Caransebes
Encyclopedia
Caransebeş is a city in Caraş-Severin County
, part of the Banat
region in southwestern Romania
. It is located at the confluence of the river Timiş
with the river Sebeş, the latter coming from the Ţarcu Mountains
. To the west, it is in direct contact with the Banat hills. It is an important railroad node, being located approximately 40 km away from Reşiţa
, 21 km from Oţelu Roşu
, 70 km from Haţeg
, and about 25 km from the Muntele Mic ski resort, in the Ţarcu Mountains.
One village, Jupa , is administered by the city.
, a village 7 km away. As the Romans
invaded Dacia
, they built a castrum named Tibiscum
, which was dug up by archaeologists near the nearby village of Jupa, a castrum which later grew to be a full city. Tibiscum is considered one of the gates of Christianity
in Dacia
, having an important role also in the Romanization of the local people.
During the Middle Ages, the local people continuously inhabited the area. The region passed under the control of the Hungarian Kingdom, then later under the rule of the Transylvanian Principality, and under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
. Later, the Habsburgs took the control of the region, after prologued wars against the Ottomans.
After railroads began to appear, the role of Caransebeş grew continuously. In the late 19th century, the Romanian people of the settlement elected to the Parliament of Hungary the Hungarian Lajos Mocsáry, who was a progressive democratic politician fighting for the cultural and administrative rights of all nationalities (including the Romanians) living in the Hungarian Kingdom of that time. After the 1918 union of Transylvania with Romania
, Caransebeş became part of Greater Romania
. After the rise of the communist regime
in 1947, an airport
and an airbase were built close to the city. However, the airport did not remain operational for long after the 1989 Revolution.
As of 2000 Caransebeş had a population of 30,901, mainly Romanians
, with Ukrainian
, German
and Hungarian minorities present, but in decline.
Caras-Severin County
Caraș-Severin is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Banat and few villages in Transylvania, with the county seat at Reșița.-Demographics:The county is part of the Danube-Kris-Mureș-Tisza euroregion....
, part of the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
region in southwestern Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It is located at the confluence of the river Timiş
Timis River
The Timiş or Tamiš is a 359 km long river originating from Țarcu Mountains , southern Carpathian Mountains, Caraş-Severin County, Romania. It flows through the Banat region and flows into the Danube near Pančevo, in northern Serbia....
with the river Sebeş, the latter coming from the Ţarcu Mountains
Tarcu Mountains
The Ţarcu Mountains are a mountain range in the southwestern Romania, at the western edge of the Southern Carpathians. They are located between the Bistra Valley , Timiş River , Godeanu Mountains and Râul Mare Valley , the last one being a natural barrier between them and the Retezat Mountains.The...
. To the west, it is in direct contact with the Banat hills. It is an important railroad node, being located approximately 40 km away from Reşiţa
Resita
' is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraş-Severin County, in the Banat region. Its 2004 population was 83,985.- Etymology :The name of Reşiţa, might comes from the Latin recitia, meaning "cold spring", as the great historian Nicolae Iorga once suggested, presuming that the Romans...
, 21 km from Oţelu Roşu
Otelu Rosu
Oţelu Roşu is a town in southwestern Caraş-Severin County, Romania, in the Bistra Valley. It is situated on the national road 68, between Caransebeş and Haţeg...
, 70 km from Haţeg
Hateg
Hațeg is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 12,507. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad, Silvașu de Jos and Silvașu de Sus.Țara Hațegului is the region around Hațeg town...
, and about 25 km from the Muntele Mic ski resort, in the Ţarcu Mountains.
One village, Jupa , is administered by the city.
Climate
The climate in Caransebeş is rather mild. Sub-Mediterranean climatic influences are present to some extent. Temperatures do not drop too low in winter (with an average of 0,-15 °C), but summers can be warm (30-38 °C average). Rainfall can be quite abundant throughout the year.History and population
The first traces of habitation here might date as far as Dacian times. Dacian ruins have been discovered recently near ObrejaObreja
Obreja is a commune in Caraş-Severin County, western Romania with a population of 3249. It is composed of four villages: Ciuta, Iaz, Obreja and Var.-References:...
, a village 7 km away. As the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
invaded Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
, they built a castrum named Tibiscum
Tibiscum
Tibiscum was a Dacian town mentioned by Ptolemy, later a Roman castra and municipium. The ruins of the ancient settlement are located in Jupa, Caraş-Severin County, Romania.- See also :* Dacian davae...
, which was dug up by archaeologists near the nearby village of Jupa, a castrum which later grew to be a full city. Tibiscum is considered one of the gates of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
, having an important role also in the Romanization of the local people.
During the Middle Ages, the local people continuously inhabited the area. The region passed under the control of the Hungarian Kingdom, then later under the rule of the Transylvanian Principality, and under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Later, the Habsburgs took the control of the region, after prologued wars against the Ottomans.
After railroads began to appear, the role of Caransebeş grew continuously. In the late 19th century, the Romanian people of the settlement elected to the Parliament of Hungary the Hungarian Lajos Mocsáry, who was a progressive democratic politician fighting for the cultural and administrative rights of all nationalities (including the Romanians) living in the Hungarian Kingdom of that time. After the 1918 union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.The national holiday of Romania, the Great Union Day occurring on December 1, commemorates this event...
, Caransebeş became part of Greater Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
. After the rise of the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
in 1947, an airport
Caransebes Airport
Caransebeş Airport is located east northeast of Caransebeş in western Romania, in Caraş-Severin county. A former military base, CSB is the only commercial airport in Romania not located in the proximity of a large urban area....
and an airbase were built close to the city. However, the airport did not remain operational for long after the 1989 Revolution.
As of 2000 Caransebeş had a population of 30,901, mainly Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, with Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Hungarian minorities present, but in decline.
Notable people
- Nicolae Corneanu, OrthodoxRomanian Orthodox ChurchThe Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
metropolitan bishopMetropolitan bishopIn Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of... - Ion DragalinaIon DragalinaIon Dragalina was a Romanian general, who died during the First World War in the battle of the Jiu valley. Dragalina was born in the city of Caransebeş, which at the time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
, Romanian World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
General - Corneliu DragalinaCorneliu DragalinaCorneliu Dragalina was a Romanian General during World War II, the son of the World War I-general Ion Dragalina. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, Romanian World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
General - Gustav JaumannGustav JaumannGustav Jaumann was an Austrian physicist.An assistant to the physicist Ernst Mach, he was gifted in mathematics and an opponent of the reality of small particles like electrons and atoms...
, AustrianAustria-HungaryAustria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
(1863–1924) - Wilhelm KleinWilhelm KleinWilhelm Klein was a Hungarian-Austrian archeologist.He was born in Karánsebes, Krassó-Szörény County, Kingdom of Hungary Wilhelm Klein (November 28, 1850, Karánsebes (today Caransebeş), , Hungary - 1924) was a Hungarian-Austrian archeologist.He was born in Karánsebes, Krassó-Szörény County,...
, archaeologist