Velența

Velența Orthodox Church

Velența (Romanian pronunciation: [veˈlentsa], Hungarian: Váradvelence) is a quarter, or district, in eastern Oradea, Romania. The quarter is crossed by the E60 European Road, and has retained many of its old buildings, escaping the massive Communist urbanisation programme.

History

Its name Velence means Venice in Hungarian, as this settlement served as the home for the Venetian builders who worked on the expansion of the Fortress. It was legally considered a separate town until 1872, when it merged with Orașu Nou (Hungarian: Várad-Újváros), Olosig (Hungarian: Várad-Olaszi) and Subcetate (Hungarian: Várad-Váralja) to form Nagyvárad (Oradea-Mare).