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Oradea in Romaniapng
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coa_oradea_rogif
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Bihor County
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County capital
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Petru Filip
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Democratic Party
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2000
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1112
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206,614
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2001
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1858
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http://wwworadearo/
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(pronunciation in located in the county of
Bihor , in Western
Transylvania ,
Romania . The city proper has a
Population of 206,614
As Of 2002 Census ; this does not include areas from the metropolitan area, outside the municipality; they bring the total urban area population to approximately 220,000. Oradea is one of the most prosperous cities of Romania.
Hungarian nicknames for the town have included "Hungarian Compostela", "Felix civitas", "Paris on the River Pece", "the City of Tomorrow", "Athens on the Körös", and "the City of Yesterday". Today these names are not used by majority Romanian population.
The city has a specific geographical situation, laying at the meeting point of the Crisana plain and the Crisul Repede's basin. It is situated 126 meters above the sea-level surrounded on the North-Eastern part by the hills of Oradea belonging to the Ses hills. The main part of the settlement is situated on the inundation area and on the terraces situated down the river Crişul Repede. Oradea is famous for its thermal springs. The river Crişul Repede crosses the city right in the centre providing a picturesque beauty to it. Its output depends on the season; the water containers (the dyke near Tilegad) control it in part since they have been built in the early 1980s.
''Main article:
History Of Oradea ''
Oradea dates back to a small
10th Century Castle , while its
Bishopric was founded during the
11th Century by King
Ladislaus I of
Hungary . The first documented mention of its name was in
1113 under the
Latin name ''Varadinum''. The
Citadel of Oradea, the ruins of which remain today, was first mentioned in
1241 during the
Mongol Invasion . However, it was not until the
16th Century that Oradea started growing as an urban area. In the
18th Century , the
Viennese engineer
Franz Anton Hillebrandt planned the city in
Baroque style and, starting from
1752 , many landmarks were constructed such as the
Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace, presently the Muzeul Ţării Crişurilor ("The Museum of the Crişland").
After the Ottoman
Invasion of Hungary in the 16th century, the city was administered at various times by the Principality of Transylvania, the
Ottoman Empire , and the
Habsburg Monarchy . At the end of
World War I , Oradea and Transylvania were united with Romania. During
World War II , Northern Transylvania and Oradea were ceded by Romania to Hungary as a result of the
Vienna Award ; this dictate was reversed at the war's end and the lands were returned to Romania.
After the World War I, governments of Romania engaged in a policy of relocating Romanians to Transyilvania, especially to Southern Transyilvania, the Szekelyland and near the Hungarian-Romanian border.
Out of the 82,687 (Oradea's total population in 1930), 13,775 were born abroad and 5,000 were born in Bukovina, Moldavia, Dobrogea, Oltenia. Only 35% of the total population was native resident in 1930.
Ethnic tensions often ran high in the area. Romanian nationalists believe Oradea and the surrounding Bihor region have always been Romanian and were finally restored to Romanian control at the end of World War I. Hungarian nationalists refer to the city's pre-war Magyar majority and previous inclusion in the Kingdom of Hungary. Nowadays, however, Oradea is an example of tolerance and multiculturalism, in an authentic
European fashion. The different ethnic groups live in harmony, growing on each other's contribution to the modern culture. There are many mixed (Romanian-Hungarian) families in Oradea, with children assimilating both of their parents' languages and cultures as they learn to speak.
The Oradea Municipal Council, elected in the 2004 local government elections, is made up of 26 councillors, with the following party composition:
Ethnic breakdown from the 2002 census:
The municipality of Oradea is officially bilingual, with
Romanian and
Hungarian languages being recognised officially.
Before , Villa
Latinorum , Vicus
Bolognia , Vicus
Padua and others come from
French ,
Walloon , and
Italian inhabitants who settled in the
13th Century .
Today the city is made up of the following districts called quarters (''cartiere'' in Romanian):
The quarter named Vie is also known as Podgoria. "Vie" and "podgorie" mean the same thing in Romanian, i.e. vine estate.
Oradea has long been one of the more prosperous cities in Romania, due mainly to its location on the Hungarian border, making it the gateway towards Western Europe. After
1989 , due to its important base of consumers, Oradea enjoyed economic renewal, not so much in terms of industry but rather in the services sector.
Oradea has an unemployment rate of 6.0%, slightly lower than the Romanian average but much higher than Bihor County's average of around 2%. Oradea currently produces around 63% of the industrial production of Bihor County while accounting for around 34.5% of the population of the county. Its main industries are furniture, textiles and clothing, footwear and food.
In September 2002, Metro opened the first "cash & carry" store in Oradea.
In
2003 , the
Lotus Market commercial centre opened in Oradea, the first large shopping centre to open in the city.
In the spring of
2005 , Selgros opened another "cash & carry" store in Oradea.
The
Public Transport network is run by OTL, a municipal agency. It is made up of 3
Tram lines (1R, 1N, 2, 3R, 3N) and some
Bus lines. The city has three
Train Station s, central, Vest and Est. The Vest Station is located in the quarter of Ioşia, the central station (called simply Oradea) is located in the city centre, near the quarter of Vie, while the Est station is located in Velenţa.
Oradea is served by
Oradea International Airport , which has flights from major Romanian cities and well as some cities in northern Italy.
Oradea is one of the main education centres of Romania. The city is home to the
University Of Oradea , one of the largest and most modern universities in the country.
Oradea's architecture is a mix between Communist-era constructions, mainly in the outer quarters, and beautiful historical buildings, mainly in Baroque style, remnants from the era when the city was part of
Austria-Hungary .
During
Communism and in the first years of Romania's post-Communist transition, many of the historical buildings became derelict or were degrading. After
2002 , when Romania entered into a period of economic boom, many historical buildings in the city were restored to their previous state and currently, the city possesses a very historic and well-maintained feel.
The beautiful city centre is worth visiting, as are the
Băile Felix health
Spa s, accessible by
Train and located outside the city.
Sites worth visiting are:
- Muzeul Ţării Crişurilor - a wonderful Baroque museum with 365 famous windows. It was the Roman Catholic bishop's palace until 1945 , when the Communist regime occupied the building. It was returned to the Roman Catholic church in 2003]
- Catedrala barocă - the biggest Baroque cathedral in Romania
- Cetatea Oradea - Oradea's Fortress, with a pentagonal form
- Biserica cu Lună - A unique church in Europe with a type of Astronomical Clock depicting the phases of the moon
- Pasajul "Vulturul Negru" - The "Black Eagle" Passage
- Muzeul "Ady Endre" - the house of one of the greatest Hungarian poets
- Teatrul de Stat - The State Theatre, whose plans were designed by two Austria n architects who had built around 100 theatres and opera houses in Europe by the end of the 19th Century .
- The Main street, officially Str. Republicii, but known to the locals as 'Principala' or 'a Fő Utca' - one of the most beautiful streets of Transylvania, displaying an incredible number of Sezession buildings.
- There are around 100 religious sites of different denominations in Oradea, including three synagogues (however, only one is supposed to be still in use) and the biggest Baptist church in Eastern Europe.
