History of Timişoara

This article is about the History of Timişoara, the largest and most important city in the Romanian Banat. Timişoara Audio|Timisoara.ogg|listen is also known by the following names: Hungarian: "Temesvár", German: "Temeswar" / "Temeschwar" / "Temeschburg", Serbo-Croatian : "Temišvar" / "Темишвар", Turkish: "Tamışvar" / "Temeşvar".

Antiquity

Archaeological discoveries prove that the area where Timişoara is located today has been inhabited since ancient times. The first identifiable civilization in this area were the Dacians that left traces of their past. Due to coin findings, it is also known that the settlement was inhabited during the Roman occupation of Dacia. While no record of the settlement is known from those times, it is generally agreed that the site was inhabited through the Middle Ages when the city was mentioned for the first time.

The Middle Ages

The first indication of the city's name is from a record in 1177 describing a "Castrensis de thymes" located in the area, based on the name of the river flowing around it; the Hungarian name "Temesvár" means "castle ("vár") near the river Timiş ("Temes")." The city was probably fortified with wooden walls before this time. In 1241 the city was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Hungary and Poland, but the walls were rebuilt.

The Angevin Hungarian king Charles I visited the city in 1307 and built a stone fortress. Between 1305-1321 Visegrad and Buda were in hand of Csák Máté, one of the most powerful oligarch of that times, thus Charles was forced to moved his court to Timişoara 1315, which briefly became the capital of the Hungarian kingdom. However, the decision was reversed in 1323 after Buda and Visegrád were recaptured. This short period of time brought development to the city which is mentioned in 1342 as "civitas".

By the middle of the 14th century, Timişoara was at the forefront of Western Christendom's battle against the Ottoman Turks. French and Hungarian crusaders met at the city before engaging in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. Beginning in 1443, John Hunyadi used Timişoara as a military stronghold against the Turks, having built a powerful fortress. The city was repeatedly sieged by the Ottomans in 1462, 1476, 1491, and 1522.

Ottoman Rule

Because of Timişoara's strategic location, the Ottomans desired to capture the fortress during their campaigns against the Kingdom of Hungary. Although the Hungarians suffered a devastating loss at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Timişoara was not conquered by the Ottomans until October 1551.

The city was transformed into the administrative centre of an Ottoman province, the Province of Temeşvar . The fortress was rebuilt and, along with Belgrade, used as a major military base by the Ottomans. Because of its military orientation, the city itself developed slowly during the Ottoman administration. Timişoara had two fortified parts: the castle and the city, which was surrounded by wooden and stone walls. 200 guns were used to defend the city as well as water trenches around the walls. Approximately 1,200 houses, schools, hotels, and public baths were to be found inside the walls, while outside the walls around 1,500 other houses were present.

The Habsburg Era

The Ottomans were evicted from the city by the Habsburg Imperial armies led by Prince Eugene of Savoy on 12 October, 1716. Eugene entered the city on 18 October and named one of his officers, Claudius Florimund Mercy, as governor of the city. Because the town had burned down during the siege, the city was completely rebuilt under Mercy's supervision. Timişoara was officially conceded to the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy by the Ottomans in the Treaty of Passarowitz of 1718. Timişoara became the capital of the "Banat of Temeswar", a separate Habsburg province. The province was abolished in 1778.

Under Habsburg rule, a new stone fortress was built around the city in 1723. Inside the walls houses, hospitals, schools, and churches were being raised, while outside the city factories were being opened. By the 1720 data, most of the inhabitants of the town were ethnic Serbs, and also some Romanians. Later, German, Italian, and Spanish settlers were brought in to settle in the area. The marshland around the city was reclaimed, while the rivers Bega and Timiş became regulated. The city remained a military stronghold with a large garrison. This period was one of strong economic development and population increases. By 1781 Timişoara was one of the most important cities of the Habsburg Monarchy and as such it received a Royal Free City warrant which would accelerate the development of the city even further. Because of the Habsburg administration, Timişoara was often referred to by the German names "Temeschburg", meaning "castle ("Burg") on the Timiş" or "Temeschwar", based on the Hungarian Temesvár.
* [http://gauss.suub.uni-bremen.de/suub/hist/servlet/servlet.hmap?id=247967 Pictures & Streetmap, from M. Seutter (Augsburg-Germany) 18th Cent.]

The 1848/1849 Revolution

During the Revolutions of 1848, revolutionaries took over the Hungarian government. Because the Austrian commander of the city’s garrison decided to defend the Habsburg interests, the Hungarian army began an unsuccessful siege of Timişoara that lasted for 114 days. In the later stage of the revolution, the city was captured by the Serbian troops and for a short time was a capital of the Serbian Vojvodina.

Modernization of Timişoara

The development of the city continued after the attempted 1848/1849 revolution. In 1849, Timişoara became the capital of the new Habsburg province named Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. The province was abolished in 1860.

In 1853 telegraphy was introduced in the city, and in 1857 Timişoara received gas street lighting. In 1857 a train line linking Timişoara with Szeged was constructed, and in 1867 horse trams were introduced in the city. Timişoara became the first European city to have electric street lights in 1884, while the trams became electric in 1899. Timişoara was also the first city in the Kingdom of Hungary and later Romania to have an ambulance station.

After World War I, following a short-lived Banat Republic, and entry of the Serbian forces into the city, Timişoara was incorporated into the Kingdom of Romania in 1919 together with most of the Banat region.

The Romanian Revolution of 1989

In December 1989 a popular uprising began in Timişoara against the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu.The Hungarian Calvinist pastor László Tőkés was ordered to be deported by the Securitate, or secret police, and as a reaction his house was surrounded by members of his church. People supporting him, including people of Romanian origin, gathered at the central square (Opera Square). The Communist administration ordered the army to fire at the congregation. However, a number of army officers refused to open fire and sided with the people. That was the beginning of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which ended the Communist regime a week later. Timişoara was declared the first Free Town on 20 December 1989, suffering 1,104 reported deaths and 3,352 wounded during the revolution.

Timetable of Timişoara history

*1019 - Timişoara (as Dibiscos/Bisiskos/Tibiskos/Tibiskon/Timbisko/etc.) is mentioned for the first time in written documents by Byzantine Emperor Basil II (not all historians agree with this identification).
*1154 - The Arab geographer Sarif al Idrisi, in his work "The book of pleasures", is describing precisely the road from Cavorz (ie Karlowitz/Sremski Karlovci) to Timişoara, passing trough Cnez (ie Satchinez/Knez); he declare that Timişoara is "a pleasant city ... offering big richness".
*1177 - First mention of the "Castrensis de Thymes" in a medieval document.
*1212 - The fort of Timişoara ("Castrum Temesiensis") is mentioned in the decree of King Andrew II of Hungary
*1241 - The town is partly destroyed by the Tatars.
*1307 - Charles I of Hungary builds the stone fortress and makes the city the capital of his kingdom.
*1323 - King Charles I of Hungary attends the holy service in Saint George's church [Sfântu Gheorghe] . This church still exists today in Timişoara.
*1342 - Timişoara was mentioned for the first time with the title of "civitas" (city).
*1370 - The first handicraftsmen's guild is documented in Timişoara.
*1396 - The town is the starting point for the Nicopolis crusade.
*1478–1494 - Pavel Chinezul becomes county head of Timiş and Captain of Timişoara.
*1497 - Pelbart of Timişoara, the only author of incunabula in Romania, publishes his works in Basel and later in Hagenau.
*1514 - Fortress Timişoara is attacked by rebel peasant troops led by George Dozsa ("Dozsa György" in Hungarian, "Gheorghe Doja" in Romanian). The revolt was put down and George Dozsa executed in a cruel and unmerciful way (along with others 40,000–60,000 rebel peasants) in Timişoara. Today, on the place of the martyrdom, of the hot throne, there is the statue of Saint Mary, manufactured by architect László Szekély and sculptor György Kiss. According to the legend, during George Dosza's surplice, the Jesuit monks saw in the ear the image of Holy Mary. The first statue was raised here in 1865. The actual monument was raised in 1906.
*1549 - Opening of the Protestant School in Timişoara founded and led by István Kiss of Szeged.
*1552 - Timişoara is conquered by the Ottoman Empire and becomes capital of the Eyalet of Temeşvar.
*1596 - Sigismund Báthory of Transylvania and Michael the Brave of Wallachia fail to capture Timişoara after a 40-day siege.
*1660 - The Ottoman historian, geographer and globetrotter Evliya Celebi (B 1611, D March 1682) visits Timişoara. According to him (in Seyahatname/The book of travels), the locality had more than 36,000 inhabitants (living in 10 suburbs—1500 houses—around the fortress) and the fortress's garrison numbered 10,000 soldiers. In the fortress existed 1200 houses, more than 400 shops, 4 public baths, 3 restaurants and confectioneries, 7 schools.
*1688 - The East Banat is conquered by the Habsburg Monarchy's general Veterani (born in Venice).
*1688 - The Turkish garrison of Timişoara rises against the Ottoman authorities.
*1696 - The imperial troops led by Frederick Augustus I besiege Timişoara unsuccessfully.
*1716 - Prince Eugene of Savoy takes the town from the Turks.
*1722–1726 - First wave of German colonists (Danube Swabians) under Emperor Charles VI.
*1728/1771/1783 - Digging and regularization of the Bega channel. The Bega was transformed into a navigable fluvial channel (115 km) which connected the Banat with other European riverways. The first attempt to regulate the Bega and Timiş rivers were made under the Ottoman occupation by A. Cornaro when some work was done in the Budint-Chizatau zone. The first steps were made between 1728–1732 under Count Florimund Mercy's leadership.
*1728 - A tobacco mill is set up in Timişoara. The factory is still functioning.
*1753 - The first mention of the organized theatre of Timişoara. A German group of actors performed theatre plays in the town between May-November. Timişoara is the third town in the Empire, after Vienna and Budapest with a permanent theatre season.
*1760 - Timişoara is the first town in the Empire where the public lighting using suet candles and lamps with oil and grease is introduced.
*1763–1772 - Second wave of German colonization under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
*1782–1786 - Third wave under Emperor Joseph II.
*1738–1739 - Epidemic of plague.
*1762–1763 - Epidemic of plague.
*1771 - The first printing house/owner Mathäus Heimerl in Fabric quarter.
*1781 - 21 December: Joseph II's decree regarding the privilege of imperial free city Timişoara.
*1796 - The Magic Flute was performed in Timişoara one year after its premiere in Vienna.
*1815 - Printer Joseph Klapka – the future mayor – sets up in Timişoara the first borrowing library in a Hungarian town.
*1819 - Joseph Klapka becomes mayor of Timişoara.
*1823 - November 3: In his letter addressed from Timişoara to his father in Târgu-Mureş, mathematician János Bolyai mentions that he discovered the principles of the Non-Euclidean geometry.
*1846 - Composer and pianist Franz Liszt halts in Timişoara and performs three concerts in the Theater's hall.
*1847 - Johann Strauss II, the "Waltz King", performs in Timişoara with his orchestra. Timişoara has 22,560 inhabitants.
*1849 - Between April 26 and August 8, Timişoara is sieged by Hungarian revolutionary forces (the longest siege of the town).
*1852 - Timişoara is linked with Vienna trough the telegraph electric line. This is the first line in the territory of present-day Romania.
*1855 - February 9: Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" opening night in Timişoara.
*1857 - Public street lighting with aerial gas.
*1857 - Inauguration of the first railroad in the Banat's plain: Szeged–Kikinda–Jimbolia–Timişoara, 112 km. To travel from Timişoara to Budapest took 26h and from Timişoara to Vienna 36h. The first railroads station is opened in Timişoara.
*1866 - Alexander John Cuza, Prince of Moldavia and Wallachia stops in Timişoara on his way into exile. He stays at the "Trompetistul" road house.
*1869 - First tram with horses (6.6 km).
*1870 - The first metallic bridge, the Bem bridge, is built on Bega Channel. During the time, only in Timişoara, on Bega were built 71 bridges. Today in Timişoara 13 bridges exist.
*1879 - Start of the works on the town's telephone network (first 52 subscribers) in Timişoara. The network was built as a private enterprise by Ignatiu Leyritz.
*1879 - September 15: Recital of Johannes Brahms and Joseph Joachim in Timişoara.
*1883 - June 5: The Orient Express Train is launched, passing trough Banat: Szeged–Kikinda–Jimbolia–Timişoara–Caransebeş–Orşova.
*1884 - (12 November) First city in Europe to have public street electric lighting.
*1886 - Set up of the "Ambulance" service of Timişoara. This is the first ambulance station in Hungary and today Romania.
*1891 - The first permanent museum is opened in Timişoara.
*1899 - June 25: The first football/soccer mach in today Romania was held in Timişoara between the schoolboys of the Piarist High-school lead by Carol Müller, gymnastic professor.
*1907 - The walls of the fortress are destroyed to allow for new construction.
*1918 - November 15: Serbian forces enter into the town. The Banat region was desired by both Serbia and Romania.
*1918 - December 3: French colonial forces arrive to avoid any possible conflicts between Serbia and Romania.
*1919 - July 28: Romanian administration is installed. Banat is partitioned between Romania (2/3) and Serbia (1/3).
*1919 - August 3: Romanian army enters Timişoara.
*1920 - The theater is destroyed by a fire. It will be rebuilt and opened in 1928.
*1920 - Set up and opening of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara.
*1921 - George Enescu's first concerts in Timişoara.
*1921-1927 - The soccer team "Chinezul" from Timişoara is the champion of Romania in 6 consecutive editions of the championship.
*1926 - The statue of "Lupoaica" ("She-wolf" - Romulus and Remus), a gift from Italian authorities and later the town symbol, is inaugurated in the center.
*1928 - The first professional soccer club from Romania - "Ripensia" - is founded in Timişoara.
*1930 - Timişoara has 91,866 inhabitants (census), was the seventh biggest city in Romania (26% Romanians, 30% Hungarians, 30% Germans, 8% Jewish).
*1932–1938 - The soccer team "Ripensia" from Timişoara is for the 5th time the champion of Romania.
*1944 - June 16–17th: the city is bombed for the first time, by Britain's RAF.
*1944 - July 3: the city is bombed again, by the United States Air Force.
*1944 - September 12: the Soviet Red Army enters.
*1945 - The first professional Romanian theatre group is established in Timişoara.
*1946 - The Romanian Opera is established, and its first performance, in April 1947, is "Aida" by Giuseppe Verdi.
*1953 - The State Magyar Theater (Teatrul Maghiar de Stat) is established (known since 1990 as Csiky Gergely theatre), as well as the State German Theater (Teatrul German de Stat)
*1955 - The first radio show broadcast by Radio Timişoara.
*1969 - [http://www.outsourceromania.com/MECIPT.htm Mecipt 1] , the first Romanian computer was made in Timişoara.
*1986 - The Botanic Park is opened in Timişoara. The Zoo is opened in the same year.
*1989 - 16 December: The Revolution against the communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu begins in Timişoara. On 20 December, Timişoara is declared the first Free Town. 1,104 people died and 3,352 were wounded.
*1992 - Democratic elections. Viorel Oancea becomes the mayor of Timişoara.