Ghimbav is a town in Braşov County

Brasov County

Brașov ; ) is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" Burzenland and Făgăraș Land.-Demographics:...

, Transylvania

Transylvania

Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

, central 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 in the centre of Romania, 5 miles (8 km) west of Braşov

Brasov

Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....

.

History

The town was first mentioned in a letter written in 1420 by King Sigismund of Luxembourg. He advised the Ghimbavians to join their forces together with the people living in neighboring villages (Sânpetru

Sânpetru

Sânpetru is a commune in Braşov County, Romania, located 5 km north of the county capital Braşov. It is composed of a single village, Sânpetru....

, Hărman

Harman

- Places :* Harman, Australian Capital Territory* Hărman, Romania* Harman, West Virginia* Harmans, Maryland* Harman, Virginia- Other uses :* Harman , 1-methyl-9H-b-carboline, one of the harmala alkaloids, a reversible inhibitor of MAO-A...

, Bod

Bod, Brasov

Bod is a commune in Braşov County, Romania with 3927 inhabitants . It is composed of two villages, Bod and Colonia Bod. At Bod there is one of Romania's largest sugar factories and a broadcasting transmitter for long- and medium-wave radio, the Bod Transmitter...

) and contribute to the construction of the stone fortress of Braşov

Brasov

Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....

.

The Ottomans invaded Ghimbav in 1422. In 1469 a major fire damaged the town. In 1611 the Hungarian prince Gabriel Báthory set fire to several villages in Burzenland

Burzenland

The Burzenland is a historic and ethnographic area in southeastern Transylvania, Romania with a mixed population...

 (Ţara Bârsei); Ghimbav was one of them.

The local church and the bell tower were built around 1300. In the 15th century a fortress was built around the church. It was hit by lightning in 1642 and suffered major damages. In 1666 the city hall was moved inside the fortress as well as several other houses. These houses were demolished in 1940. The defensive walls were ruined in the 20th century.

Industry

IAR

Industria Aeronautica Româna

Industria Aeronautică Română or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer founded in 1925. Based in Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania, the company employs around 1200 specialists including more than 170 engineers...

, a Romanian builder of helicopters and small planes, is located in Ghimbav. Among other aircraft, it builds the Eurocopter/IAR Puma military transport helicopter.

Premium AEROTEC

Premium AEROTEC

Premium AEROTEC is an aerospace manufacturing business, headquartered in Augsburg in Germany. It is a subsidiary of EADS.-History:Premium AEROTEC started as a division of EADS; it was spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary in September 2008....

, a subsidiary of EADS

EADS

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...

, has also built a factory in Ghimbav.