Târgu Mureş

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Târgu Mureş Marosvásárhely
—  County capital  —
Târgu Mureş Orthodox cathedral and Roman Catholic church
Coat of arms
Location of Târgu Mureş
Coordinates: 46°32′59″N 24°33′35″E / 46.54972°N 24.55972°E / 46.54972; 24.55972
Country	Romania
County	Mureş County
Status	County capital
Government
- Mayor	Dorin Florea (Democratic Liberal Party)
Area
- Total	49.3 km2 (19 sq mi)
Population (2007)[1][2][3]
- Total	145.943 (Metro=250.000)
- Density	3,043/km2 (7,881.3/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Website	http://www.tirgumures.ro/

Mures County Prefecture, built as City Hall

Târgu Mureş (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈtɨrɡu ˈmureʃ]; Hungarian: Marosvásárhely, in shortened form: Vásárhely, Hungarian pronunciation IPA: ['Mɒroʃva:ʃa:rhɛj]; German: Neumarkt am Mieresch; Latin: Novum Forum Seculorum) is a city in Mureş / Maros county, Transylvania, Romania. An alternate Romanian spelling of its name is Tîrgu Mureş. Two villages are administered by the city, Mureşeni (Meggyesfalva) and Remetea (Remeteszeg).

[edit] Location

Marosvásárhely / Târgu Mureş lies at the junction of three geographical regions (Mezőség / Câmpia Transilvaniei, Maros Valley and Nyárádmente) at about 220 meters above sea level. The city extends onto both banks of the Maros / Mures river, however, the downtown area and the greater part of the districts are located on the left bank. The Somos-plateau (Corneşti-plateau) is the city's highest point (465m above sea level, GPS co-ordinates: width N 46° 33,1840'; length E 24° 35,9050' ) The city's climate is moderately continental.

The city is surrounded by the following townships: Marosszentgyörgy (Sîngeorgiu de Mures), Jedd (Livezeni), Marosszentanna (Sântana de Mures), Marosszentkirály (Sâncraiu de Mures), Koronka (Corunca), Maroskeresztúr (Cristeşti), Marosszabad (Voiniceni).

Distances between Târgu Mureş / Marosvásárhely and some of the major cities in Romania:

• Bucharest: by rail 448 km, by road 346 km
• Brasov / Brassó / Kronstadt: by rail 282 km, by road 171 km
• Cluj-Napoca / Kolozsvár 127 km by rail, by road 105 km
• Sibiu / Nagyszeben / Hermannstadt by rail 189 km, by road 124 km

[edit] History

The city was first documented in 1332 in the papal registry under the name Novum Forum Siculorum, and as Sekulvasarhel in 1349.

On the place of its Castle Church, the Dominican's church stood until the Mongol invasion, when it was destroyed. In its place, the Franciscans built a new Gothic church in 1260 , which was completed in 1446. Since 1439 the town was the scene of the session of parliament ( diet) 36 times.

In 1405, the King of Hungary Sigismund of Luxembourg granted the city of Székelyvásárhely (see Székely), now named Târgu Mureş, the right to organize fairs. In 1470 King Matthias Corvinus granted the first judicial privilege to the city, and in 1482 declared the city a royal settlement.

In 1492, wayvoda István Báthory strengthened its monastery with fortifications, this was a pentagon-shaped outer castle tower. In 1506, the troops of Pál Tomori were beaten by the Szeklers rising against the payment of an extraordinary Ox tax imposed on them on occasion of the birth of Louis II of Hungary. In 1557, the Reformed Church College (i.e. Presbyterians) was established as the oldest Hungarian school of Transylvania. In 1571, the session of Transylvanian parliament under prince John II Sigismund Zápolya accepted the free preach of the word of God, including the Unitarian Church. In 1600-1601, as a result of the siege of Giorgio Basta, the fortress turned to ruins.^[4]. In 1602, the troops of Gergely Németh put on fire the remaining houses of the town, therefore, in 1602 the reconstruction of the fortress was started further the advice of mayor Tamás Borsos, but it was actually built between 1614 and 1653. Mózes Székely the only prince of Szekler origin visited the city in 1603, when liberated Transylvania from foreign domination.

In 1616, it was granted the status of a free royal city under the name of Maros-Vásárhely by prince (fejedelem) Gábor Bethlen ^[4] The Romanian equivalent of Marosvásárhely is Târgu Mureş (târg and vásár mean "Market" in Romanian and Hungarian respectively).

One of the bastions of the Fortress of Marosvásárhely

Fortress Church of the Reformed Church

In 1658, Turkish and Tartarian troops invaded and burned it, 3000 people were taken into captivity. In 1661, as no one show willingness to accept the duty of prince, under pressure from pasha Ali, Mihály Apafi was elected prince here. In 1662, resulting from the negligence of the Turkish military residing here, the city was almost completely burnt down. In 1687, it was devastated by German imperial troops.

In 1704, the kuruc troops of Pál Kaszás occupied the fortress, which was re-occupied by Lörinc Pekry from the labanc in 1706. On 5 April 1707, Francis II Rákóczi was raised to the chair of princes. In 1707 it was struck by pest, more than 3500 people died, the black death renewed in 1709, 1719 and in 1738-39.^[5] The city received a major boost to its social and economic life when it became home to supreme court of justice of the Principality of Transylvania in 1754. In 1802, the Teleki Library founded by count Sámuel Teleki was opened for the public with 40.000 volumes.^[6]

Avram Iancu, the leader of the 1848 Romanian revolution in Transylvania, was a young lawyer in the city of Tîrgu Mureş before engaging in the fight for the rights of Romanians living in Transylvania. On 4 November 1848, the Szekler troops were beaten by the Austrian imperial troops under its walls, and the city was also captured. On January 13, 1949 the troop of major Tolnay recaptured it. On 30 July 1849, Sándor Petofi and Bem set out from here for the Battle of Segesvár.

In 1854, Szekler martyrs Károly Horváth, János Török and Mihály Gálfi were executed on the Postarét for plotting against the Austrian rule ^[7], since 1874 a monument marks the place. In 1861 the city became the seat of Marosszék and in 1876, that of Maros-Torda county. In 1880 the statue of Bem was inaugurated in Roses Square, in downtown area; in 1893 the statue of Kossuth was as well. The statue of Rákóczi was also inaugurated in 1907. All three were demolished after World War I between 1919 in 1923. After Transylvania became part of Romania, all three of them were destroyed between 1919 and 1923.

The provincial appearance of the city changed greatly in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In 1913, the Hungarian Art-Nouveau style city hall complex was opened, as part of mayor Bernády György's urban renewal. After World War I, together with the rest of Transylvania, Marosvásáshely became part of Romania and was re-named Oşorheiu. From having been an 89% Hungarian-populated city (1910), Romanian population increased throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

From 1940 to 1944, as a consequence of the Second Vienna Award, Târgu Mureş was ceded to Hungary. After Hungary was occupied by Germany in 1944, a Jewish ghetto was established in the city. Marosvásárhely re-entered the Romanian administration at the end of the war in October 1944, however, on 12 November, 1944 general Vinogradov of the Soviet Red Army expulsed the returning Romanian authorities from Northern Transylvania with reference to the massacres committed by members of Iuliu Maniu's so called Maniu-guard, and the Romanian authorities were not allowed to return until the government of Petru Groza was formed on 6 March, 1945.^[8]

After World War II, the communist administration of Romania conducted a policy of massive industrialization that completely re-shaped the community. Between 1950-1968, it was the center of the Hungarian Autonomous Province, later named as Mures-Hungarian Autonomous Region. On 7 September, 1959, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Secretary-General of the Romanian Workers Party, and the Prime Minister Chivu Stoica visited the city. It was then decided where to build the fertilizer production plant, and the new residential quarters of the city. It was decided that the residential quarters would not be built in the Maros valley, but on the surrounding hills.

In March 1990, shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 overthrew the communist regime, Marosvásárhely / Târgu Mureş was the stage of violent confrontations between ethnic Hungarians and ethnic Romanians (See Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureş).

As of 2000, a considerable percentage of the population of Târgu Mureş / Marosvásárhely has started to work abroad temporarily. The local economy has started to get stronger after various investors settled in the area.

Marosvásárhely / Târgu Mureş has a substantial ethnic Hungarian minority, some of whom identify as Székelys. Since 2003 some Székely organizations have been campaigning for the city to become the center of an autonomous region again. Dorin Florea is the first directly elected ethnic Romanian mayor of the city, though the city council retains a majority of ethnic Hungarians.

[edit] Personalities

The statue of the two Bolyai opposite the Bolyai Farkas Grammar School

Târgu Mureş was the home of:

György Aranka (1737-1817); Avram Iancu (1824-1872), Alexandru Papiu Ilarian (1827-1877), György Bernády (1864-1938), Farkas Bolyai (1775-1856), János Bolyai (1802-1860), János Kemény (1903-1971) Petru Maior (1756-1821), Károly Molter (1890-1981) György Orbán (born 1947), András Sütő (1927-2006), Gheorghe Şincai (1754-1816), Sámuel Teleki (1739-1832),

Also Târgu Mureş is the home of the SMURD doctor Raed Arafat (born 1964) and the football player László Bölöni (born 1952).

[edit] Demographics

Theater square - Piaţa Teatrului

Ethnic structure evolution from 1850

According to the results of the most recent census (2002), the Târgu Mureş / Marosvásárhely has a population of 149,577.

The 2002 census was the first to show Hungarians in a minority. The municipality of Târgu Mureş / Marosvásárhely is officially bilingual, with both Romanian and Hungarian languages being recognised officially and used in public signage, education, justice and access to public administration.

[edit] Districts of the city

Districts of the city

Districts of the city in Hungarian

[edit] Places of worship

• City Fortress Reformed church (built in the 14th century)
• The small Reformed church (built at the beginning of the 17th century)
• Grey Friar church (built between 1745-1747 in the center of the city, but in 1971 the main part of the church was demolished by the communist regime; only the tower remained)
• Bob Church (built between 1793-1794)
• Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic parish church (built 1764)
• Synagogue (built 1857)
• Lutheran church (1818-1829)
• Unitarian church (built between 1929-1930)
• Ascension of the Lord Cathedral, Târgu Mureş (built between 1925 and 1934)
• "Small" Orthodox cathedral, near Emil Dandea statue (built between 1926-1936)

Ascension of the Lord Cathedral, Târgu Mureş

Grey Friars Church, Marosvásárhely

Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Parish Church and the Fortress Church, Marosvásárhely

[edit] Tourist attractions

"City Hall" of Târgu Mureş

Alley of the Roses, Center (Piaţa Trandafirilor)

Greek Catholic church, Center

Târgu Mureş offers some other places to visit such as:

• The Cultural Palace in Târgu Mureş, built between 1911-1913 by Komor Marcell (1868-1944) and Jakab Dezső (1864-1932) to the request of Bernády György. The most visited part of the Palace is the Mirrors Hall.
• The City Fortress with the reformed church inside, built between 1602 and 1658 to the request of Borsos Tamás.
• The Roses Square (Piaţa Trandafirilor), in the center of the city
• The City Hall, built between 1906-1907 on the construction plans of Komor Marcell (1868-1944) and Jakab Dezső. Unfortunately, during the 1962 restoration a marble table pointing to construction, the city coat of arms and other decorations were removed. The glass paintings which illustrated Bethlen Gábor, Francis II Rákóczi, Kossuth Lajos, Deák Ferenc and Franz Joseph I of Austria are missing from the halls.
• The Teleki Library, built between 1799–1802, is one of the richest Transylvanian collections of cultural artifacts. It was founded by the Hungarian Count Sámuel Teleki in 1802
• The Cornesti high (Somostető) - an excellent landscape of Târgu Mureş can be seen from here.

[edit] Politics

The Târgu Mureş Municipal Assembly has 23 members:

[edit] Transport

This section requires expansion.

Distances from Romanian cities:

Târgu Mureş / Marosvásárhely is served by Târgu Mureş International Airport, which provides both domestic and international flights. It was renovated in October 2005.

The city transport operators are S.C. Transport Local S.A., S.C. Siletina-Impex S.R.L. and S.C. TudorTrans S.R.L..

[edit] Sports

The city is represented in many sports, including football, handball, basketball, volleyball and wushu.

Târgu Mureş is the home city of two football teams: FCM Târgu Mureş, which plays in Liga II, and Gaz Metan Târgu Mureş, who competes in Liga III.

Târgu Mureş is also known for its bowling team, Electromures.

The most important sport right now in the city is basketball, which is enjoying a huge audience and thousands of fans, with the team BC Mures playing in the first division.

[edit] Local media

[edit] International relations

[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities

Panorama of Târgu Mureş

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Târgu Mureş

• Municipal website (Romanian)
• Interactive map of Târgu Mureş (Romanian)
• BC Mureş Official Website (Romanian)
• Târgu Mureş photo gallery
• Photo gallery and collection of links (English) (Romanian) (Hungarian)
• Photos taken at the Cultural Palace in Târgu Mureş
• Images taken at the Week-End Holiday Complex in Târgu Mureş by photographer Zsolt Suto
• Local news in hungarian provided by Erdélyi Magyar Televízió (Hungarian)

[edit] Notes

v • d • e Mureş County, Romania Municipalities Târgu Mureş (county seat)  • Sighişoara  • Reghin  • Târnăveni Towns Iernut  • Luduş  • Miercurea Nirajului  • Sângeorgiu de Pădure  • Sărmaşu  • Sovata  • Ungheni Communes Acăţari  • Adămuş  • Albeşti  • Aluniş  • Apold  • Aţintiş  • Bahnea  • Band  • Batoş  • Băgaciu  • Băla  • Bălăuşeri  • Beica de Jos  • Bereni  • Bichiş  • Bogata  • Brâncoveneşti  • Breaza  • Ceuaşu de Câmpie  • Cheţani  • Chibed  • Chiheru de Jos  • Coroisânmărtin  • Corunca  • Cozma  • Crăciuneşti  • Crăieşti  • Cristeşti  • Cucerdea  • Cuci  • Daneş  • Deda  • Eremitu  • Ernei  • Fântânele  • Fărăgău  • Găleşti  • Găneşti  • Gheorghe Doja  • Ghindari  • Glodeni  • Gorneşti  • Grebenişu de Câmpie  • Gurghiu  • Hodac  • Hodoşa  • Ibăneşti  • Iclănzel  • Ideciu de Jos  • Livezeni  • Lunca  • Lunca Bradului  • Mădăraş  • Măgherani  • Mica  • Miheşu de Câmpie  • Nadeş  • Neaua  • Ogra  • Papiu Ilarian  • Pănet  • Păsăreni  • Petelea  • Pogăceaua  • Râciu  • Răstoliţa  • Ruşii-Munţi  • Sâncraiu de Mureş  • Sângeorgiu de Mureş  • Sânger  • Sânpaul  • Sânpetru de Câmpie  • Sântana de Mureş  • Sărăteni  • Saschiz  • Solovăstru  • Stânceni  • Suplac  • Suseni  • Şăulia  • Şincai  • Tăureni  • Valea Largă  • Vânători  • Vărgata  • Vătava  • Veţca  • Viişoara  • Voivodeni  • Zagăr  • Zau de Câmpie

v • d • e County seats of Romania (alphabetical order by county) Alba Iulia • Arad • Piteşti • Bacău • Oradea • Bistriţa • Botoşani • Braşov • Brăila • Buzău • Reşiţa • Călăraşi • Cluj-Napoca • Constanţa • Sfântu Gheorghe • Târgovişte • Craiova • Galaţi • Giurgiu • Târgu Jiu • Miercurea Ciuc • Deva • Slobozia • Iaşi • Buftea • Baia Mare • Drobeta-Turnu Severin • Târgu Mureş • Piatra Neamţ • Slatina • Ploieşti • Satu Mare • Zalău • Sibiu • Suceava • Alexandria • Timişoara • Tulcea • Vaslui • Râmnicu Vâlcea • Focşani Bucharest (national capital)