, Farkaždin, and Čenta. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority are: Lukino Selo and Mihajlovo. Settlement with Romanian ethnic majority

9744-400: The Allies. The German and Hungarian troops attempted to take the city by force throughout September, but without success. After the war, the People's Republic of Romania was proclaimed, and Timișoara underwent Sovietisation and, later, Systematisation . The city's population tripled between 1948 and 1992. Timișoara became highly industrialised both through new investments and by increasing

9918-417: The Banat from the Hungarian areas to the west and divides the current Vojvodina into two parts. A wide river that meanders through the plain that bears its name. The Timiș/Tamiš is the largest inland river of Banat, which has its sources on the eastern slopes of the Semenic Mountains, in Caraș-Severin County . The river is formed at the confluence of three branches: Semenic, Grădiște and Brebu. It crosses

10092-424: The Banat plain. By the middle of the 14th century, Timișoara was at the forefront of Western Christendom 's battle against the Muslim Ottoman Turks . In 1394, the Turks led by Bayezid I passed Nagybecskerek (present-day Zrenjanin ) and Timișoara on their way to Wallachia where they were defeated by Voivode Mircea the Elder in the battle of Rovine . Timișoara once again served as a concentration point for

10266-407: The Byzantine-Bulgarian war as allies of Byzantium, and defeated the Bulgars. Because of this, the Bulgarians allied with the Pechenegs , who attacked the Hungarian settlements. This led to the process of what is known as the Hungarian conquest of the Pannonian basin, referred to by them as "hometaking" ( honfoglalás ) in Hungarian. This also resulted in the loss of part of the territories north of

10440-430: The Christian armed forces, this time for the battle of Nicopolis . After the Christians' defeat, the Ottomans devastated Banat to Timișoara, from where they were expelled by Count István Losonczy. Appointed Count of Timiș in 1440, John Hunyadi moved with his family to Timișoara, which he would turn into a permanent military camp. John Hunyadi would come to be known throughout the region for his victory in Belgrade over

10614-415: The Christian army conquered several towns, but Timișoara remained untouched. Another attempt to retake the city took place in 1596, when an army of Sigismund Báthory began the siege of the city. After 40 days of futile efforts, the besiegers drew back. After the victory at Petrovaradin on 5 August 1716, the Austrian army led by Prince Eugene of Savoy decided to conquer Timișoara. The Ottoman military,

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10788-452: The Danube for the Bulgarian Empire. According to Gesta Hungarorum chronicle, a local ruler known as Glad ruled over Banat and his army was formed by Vlachs, Bulgarians, and Cumans. Ahtum was another early-11th-century ruler in the territory now known as Banat. His primary source is the Long Life of Saint Gerard, a 14th-century hagiography. Chanadinus, Ahtum's former commander-in-chief, defeated and killed Ahtum, occupying his realm. Banat

10962-448: The Diet and that of disposing its own revenues. The city was under siege in 1848 for 107 days. The Hungarians unsuccessfully tried to capture the fortress in the battle of Temesvár . It was the last major battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 . By the March Constitution , the region was incorporated to the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar , which became a crownland of the Austrian Empire . The new imperial province,

11136-521: The Fabric neighborhood) and Bega Veche (Old Bega; to the west, flowing through Săcălaz) are preserved inside the city. In addition to permanent courses and those that dry out, often during the summer, on the territory of Timișoara there are a number of lakes: either natural, formed instead of the old meanders or subsidence areas, such as those near Kuncz, Giroc, Pădurea Verde, etc., or of anthropic origin, such as those from Fratelia, Freidorf, Ciarda Roșie, Ștrandul Tineretului, etc. Timișoara's drinking water

11310-563: The Germans made reprisals. On 2 October 1944, the Red Army Forces came into town, and, after a short fight, took command of most vital public buildings. The following day the first meeting on National Liberation Committee for the town Petrovgrad was held. Eight members of the national liberation resistance, from the town and its surroundings were announced National Heroes: Žarko Zrenjanin , Svetozar Marković Toza , Pap Pavle , Stevica Jovanović , Servo Mihalj , Nedeljko Barnić Žarki , Boško Vrebalov, and Bora Mikin Marko . During World War II ,

11484-480: The Hungarian Forest Service. About 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Timișoara is the Bazoș Dendrological Park, a forest reserve which since 1994 has the status of protected area. The first trees of the reserve were brought in 1909 from the Harvard University nursery. Today, the reserve includes 800 different species of trees and shrubs and is part of the International Association of Botanical Gardens. The fauna of Timișoara includes few mammals, represented only by

11658-1338: The Hungarian form. The Habsburg/Austrian authorities also used Temeschwar or Temeswar , names that have become commonplace in current usage. The name of the city comes from the river which passes the city, Timișul Mic ( German : Kleine Temesch ; Hungarian : Kistemes ), hydronym which was in use until the 18th century when it was changed to Bega or Beghei. [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary (1212–1526) [REDACTED] Eastern Hungarian Kingdom (1526–1551) [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary (1551–1552) [REDACTED]   Ottoman Empire (1552–1716) [REDACTED]   Habsburg Monarchy (1718–1779) [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary (1779–1849) [REDACTED]   Austrian Empire (1849–1867) [REDACTED]   Austria-Hungary (1867–1918) ( de jure Hungary until 1920 ) [REDACTED] Banat Republic (1918) ( de facto ) [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Serbia (1918) ( de facto ) [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1919) ( de facto ) [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Romania (1920–1947) ( de facto from 1919) [REDACTED]   Romanian People's Republic (1947–1965) [REDACTED]   Socialist Republic of Romania (1965–1989) [REDACTED]   Romania (1989–present) The southeastern part of

11832-420: The Kingdom of Hungary administration, the Banate of Severin , a military frontier area was formed, including some eastern parts of the modern Banat. In the 14th century, the region became of priority concern to the Kingdom, as the southern border of Banat was the most important defensive line against Ottoman expansion from the southeast. The Ottoman Empire took over the area and incorporated Banat in 1552. It

12006-402: The Mediterranean cause positive precipitation anomalies especially in the western parts and, due to the maritime influence, winters are mild and short, but when northeastern conditions prevail, harsh frosts may occur. Mean annual temperatures range between 12 °C (with average summer temperatures above 22 °C in July) and 6 °C towards the eastern highlands. Besides, temperature inversions occur in

12180-412: The Middle Ages, the term " banate " designated a frontier province led by a military governor who was called a ban . Such provinces existed mainly in South Slavic, Hungarian and Romanian lands. In South Slavic and other regional languages, terms for "banate" were: Serbian – бановина/ banovina , Hungarian – bánsag , Romanian – banat and Latin – banatus . Several theories have been proposed for

12354-411: The Ottomans, considered at that time a defender of Christianity. An important event in the city's history was the peasant uprising led by György Dózsa . On 10 August 1514 he tried to change the course of Bega River to be able to enter more easily into the city, but he was defeated by attacks from both inside and outside the city. The fall of Belgrade in 1521 and the defeat at Mohács in 1526 caused

12528-567: The Roman Army from Dacia. The area fell into the hands of foederati such as the Sarmatians ( Iazyges , Roxolani , Limigantes ) and later the Goths , who also took control of other parts of Dacia. The Goths were forced out by the Huns , who organized their ruling center in the Pannonian Basin (the Pannonian Plain ), an area that included the northwestern part of today's Banat. After

12702-587: The Semenic, Anina, Dognecea, Almăj and Locva divisions are part of the Western Romanian Carpathians . The western pre-mountainous hills make up about a third of the historical Banat territory. Their altitude varies between 200 and 400 meters. The high plain (with altitudes of over 100 meters, up to 140 meters) is represented by the plains of Vinga, Buziaș, Gătaia and Fizeș. The plains with intermediate altitudes, between 100 and 130 meters, are

12876-531: The Serb Chamber of People of the town founded in the war conditions, as a temporary authority with Dr Slavko Župunski at its head. Serb army, the infantry iron regiment “Prince Mihajlo” and the infantry brigade with Colonel Dragutin Ristić in command came into the town on 17 November 1918. A few days after Vojvodina had been occupied, its provinces were attached to the Kingdom of Serbs and on December 1, 1918,

13050-563: The Tisza, and Timiș with its tributaries, such as Pogăniș , Bârzava/Brzava , Caraș/Karaš and Nera , flow into the Danube. There are no large natural lakes . In the past, there were many lakes, ponds and swamps in Banat, which were drained by land reclamation carried out at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. There are bigger lakes only south of Zrenjanin . The first known inhabitants of present-day Banat were

13224-573: The Viennese Imperial Court accepted that the three counties of Banat to be reincorporated into the Hungarian Kingdom, in 1779. In 1781 Joseph II declared Timișoara free from the county authority and, to prevent the nobles from interfering with the administration of the city, he raised it to the rank of a "free royal city". This status would secure Timișoara's internal self-government, the right to have representatives in

13398-410: The aftermath of World War I , the Banat region was divided between the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , and Timișoara came under Romanian administration after Serbian occupation between 1918 and 1919. The city was ceded from Hungary to Romania by the Treaty of Trianon on 4 June 1920. In 1920, King Ferdinand I awarded Timișoara the status of a University Centre, and

13572-474: The area had reverted to nearly uninhabited marsh, heath and forest. Count Claudius Mercy (1666–1734), who was appointed governor of the Banat of Temeswar in 1720, took numerous measures for the regeneration of Banat. He recruited German artisans and especially farmers from Bavaria and other southern areas as colonists, allowing them privileges such as keeping their language and religion in their settlements. Farmers brought their families and belongings on rafts down

13746-710: The area lasted until the 9th century, until Charlemagne 's campaigns. Banat region became part of the First Bulgarian Empire a few decades later. Archaeological evidence shows the Avars and Gepids lived here until the middle of the 10th century. The Avar rule had triggered considerable Slavic migration to the southern Pannonian plain and to the Balkans. In 895, the Hungarians living in Etelköz entered

13920-642: The beginning of the next Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) , Prince Eugene of Savoy took the Banat region from the Turks . After the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), the region became a province of the Habsburg Monarchy. It was not incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary. Special provincial administration was established, centered in Temesvár. In 1738, over 50 Romanian villages from Serbia and Banat were destroyed and dwellers murdered by Austrians and Serb militia during

14094-507: The capacities of the old enterprises in various industries: machine building, textile and footwear, electrical, food, plastics, optical, building materials, furniture, etc. In December 1989, Timișoara witnessed a series of mass street protests in what was to become the Romanian Revolution . On 20 December, three days after bloodshed began there, Timișoara was declared the first city free of Communism in Romania . Timișoara

14268-477: The cathedral, Freedom Square, King Aleksandar I Street, etc. There is a Tourist Information Office in the building of National Museum (Subotićeva 1). Zrenjanin has a long sports tradition. First clubs were established during the 1880s. It was the home town of Proleter football club from 1947 until 2005. As of 2021, FK Radnički Zrenjanin plays in Serbian League Vojvodina division, which

14442-547: The city of Vršac and various other towns in Banat and started negotiations with Prince of Transylvania. One of the leaders of the uprising was local Serbian Orthodox Bishop Theodore . In the middle of the 17th century, the territory of Banate of Lugoj and Caransebeș finally fell under Turkish rule and was incorporated into Eyalet of Temeşvar . During Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) , local Serbian uprisings broke out in various parts of Eyalet of Temeşvar . Austrian armies and Serbian militia tried to drive out sultans army from

14616-683: The city through the Azapilor Gate. After the death of John Zápolya , Habsburgs tried to obtain Transylvania and Banat, including Timișoara, with mixed results; Transylvania even entered into dual vassalage for a time. Timișoara remained under the Ottoman rule for 164 years, controlled directly by the Sultan and enjoying a special status, similar to other cities in the region, such as Budapest and Belgrade . During this period, Timișoara

14790-533: The city was rebuilt and grew considerably during the reign of Charles I of Hungary , who, upon his visit there in 1307, ordered the strengthening of the fortress with stone walls and the building of a royal palace. The palace was built by Italian craftsmen and was organised around a rectangular court having a main body provided with a dungeon or a tower. He even moved the royal seat from Buda to Timișoara between 1316 and 1323. Timișoara's importance also grew due to its strategic location, which facilitated control over

14964-758: The city's population; at present, only the Orthodox synagogue in Iosefin and the Cetate synagogue hold religious services. Timișoara is the seat of the Archiepiscopate of Timișoara, the see of the Metropolis of Banat , as well as the seat of the Diocese of Timișoara , one of the six Roman Catholic dioceses in Romania. The first free local elections in post-communist Timișoara took place in 1992. The winner

15138-587: The coalition Democratic opposition of Serbia . On 24 March 1999, the NATO bombing of Serbia began but the town was not targeted. Life in the town was quite normal, in spite of the dangerous situation elsewhere in the country. In the first years after the end of war activities the Town and its citizens have been adjusting to new economic and social-economic conditions, known as transition . Instead of previous large economic combines and companies plenty of new flexible private enterprises are established and foreign capital

15312-616: The country, which, of course, had their influence on the development of Zrenjanin, newly named in 1946. In August 1945 the Agriculture Reform Act came into force, in June 1950 the Worker Self-Management Act, in 1959 the first direct urban plan of the town development, which indicated the urbanism-economic development of the town, was passed. The development, in the first after war decade, was directed by

15486-878: The cultural and social strengthening of Serbs. Those Serbs recruited in the Austria-Hungary 's army began to desert to avoid having to fight their own people. 7,000 of them formed volunteer detachments (people were from Banat and Srem ) at the Eastern front and fought at Dobruja , but 79 fought on the Salonice front . After years, the Serbs forces made a breakthrough of the Salonice front in 1918 and began to liberate their own country. The First Army in command of Vojvoda Petar Bojović freed Belgrade on 1 November 1918 and began to occupy Vojvodina . On 17 November, Serbian army arrived at Veliki Bečkerek. On 31 October 1918,

15660-614: The current Zrenjanin . In 1867, after the Austro-Hungarian compromise the territory returned again to Hungarian administration. After 1871, the former Military Frontier , located in southern parts of Banat, came under civil administration and was incorporated into Banat's counties. Krassó and Szörény were united into Krassó-Szörény in 1881. In 1918, the Banat Republic was proclaimed in Timișoara in October, and

15834-744: The death of Attila , the Hunnic empire disintegrated in days. The previously subjected Gepids formed a new kingdom in the area, only to be defeated 100 years later by the Avars . One governing center of the Avars was formed in the region, which played an important role in the Avar–Byzantine wars. An inscription on one of the vessels from the Treasure of Sânnicolau Mare (which origin is disputed) recorded names of two local rulers, Butaul and Buyla , who bore Slavic ruling titles of župan . The Avar rule over

16008-522: The directive plans, which were based on the principles of socialist economy in which the most important industrial branches were industry and agriculture. By the 1980s many people left their villages and moved into towns which brought many changes in the social, educational and ethnic structure of the town. There was permanently shortage of housing. That is why many new parts of the town and many new apartment buildings were built. Zrenjanin became an important agricultural, industrial, cultural and sport centre, at

16182-704: The division of the Hungarian Kingdom in three parts, and Banat became the object of contention between the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary and Ottomans . After a failed siege in 1551, the Turks regrouped and returned with a new strategy. On 22 April 1552, a 160,000-strong army led by Kara Ahmed Pasha conquered the city and transformed it into a capital city in the region ( Eyalet of Temeşvar ). The local military commander, István Losonczy, and other Christians were massacred on 27 July 1552 while escaping

16356-514: The down course of the Tisa River . What makes this area important is the fact that the influence of two parallel cultures flew through it at the same time. The Iron Age has not been enough explored yet. A few regions with some archaeological materials from the Iron Age have been found: in the residential area Šumica a tip of a spear was found and near the oil factory, pieces of ceramics from

16530-450: The early Neolithic period about 5000 years BC. The most important archaeological site from this period is so-called Krstić tumulus , near Mužlja , about 10 km (6 mi) away from Zrenjanin. Here were found the ceramics , with interesting ornaments . Beside the brewery ground have been found rough, with coloured fine ceramics, ornaments ( Starčevo culture ). The middle Neolithic appeared in our area as Vinča and Potisje culture, in

16704-513: The entire Pannonian Basin . The landscape is diversified by meadow vegetation, along the main rivers, in which softwood trees predominate: willows , poplars , alders . Within the city limits is the Green Forest ( Romanian : Pădurea Verde ), a forest massif with an area of about 724 ha (1,790 acres), systematically arranged in squares of 15 ha (37 acres). The forest is man-made; first organization plans were carried out in 1860 by

16878-431: The entire Timiș County , then passes into Serbia, where it flows into the Danube, at Pančevo . The most important cities through which Timiș passes are Caransebeș , Lugoj and Pančevo . The Bega/Begej springs from the Poiana Ruscă Mountains , crosses the area of Făget and Lugoj , passes through Timișoara , then descends through a channel , flowing into the Tisza, at Titel . Bega and Aranca/Zlatica flow into

17052-456: The etymological origin of the regionym "Banat". A first theory claims that it comes from the root of a verb found in several Germanic peoples , namely ban . This term means "to proclaim" or "to announce". From there it passed into medieval Latin, under the form bannum , which means – among the Frankish peoples , for example – "proclamation", but also the district on which the said proclamation

17226-478: The existence of which had also been consecrated by the imperial decree of 18 November 1849, was ruled both militarily and civilly, and the official languages were German and "Illyrian" (what would come to be known as Serbo-Croatian ). Timișoara was designated as the residence of the governor, and the city maintained its privileges as a free royal city. In 1860, the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar

17400-578: The exploitation of the mineral wealth of the country, and generally developed the measures that were introduced by Count Mercy. German settlers arrived from Swabia , Alsace and Bavaria , as did German-speaking colonists from Austria. Many settlements in the eastern Banat were developed by Germans and had ethnic-German majorities. The ethnic Germans in the Banat region became known as the Danube Swabians , or Donauschwaben . After years of separation from their original German provinces, their language

17574-543: The first in vitro fertilization , the first laser heart surgery and the first stem cell transplant . As a technology hub, the city has one of the most powerful IT sectors in Romania alongside Bucharest , Cluj-Napoca , Iași , and Brașov . In 2013, Timișoara had the fastest internet download speed in the world. Nicknamed the "Little Vienna" or the "City of Roses", Timișoara is noted for its large number of historical monuments and its 36 parks and green spaces. The spa resorts Buziaș and Băile Călacea are located at

17748-496: The fortifications began in 1899. The main functions of the city thus became the economic ones, especially the commercial and banking ones. On 31 October 1918, local military and political elites established the Banat National Council, together with representatives of the region's main ethnic groups: Germans , Hungarians , Serbs and Romanians . On 1 November they proclaimed the short-lived Banat Republic . In

17922-517: The fortress for a very long time and favored a wet and insalubrious climate, which spread plague and cholera and kept the number of inhabitants relatively low, preventing civic development. With time, these rivers were drained, dammed and diverted. Due to the hydrographical projects undertaken in the 18th century, the city no longer lies on the Timiș River, but on the Bega Canal . This improvement of

18096-425: The government of Hungary recognized its independence. However, it was short-lived. After just two weeks, Serbian troops invaded the region and took control . From November 1918 to March 1919, western and central parts of Banat were governed by Serbian administration from Novi Sad , as part of the Banat, Bačka and Baranja province of the Kingdom of Serbia and newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which

18270-484: The historical Banat. The name "Banat" is similar in different languages of the region; Romanian : Banat , Serbo-Croatian : Банат/ Banat , Hungarian : Bánság or Bánát , Bulgarian : Банат , Czech : Banát , German : Banat , Greek : Βανάτο / Vanáto , Slovak : Banát , Turkish : Banat , Ukrainian : Банат . Some of these languages would also have other terms, from their own frame of reference, to describe this historical and geographic region. Banat

18444-508: The industrialization. In the same year the first Serb's school was mentioned. On 6 June 1769, Maria Theresa granted the Community of Great Bečkerek, the privilege of becoming the trading centre. By this privilege the whole social-economic life of the former Bečkerek was regulated and it got the status of the town. In 1769 the first hospital was built. In 1779, by the new organization of Torontál County , Bečkerek became its centre. The city

18618-454: The interval of 2–3 m). Timișoara is a fairly active seismic center, but of the many earthquakes observed, few have exceeded magnitude 6 on the Richter scale . There are two active seismic faults that cross the western part of the city. The earthquakes recorded in the region are normal earthquakes, of crustal type, with depths of foci between 5 and 30 km (3.1 and 18.6 mi). In

18792-431: The labor force for other regions of the country, with a demographic surplus, especially for the counties in northern Moldavia , northwestern Transylvania and Oltenia . Timișoara manages to attract about 8,000 new inhabitants annually, most coming mainly from Timiș County , but also from smaller cities in neighboring counties – Caraș-Severin , Hunedoara and Arad . In fact, 46.2% of the current population of Timișoara

18966-489: The land was made irreversible by building the Bega Canal (started in 1728) and by the complete draining of the surrounding marshes. The city lies only 0.5 to 5 metres above the water table, which disallows the construction of tall buildings. The rich black soil and relatively high water table make this a fertile agricultural region. Taken as a whole, the relief of Timișoara appears as a relatively flat, monotonous surface,

19140-424: The largest community was represented by Germans , followed by Hungarians , Romanians , Jews , Serbs and many other smaller communities, such as Czechs , Slovaks , Croats , Romas , Bulgarians , Poles , etc. The figures and percentage ratios are much changed today, but the multiethnic aspect of the city persists. Nowadays, 85% of the inhabitants are Romanians, while the minorities are much more diverse due to

19314-456: The least precipitation on average is February with an average of 34.2 mm (1.35 in). Ethnic composition of Timișoara (2021) Religious composition of Timișoara (2021) From a demographic point of view, Timișoara is defined, according to the Zipf's law , as a second-tier city, along with Iași , Constanța , Cluj-Napoca and Brașov , with extensive macro-territorial functions and having

19488-454: The local Germans fled from the region together with defeated German army in 1944. Most of its territory was included in the Vojvodina, one of the two autonomous provinces of Serbia within the new SFR Yugoslavia. Following WWII, most ethnic Germans were expelled from Banat and eastern Europe. Those Germans who remained in the country were sent to prison camps run by the new communist authorities. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948), most of

19662-553: The lord of Bečkerek. After the Ottomans had taken Timișoara in 1552, Banat became a special province, the Temeşvar Eyalet , which was made up of several sanjaks , including the Sanjak of Beçkerek . During Ottoman occupation, the sanjak had a military administration. Due to good behaviour of the rayah , the inhabitants were exempt from war taxes. During the 165 years of Ottoman rule, Bečkerek consisted of two separate settlements:

19836-533: The official time of Romania ( Eastern European Time ). Timișoara lies at an altitude of 90 metres on the southeast edge of the Banat Plain, part of the Pannonian Plain , near the divergence of the Timiș and Bega rivers. The waters of the two rivers form a swampy and frequently flooded land. Timișoara developed on one of few places where the swamps could be crossed. These constituted a natural protection around

20010-620: The other parts of the Empire. Roman rule had a significant impact: castra and guard stations were established and roads and public buildings built. The public bath establishments of Ad Aquas Herculis, modern-day Băile Herculane were also established. Some of the important Roman settlements in Banat were: Arcidava (today Vărădia ), Centum Putea , Berzobis (today Berzovia ), Tibiscum (today Jupa ), Agnaviae (today Zăvoi ), Ad Pannonios (today Teregova ), Praetorium (today Mehadia ), and Dierna (today Orșova ). In 273 AD Emperor Aurelian withdrew

20184-517: The part south of the Mureș ), the Mehedinți panhandle (several localities from the traditional Banat area disappeared under the waters of the Porțile de Fier reservoir ) and Hunedoara County (only the villages of Pojoga and Sălciva ). The Serbian Banat includes the part located east of the Tisza in Vojvodina : North Banat District , Central Banat District and South Banat District , as well as

20358-605: The past river traffic on the Begej river used to be most developed mode of cargo transport. Veliki Bečkerek got a railway in 1883, when it linked the city to Velika Kikinda . There are many taxi companies in Zrenjanin and the regulations are either lacking or are not enforced by the authorities. The city is served by Zrenjanin Airport , which however, as of 2023, has no hard runway, and no facilities for commercial air transport. Zrenjanin has many places of interest like City Hall ,

20532-407: The past, there were extensive oak forests between the Tisza and Timiș . Over time, they were cleared to obtain the wood needed to build the fortress and houses, as well as to gain arable land. Today, except for the areas forested with Turkey oak and Hungarian oak (Green Forest, Bistra Forest, Timișeni–Șag Forest), the territory falls within the anthropogenic forest steppe that characterizes

20706-537: The plains of Hodoni, Duboz, Tormac, Jamu Mare, Arad and Sânnicolau Mare, and the low plain (with altitudes below 100 meters) is represented by the river meadows, the floodplains before the extensive regularization works. These plains, components of the Pannonian Plain, represent another third of the Banat area. Worth mentioning are the two extinct volcanoes from Lucareț and Gătaia: Piatra Roșie (211 m) and Șumigu (200 m), respectively. The relief of Serbian Banat

20880-580: The population in Timișoara. Conquered in 1716 by the Austrians from the Ottoman Turks, Timișoara developed in the following centuries behind the fortifications and in the urban nuclei located around them. During the second half of the 19th century, the fortress began to lose its usefulness, due to many developments in military technology. Former bastions and military spaces were demolished and replaced with new boulevards and neighbourhoods. Timișoara

21054-577: The population of Timiș County , 15% of the population of the West development region and 1.3% of the total population of Romania. As defined by Eurostat , the Timișoara functional urban area has a population of 364,325 inhabitants (as of 2018). According to a study conducted by the World Bank , Timișoara was between 2001 and 2011 the regional city in Romania that attracted the highest number of in-migrants. Timișoara serves as an important polarizer of

21228-480: The presence of Asians, Italians, Muslims, and fewer Germans and Hungarians. Yet, in Timișoara live most Germans in Romania as share in the population of a city. The decline of German and Hungarian communities is mainly due to assimilation (for instance, 64% of Hungarians in Timișoara live in mixed marriages), migration and low birth rates. Timișoara is also home to an important Serb community , which in 2011 numbered almost 5,000 people. Many of them use Serbian as

21402-763: The province was replaced by the Timișoara Region (formed by the present-day counties of Timiș and Caraș-Severin ). In 1956, the southern half of the existing Arad Region was incorporated to the Timișoara Region. In December 1960, the Timișoara Region was renamed the Banat Region. On 17 February 1968, a new territorial division was made and today's Timiș, Caraș-Severin and Arad counties were formed. Since 1998, Romania has been divided into eight development regions , acting as divisions that coordinate and implement regional development. The Vest development region

21576-505: The province, but Turks succeeded in holding the fort of Temesvár. In 1689, Serbian patriarch Arsenije III sided with Austrians. His jurisdiction (including the province) was officially recognized by the charters of emperor Leopold I in 1690, 1691 and 1695. Under the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699), northern parts of the Eyalet of Temeşvar were incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy , but the territory of Banat remained under Turkish rule. At

21750-819: The remaining German population left Serbia because of economic reasons. Many went to Germany; others emigrated to western Europe and the United States. Since 1944–1945, the Serbian Banat (together with Bačka and Syrmia ), has been part of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina , first as part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and then as part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro . Since 2006, it has been part of an independent Serbia. The Hungarian Banat consists of

21924-468: The rest of the territories are Mureș , Tisza and Danube . With the exception of some small local tributaries, the Mureș does not have a very large area. The other rivers that have their source in Banat are direct or indirect tributaries of the Tisza and the Danube. The Danube forms between Baziaș and Porțile de Fier , over a distance of 140 km, the so-called Iron Gates . Tisza is the river that separates

22098-417: The rule of Princes of Transylvania. In that area, a new banate was formed, known as the Banate of Lugoj and Caransebeș . In the spring of 1594, shortly after the beginning of the Austro-Turkish War (1593-1606) , local Serbian Christians, in the Eyalet of Temeşvar , started an uprising against Turkish rule. The local Romanians also participated in this uprising. At first, rebels were successful. They took

22272-410: The second largest functional urban area , after Bucharest , of over 5,000 km (1,900 sq mi). In 2013, Bucharest and Timișoara were also the only metropolitan European growth areas (MEGAs) in Romania. Nationally, Timișoara has been recognized as the largest polarizing center in western Romania. According to the 2021 census , the population of Timișoara amounted to 250,849 inhabitants,

22446-417: The settlement of Bečkerek and the village of Gradnulica . The town was divided into two parts, a Turkish and a Serbian. The Turkish part was fenced and closed, while the Serbian one was open. On the main square there was a large mosque built and inside the fortress there was a little one. There was a Turkish bath , and around it there were about twenty stores. Gradnulica was a disorderly village, whose centre

22620-590: The smoothness of the surface interrupted only by the Bega riverbed. Researched in detail, the relief of the city and its surroundings presents a series of local peculiarities, represented mainly by deserted meanders, micro-depressions and ridges (generally made of coarse materials). These are the result of the deposits in the area of the Timiș and Bega rivers, before their drainage, regularization and damming (concretized altimetrically by modest bumps, which do not exceed anywhere,

22794-468: The summer of 1738 there was the great plague. The Count Mersy wanted to turn marshes into fertile soil and he began to regulate the Begej River . In the middle and down course of the river a long canal was built, to make the river traffic possible between Bečkerek and Timișoara . On the first of November 1745 Sebastian Krazeisen began to make beer in the first brewery and that meant the first start of

22968-526: The temperate ones, of oceanic origin, which bring significant precipitations. Frequently, even in winter, humid air masses arrive from the Atlantic , bringing significant rains and snows, less often cold waves . From September to February there are frequent penetrations of continental polar air masses, coming from the east. In Banat, the influence of cyclones and hot air masses from the Adriatic Sea and

23142-403: The territory under German Military Administration in Serbia, but in practice the local minority of ethnic Germans ( Danube Swabians or Shwoveh ) held the political power within Banat. The regional civilian commissioner was Josef Lapp. The head of the ethnic German group was Sepp Janko . Following the ousting of Axis forces in 1944, this German-ruled region was dissolved. As a consequence, much of

23316-535: The time Zrenjanin was one of the most powerful industrial centers of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia led by Tito . The town's development has always been strongly affected by the social-economic circumstances reflecting the State surroundings that Zrenjanin found in. At the beginning of 1990s, when the war broke out on the territory of the former Yugoslavia , and the country

23490-404: The town infrastructure was kept almost saved. Except in the final fights for the town, there were no war actions on the territory of the town. The Germans tried to damage and destroy some industrial buildings, but it was prevented. Only Anau-Winkler's mill and the monumental Jewish synagogue in the centre of the town were destroyed. After World War II important social-political changes were made in

23664-471: The town was renamed Petrovgrad, after the king Peter I . After the Kingdom of Yugoslavia had capitulated on 18 April 1941, and Nazi Germany occupied the country, the German Forces came into Petrovgrad. The authority in Banat had domestic Germans – Volksdeutsche , who immediately started to confiscate Jews' property and arrested patriots. The town was renamed Great Bečkerek and it

23838-457: The town. Late 19th and early 20th century was progressive period for Veliki Bečkerek. Railway arrived in 1883, while post office was opened back in 1737. After the Sarajevo assassination , more than 30 citizens of Bečkerek were accused by the Austria-Hungary ’s authorities of high treason. Among them was Dr Emil Gavrila, who together with Svetozar Miletić and Jaša Tomić , worked very hard on

24012-411: The turn of the 20th century there were many enterprises here: two breweries, an iron foundry, a match factory, a brick factory, a gas factory, a chain factory, a hat factory, a chocolate factory, etc. In this period horse-drawn tram, telephone and street lighting were introduced and roads were paved. In 1892, Emperor Franz Joseph I decided to abolish the fortress status of Timișoara. The demolition of

24186-474: The uprising against Hungarian authority (which refused Serb rights) and from 26 January to 29 April 1849 the town was under Serb rebel control. In 1849, the town became part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar until 1860. Although that time was known in history as a period of Bach's absolutism , the second part of the 19th century brought the town new developing benefits. New industrial facilities and handicraft stores were opened in every part of

24360-459: The valleys and in the depressions of the Banat Hills, the bottom being colder than the slopes. The thermal and dynamic convection produced on the slopes causes greater cloudiness throughout the year; humidity and precipitation are higher. Considering the low and undesiccated land, there is a relatively large number of watercourses in Banat. The rivers bordering the area and delimiting it from

24534-563: The year in Zrenjanin is 597.1 mm (23.5 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is June with 84.3 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 33.7 mm (1.3 in). There are an average of 126.8 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in May with 12.4 days and the least precipitation occurring in August with 7.5 days. According to

24708-522: Was Titus Vespanius Slucki . After the Turkish forces and Turks families had withdrawn, the land was left devastated without labour, which could till the soil and paid taxes. That's why the Austrian court tried to settle Banat as soon as possible. The colonization lasted from 1718–24, when the town was settled mostly by Germans , but the Serbs never stopped arriving. The military frontier in Potisje

24882-848: Was Viorel Oancea , of the Civic Alliance Party (PAC), which later merged with the National Liberal Party (PNL). He was the first officer who spoke to the crowd of revolutionaries gathered in Opera Square. The 1996 elections were won by Gheorghe Ciuhandu , of the Christian Democrats (PNȚ-CD). He had four terms, also winning elections in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Meanwhile, Ciuhandu took over the Christian Democratic Party and ran for president of Romania in 2004. Nicolae Robu (PNL)

25056-435: Was " Eyalet of Temeşvar " (later "Eyalet of Yanova"). During the Turkish occupation, the territory of Temesköz (Banat) was also called "Rascia" ("the country of the Serbs", 1577). For Romanians, the region was also known as Temișana . In the early modern period , there were two banates that partially or entirely included the territory of what is referred to in the current era as Banat: the Banate of Lugoj and Caransebeș in

25230-411: Was abolished and most of its territory was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary , although direct Hungarian rule began only following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 , after the establishment of the dual monarchy . As part of Austria-Hungary , the city experienced a fast economic and demographic growth. Credit institutions invested large sums in the development of local industry; at

25404-455: Was abolished and most of its territory was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. The Serbian Banat (Western Banat) was part of Serbian Vojvodina (1848–1849) and part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat (1849–1860). After 1860, later Serbian Banat was part of Torontal and Temes counties of Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary . The center of Torontal county was Großbetschkerek (Hungarian: Nagybecskerek, Serbian: Veliki Bečkerek),

25578-472: Was abolished in 1778, when civilian part of the region was incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary and divided into counties. The southern part of the Banat region remained within the Military Frontier ( Banat Krajina ) until the Frontier was abolished in 1871. During the Ottoman rule, parts of Banat had a low population density due to years of warfare, and some local residents also died during Habsburg-Ottoman wars and Prince Eugene of Savoy's conquest. Much of

25752-545: Was absorbed as an Ottoman eyalet (province) named the Eyalet of Temeşvar . The Banat region was mainly populated by Rascians ( Serbs ) in the west, and Vlachs ( Romanians ) in the east. Thus, in some historical sources, the region of Banat was referred to as Rascia , while in others as Wallachia . Numerous Ottoman Muslims settled in the area, living mostly in the cities and associated with trade and administration. Not all of Banat fell immediately under Turkish rule. Eastern regions around Lugoj and Caransebeș came under

25926-418: Was administered by the First Bulgarian Empire from the 9th to the 11th century, but that control gradually migrated to the Kingdom of Hungary which administered it from the 11th century up until 1552, when the region of Temesvár (today Timișoara) was captured by the Ottoman Empire . The area of the Timiș river was not the land of the Hungarian royal tribe. When nomadic Hungarians came to Transylvania there

26100-423: Was an average village. The first settlers were the landless Hungarian peasants. There were the Serbs in Banat , too. During the reign of Louis I of Hungary (1343–1382), more Serbs migrated to the area from the south, and with them many Orthodox priests . After the Turkish victory at the battle of Nicopolis (1396) the Hungarian King Sigismund (1387–1437) was considering defending the territory settled by

26274-425: Was approximately on the crossroad of the present streets Sindjelićeva and Djurdjevska. Prior to Ottoman occupation, the citizens were Serbs and Hungarians. At the end of the 18th century, there were about fifty Turkish families. According to the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699), the Temeşvar Eyalet, including Bečkerek, stayed under Ottoman rule, while bordering territories once again came under the Military Frontier . After

26448-470: Was assigned to the newly independent Hungary. These borders were confirmed by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and the 1920 Treaty of Trianon . At the dissolution of Austria-Hungary , the delegates of the Romanian and some German communities voted for union with Romania during the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia ; the delegates of the Serbian, Bunjevac and other Slavic and non-Slavic communities (including some Germans) voted for union with Serbia during

26622-406: Was attacked by 80,000 Ottoman soldiers under the command of Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha . On 15 September 1551, the siege of the town Bečej was raised and the town was taken after four days. On 24 September, the Bečkerek fortress was besieged. Many people left town earlier and with few defenders the town couldn't be defended and those eighty, who left surrendered the next day. Malković was appointed

26796-479: Was briefly restored to Ottoman administration from 1787 to 1788 during Austro-Turkish War (1787–91) . During the 18th century it developed into thriving economic and cultural centre, but the great fire destroyed a large portion of the town in 1807. The town was soon rebuilt. The fire came from the brewery, on 30 August 1807. After the fire a new regulation of streets had been done, houses had been built from stronger materials, roads had been rebuilt. The river traffic

26970-421: Was displaced. In the following years Italians , Frenchmen , Romanians arrived and then the Catalans from Barcelona , who escaped the repression after the War of the Spanish Succession and settled in a place which is now the suburb of Dolja within Zrenjanin. The town was called New Barcelona . But the life was difficult in this marsh area with many contagious diseases, so many died and others left. In

27144-446: Was divided between Belgrade oblast and Podunavlje oblast. In 1929, most of the region was incorporated into the Danube Banovina (Danubian Banat), a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , while the city of Pančevo was incorporated into self-governed Belgrade district. During World War II, the Axis Powers occupied this area and partitioned it. Nazi Germany had been intent on expanding into eastern Europe to incorporate what it called

27318-485: Was elected mayor in 2012 and again in 2016. In 2020, Dominic Fritz , a native of Germany, was elected mayor on behalf of the USR with support from the FDGR . He won a new mandate in 2024 on behalf of the United Timișoara Alliance ( USR – PMP – FD – UDMR ). The Local Council and the city's mayor are elected every four years by the population. Decisions are discussed and approved by the Local Council ( Romanian : Consiliu Local ) made up of 27 elected councilors. After

27492-452: Was especially intensive. The theatre building with an attractively decorated hall was built in 1839. In 1846 the Grammar School was opened and in 1847 the first printing shop. The 1848–49 Revolutions impacted Bečkerek. The Serbs revolted , aiming for autonomy within the Austrian Empire. At the May Assembly (13–15 May 1848), the Serbian Vojvodina was proclaimed, including most of what is today Vojvodina. Serbs from Bečkerek participated in

27666-430: Was falling apart, it led to rather hard social and economic crisis in this area, all that caused an economic stagnation, unemployment, large migrations of refugees from the former Yugoslav Republics: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina . The town experienced the first political changes by the introducing of multiparty system at the end of 1996 when the local government was ruled by the coalition Zajedno (Together) and in 2000 by

27840-412: Was first officially mentioned in 1212 as the Roman castrum Temesiensis or castrum regium Themes . This year is disputed by historians of the opinion that the city's first documentary mention comes from 1266, when heir apparent Stephen V of Hungary donates part of the Tymes fortress, built by his father, Béla IV , to Count Parabuch. The city was destroyed by the Tatars in the 13th century, but

28014-435: Was home to a large Islamic community and produced famous historical figures, such as Osman Ağa of Temeşvar . Except for a period in the late 16th century, the city did not suffer sieges until the end of the 17th century. In 1594, Gregory Palotić, Ban of Lugos and Karánsebes , started an anti-Ottoman uprising in Banat, with its starting point in Nagybecskerek. Following a strong Transylvanian offensive led by György Borbély,

28188-708: Was imprisoned and released after being tortured by the Nazis for months, and later killed while trying to avoid recapture. The former Serbian name of the city was Bečkerek (Бечкерек) or Veliki Bečkerek (Велики Бечкерек). In 1935 the city was renamed to Petrovgrad (Петровград) in honor of king Peter I of Serbia . It was called Petrovgrad from 1935–46. In Hungarian , the city is known as Nagybecskerek , in German as Großbetschkerek or Betschkerek , in Romanian as Becicherecul Mare or Zrenianin , in Slovak as Zreňanin , in Rusin as Зрењанин , in Croatian as Zrenjanin , and in Turkish as Beşkelek (meaning five melons ) or Beçkerek . Prehistory can be divided into

28362-490: Was later renamed as Yugoslavia ). In the wake of the Declaration of Union of Transylvania with Romania on December 1, 1918, and the Declaration of Unification of Banat, Bačka and Baranja with Serbia on November 25, 1918, most of Banat was (on July 26, 1919) divided between Romania ( Krassó-Szörény completely, two-thirds of Temes, and a small part of Torontál ) and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (most of Torontál , and one-third of Temes). A small area near Szeged

28536-482: Was markedly different, preserving historic characteristics. Similarly, a minority coming from French-speaking or linguistically mixed communes in Lorraine maintained the French language for several generations, and developed a specific ethnic identity, later known as Banat French, Français du Banat . In 1779, the Banat region was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary , and the three counties of Torontal , Temes and Karasch were created. In 1848, after

28710-428: Was no direct Bulgarian political rule there. In the eastern part of the Carpathian basin the Byzantine rite became more influential after Ajtony's ( Latin : Ahtum ) conversion to Christianity. This was halted with the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary . István I reasserted dominance over the last local leader, Ajtony. He was a semi-independent ruler of Banat and a formally baptized Christian who constructed

28884-403: Was part of the Dacian kingdom under Burebista in the first century BC, but the balance of power in the area partially changed during the campaigns of Augustus . At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, Trajan led two wars against the Dacians: the campaigns of 101–102, and 105–106. Eventually, the territory of Banat fell under Roman rule. It became an important link between Dacia province and

29058-417: Was replaced by a civil one. After the conquest of Banat, the imperial authorities in Vienna began an extensive process of colonization , inviting especially German Catholics from Württemberg , Swabia , Nassau , etc. who would become known as Banat Swabians . In Timișoara, the Swabians settled mainly in Fabric, where they strongly developed craftsmanship. The main function of Timișoara during this period

29232-412: Was that of a military fortress. The existing fortifications could not cope with the new military techniques, so the entire fortress was rebuilt in a late, flat and inconsistent adaptation of the Vauban style . It had an area 10 times larger than the medieval Turkish fortress. Between 1728 and 1732, Bega River was regulated, creating a navigable canal. Under the political pressure of the Hungarian Diet ,

29406-524: Was the first Romanian Youth Capital, and in 2023 it held the title of European Capital of Culture , along with the cities of Veszprém in Hungary and Elefsina in Greece . The Hungarian name of the city, Temesvár , was first recorded as Temeswar in 1315. It refers to a castle ( vár ) on the Timiș River ( Temes ). Timiș belongs to the family of hydronyms derived from the Indo-European radical thib "swamp". The Romanian and German oikonyms (Timișoara and Temeschburg, respectively) derived from

29580-411: Was the first city in the Habsburg monarchy with street lighting (1760) and the first European city to be lit by electric street lamps in 1884. It opened the first public lending library in the Habsburg monarchy and built a municipal hospital 24 years ahead of Vienna . Also, in 1771 it published the first German newspaper in Southeast Europe ( Temeswarer Nachrichten ). In December 1989, Timișoara

29754-422: Was the headquarters of the occupation authority for Banat (1941–44) , headed by Juraj Špiler, and a concentration camp in Cara Dušana Street. The Petrovgrad Synagogue was razed brick by brick by order of Jurgen Wagner . The camp existed for almost two years and thousands of people passed through it. In town there were many underground groups supported by the Communist Party , which fought the German occupiers and

29928-427: Was the starting point of the Romanian Revolution . Timișoara is one of the most important educational centres in Romania, with about 40,000 students enrolled in the city's six universities. Like many other large cities in Romania, Timișoara is a medical tourism service provider, especially for dental care and cosmetic surgery . Several breakthroughs in Romanian medicine have been achieved in Timișoara, including

30102-415: Was to have effects. Another theory puts forward the Persian origin of the word "ban"; in Persian ban ( بان ) means "master". From this language, it would have been taken over by the Avars and brought to Pannonia , where they ruled in the 6th–8th centuries. Another interpretation is also related to Avars, according to which the origin of the word "ban" would come from the name of the first khagan of

30276-433: Was −35.3 °C (−31.5 °F), on 24 January 1963, while the highest temperature was 42 °C (108 °F), recorded in August 2017. The average number of frost days (with minimum temperatures below 0 °C [32 °F]) is 80, and the average number of winter days (with maximum temperatures below 0 °C) is 17. The average number of tropical days (with maximum temperatures above 30 °C [86 °F])

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