Timisoara
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| Metropolitan Cathedral, Timişoara |
Timişoara (
German Temeswar,
Hungarian Temesvár,
Serbo-Croatian Temi?var, population 329,554 in
2000)
is a city in western
Romania, in the
Banat region,
Timiş county. An industrial city with extensive services, it was the first European city to be lit by electricity.
Timişoara is a multicultural city with influential minorities, mainly Germans, Hungarians, and Serbs, as well as Italians, Palestinians and Greeks. It was the birthplace of
Johnny Weissmuller (an Olympic swimmer, best known for his role as
Tarzan).
In December 1989 a popular uprising began in Timişoara against the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu.
The Hungarian Methodist pastor Laszlo Tokes was ordered to be deported by the secret police (the Securitate) and as a reaction his house was surrounded by members of his church. People supporting him, including people of Romanian origin, gathered at the central square (Opera Square). The army was ordered to fire at the people by the Communist administration.
A number of army officers refused to open fire and sided with the people. That was the beginning of the end for the Communist regime, which fell a week later.
History
- 1552 - Timisoara is conquered by Turks.
- 1716 - Eugen de Savoya take the town from the Turks.
- 1722-1726 - First wave of german colonists (svabi) under emperor Carol II.
- 1763-1772 - Second wave under empress Maria Tereza.
- 1782-1786 - Third wave under emperor Iosif II.
- 1738-1739 - The big epidemic of plague.
- 1762-1763 - Another epidemic of plague.
- 1849 - Between April 26th and August 8th Timisoara is sieged by Hungarian revolutionarian forces (the longest siege of the town)
- 1857 - Public street lighting with aerian gas.
- 1869 - First tram with horses (6,6 km).
- 1884 - Electrical public street lighting.
- 1907 - The walls of the fortress are destroyed to allow new constructions.
- 1918 - November 15th, serbian forces enter into the town. The Banat region was desired by both Serbia and Romania.
- 1918 - December 3rd, french colonial forces arrived to avoid any possible conflicts between Serbia and Romania.
- 1919 - July 28th, romanian administration is installed. Banat was partitioned between Serbia (2/3) and Romania (1/3).
- 1919 - August 3rd, romanian army enter Timisoara.
- 1920 - The theater is destroyed by a fire. It will be rebuild and opened in 1928.
- 1926 - The statue of "Lupoaica" ("She-wolf" - Remullus and Remus), present from Italian autorities, is inaugurated in the center.
- 1930 - Timisoara has 91,866 inhabitants (census).
- 1944 - The town is bombed for the first time, by RAF (June 16-17th).
- 1944 - July 3rd, the town is bombed again, by USAF.
- 1944 - Red Army enter the town (Sep 12).
- 1945 - It is established the first profesional romanian theatre in Timisoara.
- 1946 - It is established Romanian Opera. First show is played on 27.04.1947 - "Aida" by G. Verdi.
- 1953 - It is established "Teatrul Maghiar de Stat" (State Magyar Theatre), which is named since 1990 "Csiky Gergely" theatre; it is established "Teatrul German de Stat" (State German Theatre).
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