Turda

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For the village in Tulcea County, see Mihai Bravu, Tulcea.
Turda
—  Municipality  —
Downtown street

Coat of arms
Turda is located in Romania
Location on Romania map
Coordinates: 46°32′00″N 23°52′00″E / 46.5333333°N 23.8666667°E / 46.5333333; 23.8666667Coordinates: 46°32′00″N 23°52′00″E / 46.5333333°N 23.8666667°E / 46.5333333; 23.8666667
Country  Romania
County Actual Cluj county CoA.png Cluj
Status Municipality
Government
 • Mayor Tudor Ştefănie (Democratic Party)
Area
 • Total 91.43 km2 (35.3 sq mi)
Population (July 1, 2007)[1]
 • Total 57,381
 • Density 627.6/km2 (1,625.5/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website http://www.primturda.ro/

Turda (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈturda]; German: Thorenburg; Hungarian: Torda; historical name: Potaissa) is a city and Municipality in Cluj County, Romania, situated on the Arieş River.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Ancient times

Milliarium of Aiton, the oldest known epigraphical attestation of Potaissa - a copy erected in June 1993 in front of the Turda Post Office

The city was founded by Dacians under the name Patavissa [2] or Potaissa (most frequently confirmed). It was conquered by the Romans, between AD 101 and 106, during the rule of Trajan, together with parts of Decebal's Dacia.

The name Potaissa is first recorded on a Roman milliarium discovered in 1758 in the nearby Aiton commune.[3]

Roman bath at Castra Potaissa

Milliarium of Aiton is an ancient Roman milestone dating from 108 AD, shortly after the Roman conquest of Dacia, and showing the construction of the road from Potaissa to Napoca, by demand of the Emperor Trajan. It indicates the distance of ten thousand feet (P.M.X.) to Potaissa. This is the first epigraphical attestation of the settlements of Potaissa and Napoca in Roman Dacia.

The complete inscription is: "Imp(erator)/ Caesar Nerva/ Traianus Aug(ustus)/ Germ(anicus) Dacicus/ pontif(ex) maxim(us)/ (sic) pot(estate) XII co(n)s(ul) V/ imp(erator) VI p(ater) p(atriae) fecit/ per coh(ortem) I Fl(aviam) Vlp(iam)/ Hisp(anam) mil(liariam) c(ivium) R(omanorum) eq(uitatam)/ a Potaissa Napo/cam / m(ilia) p(assuum) X". It was recorded in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, vol.III, the 1627, Berlin, 1863.

This milliarium is an attestation of the road known to be built by Cohors I Hispanorum miliaria.[4]

The castrum established was named Potaissa too and became a municipium, then a colonia. Potaissa was the basecamp of the Legio V Macedonica from 166 to 274.

The Potaissa salt mines were worked in the area since prehistoric times.

[edit] Middle Ages

After the Hungarian conquest, the Turda salt mines were first mentioned in 1075. They were closed in 1932 but have recently been reopened for tourism.

Saxons settled in the area in the 11th century. The town was destroyed during the Tartar invasion in 1241-1242. Andrew III of Hungary gave royal privileges to the settlement. These privileges were later confirmed by the Angevins of Hungary.[citation needed]

The Hungarian Diet was held here in 1467, by Matthias Corvinus. Later, in the 16th century, Turda was often the residence of the Transylvanian Diet, too. The 1558 Diet of Turda declared free practice of both the Catholic and Lutheran religions. In 1563 the Diet also accepted the Calvinist religion, and in 1568 it extended freedom to all religions, declaring that "It is not allowed to anybody to intimidate anybody with captivity or expelling for his religion" – a freedom unusual in medieval Europe. This Edict of Turda is the first attempt at legislating general religious freedom in Christian Europe (though its legal effectiveness was limited).

In 1609 Gabriel Báthori granted new privileges to Turda. These were confirmed later by Gabriel Bethlen. In the battle of Turda, Ahmed Pasha defeated George II Rákóczi in 1659.

[edit] Modern times

In 1944, the Battle of Turda took place here, between German and Hungarian forces on one side and Soviet and Romanian forces on the other. It was the largest battle fought in Transylvania during World War II.

[edit] Demographics

According to the last Romanian census from 2002 there were 55,887 people living within the city.

Of this population, 84.88% are ethnic Romanians, while 10.05% are ethnic Hungarians, 4.83% ethnic Roma and 0.4% others.[5]

[edit] People

[edit] Tourism

[edit] See also

Portal icon Poetry portal

[edit] International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania

[edit] Twin towns — sister cities

Turda is twinned with:

[edit] Picture gallery

  • Downtown

  • Downtown

  • Downtown

  • Downtown

  • Downtown

  • Transylvanian princes' palace - history museum

  • Town hall

  • The Catholic church

  • Salt mine

  • Salt mine

  • Salt mine

  • Salt mine

  • Roman Tomb

  • The V Macedonica Legion Castrum, today

  • Roman ruines of Potaissa

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Population as of July 1, 2007" (in Romanian). INSSE. April 4, 2008. http://www.insse.ro/cms/rw/resource/populatia_stab_1%20iulie2007.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  2. ^ Patrouissa by Ptolemy Geographia III, 8, 4, miscopied from a *Pataouissa
  3. ^ Lazarovici et. al. 1997, pp. 202-3 (6.2 Cluj in the Old and Ancient Epochs)
  4. ^ ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPERTORY OF ROMANIA. Archive Of The Vasile Parvan Institute Of Archaeology – Site Location Index[1]
  5. ^ http://www.edrc.ro/recensamant.jsp?regiune_id=2140&judet_id=2295&localitate_id=2300

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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Cities/fortresses with unknown names: Ardan • Ardeu • Arpașu de Sus • Breaza • Bretea Mureșană • Băile Tușnad • Bănița • Bâzdâna • Cernat • Cetățeni • Cotnari • Covasna • Crăsanii de Jos • Crizbav • Cuciulata • Cugir • Cârlomănești • Căpâlna • Drajna de Sus • Jigodin • Mala Kopania • Marca • Merești • Moșna • Odorheiu Secuiesc • Olteni • Orăștie Mountains • Polovragi • Porumbenii Mari • Praid • Racu • Satu Mare (Harghita) • Sprâncenata • Stâncești • Sânzieni • Șeica Mică • Tășad • Teliu • Tilișca • Timișu de Jos • Turia • Valea Seacă • Zemplín
Teritoriul onomastic al elementului dava - Sorin Olteanu.jpg
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