Oradea : Romania
Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyvrad, sometimes Vrad; German: Growardein) is a city located in the county of Bihor (BH), in Transylvania, Romania. The city proper has a population of 206,527 (according to the 2002 census); this does not include areas outside the municipality; they bring the total urban area population to approximately 220,000. Oradea is one of the most prosperous cities of Romania.
Geography
The city is located near the Hungarian border, on the Cri?ul Repede river.
History
The first mention of Oradea, under the Latin name Varadinum was in 1113. The founder of the city was King Ladislaus I of Hungary. The Citadel of Oradea, the ruins of which still remain today, was first mentioned in 1241 because of the start of quick repairs and reinforcements needed to prevent a Mongol-Tatar attack against the city. However, it wasn’t until the 16th century that the city started growing as an urban area. In the 1700s, 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, the Bishop’s Palace and the Muzeul ??rii Cri?urilor (The Museum of the Land of the Cri?). The city was part of the Kingdom of Hungary for 800 years until the end of World War I, when Transylvania united with Romania. During World War II, northern Transylvania and Oradea was ceded by Romania to Hungary as a result of the Vienna Award. After the end of World War II, it was returned to Romania. Communist Romania, in order to prevent problems with this city with a Hungarian majority, began a massive resettlement of Romanians from Oltenia and Moldova. More than 130,000 people came between 1945-1985.
