Timişoara is the third largest city in Romania situated in the western part of the country. The city is an administrative centre of the Timiş County. Timişoara is a multicultural city inhabited not only by Romanians, but also by Hungarians, Germans and Serbs. Engineering, chemical, leather, textile and food industry prosper in this city.
The first written mention of Timişoara, the city which came into existence in place of ancient Roman fortress Castrum Regium Themes, dates back to 1212. Timişoara was influenced by multiple cultures. In 1316 the city was a residence of Charles I of Hungary.
In 1552 it was conquered by the Turkish army and remained under its rule for more than 150 years. Then the Banat region, where the city is situated, came and remained under the Austrian dominion for two centuries. That is why Timişoara was called "Small Vienna". The Austrian rule has left easily noticeable marks on the city’s architecture – a great part of the city centre’s architecture comes from the times of the Hapsburg rule.
Timişoara is often associated with the Romanian Revolution of 1989. On December 20, Timişoara witnessed bloody riots caused by the Securitate secret policy’s attempt to resettle the Hungarian pastor László Tőkés. Timişoara was declared the first free Romanian city and events which took place in the city have considerably contributed to overthrowing the Nicolae Ceauşescu’s dictatorship. In the city there are numerous monuments in honour of the victims of the Revolution and people still lay flowers and light candles in front of the cathedral.
Timişoara is a dynamically developing city and, after Bucharest, the second most prosperous Romanian centre. Big concerns such as Nestlé or Procter&Gamble, as well as tyre manufacturing company - Continental AG, or multinational industrial gases company – Linde AG invest in this area. The city is attractive for tourists and has a reach cultural and entertainment offer.
Monuments / attractions:
- Victory Square [Romanian: Piata Victoriei] – the main city’s square with Opera House and a characteristic Timişoara Orthodox Church
- Timişoara Orthodox Church [Romanian: Catedrala Ortodoxa Mitropolitana] – built in 1937-1940. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Three Holy Hierarchs: Saint Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. It has 11 towers, of which the highest one has 96 meters. In front of the Cathedral there is a monument in honour of the victims of the 1989 Revolution
- Unirii Square [Romanian: Piata Unirii] – the square is vibrant with life. Numerous flower shops, restaurants, historic Serbian Orthodox Church (Romanian: Biserica Orthodoxa Sarba built between 1745 and 48) and Roman Catholic St. George’s Cathedral (Romanian: Catedrala Episcopala Romano-Catolica built between 1736 and 1754) are located there. The square is the meeting place for the city dwellers
- Huniade Castle [Romanian: Castelul Huniade] – the oldest building in the city, built between 1443 and 1447 by Jan Hunyadi. It currently houses the Banat Museum
- Iosefin district – rebellion against despotic Ceauşescu’s dictatorship was risen in this district
- Fabric district – in this district a factory of Timişoreana, one of the biggest Romanian breweries, is located
Education / Higher education:
- West University of Timişoara [Romanian: Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara] – public university founded in 1962 , encompasses 11 faculties. The most prominent graduate is Herta Müller, Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 2009
- Polytechnic University of Timişoara [Romanian: Universitatea „Politehnica” din Timişoara] – founded on November 11, 1920, is one of the largest technical universities in Central and Eastern Europe (the number of students amounts to 14,000). It is a public university organised in 10 faculties
- Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy [Romanian: Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie "Victor Babeş"] – public university founded on December 30, 1944. The number of students amounts to 4,200
- Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara [Romanian: Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină Veterinară a Banatului din Timişoara] – public university founded in 1945 as Agricultural Institute of the Polytechnic University of Timişoara. It has functioned as an independent university since 1991. The number of students amounts to 6,150
Culture:
- Romanian Opera House [Romanian: Opera Română Timişoara] – Opera House founded in 1946
- Banatul Philharmonic of Timişoara [Romanian: Filarmonica Banatul Timişoara] – founded in 1947, the philharmonic is the first prestigious cultural institution. Events such as Music Festival of Timişoara, International Flute Competition and Week of Sacred Music are organised in the Philharmonic
- National Theatre of Timişoara [Romanian: Teatrul Național Timişoara] – founded in 1947, the theatre is very popular and offers a rich repertoire
- Hungarian State Theatre „Csiky Gergely” [Romanian: Teatrul Maghiar de Stat „Csiky Gergely”] – founded in 1953, the theatre represents Hungarian minority culture. Plays are simultaneously interpreted into Romanian. The theatre is a very dynamic institution cooperating with the Timişoara Municipality on numerous socio-cultural projects
- German State Theatre [Romanian: Teatrul German de Stat] – founded in 1953, the theatre offers German plays which are simultaneously interpreted into Romanian
- The Children and Youth’s Theatre „Merlin” [Romanian: Teatrul Merlin din Timişoara]
- The Association „Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” [Romanian: Asociaţia Timişoara Capitală Culturală Europeană] – founded in 2011 in order to prepare and support the Municipality’s application for the title of the European Capital of Culture in 2021. Currently, the Association has 129 members representing NGOs, local authorities and regional cultural institutions
- The Intercultural Institute in Timişoara [Romanian: Institutul Intercultural din Timişoara] – founded in 1992 in order to promote Interculturalism, tolerance and interethnic communication in the field of education and culture
- The Centre of Culture and Art of the Timiş County [Romanian: Centrul de Cultura si Arta a Judetului Timis]
- Art Museum [Romanian: Muzeul de Artă] – located in a baroque palace in the Unirii Square. The museum has more than 8000 exhibit items; paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and graphics
- The Museum of Banat [Romanian: Muzeului Banatului] – located in the Huniade castle, the museum has functioned since 1948 and hosts exhibitions of history and natural history of the region
- The 1989 Revolution Museum [Romanian: Asociaţia Memorialul Revoluţiei 16-22 Decembrie 1989] – the museum is a unique collection of exhibit items connected with the 1989 Revolution: international press articles describing those events or many replicas of monuments and sculptures symbolizing victims of the Revolution
- Banat Village Museum [Romanian: Muzeul Satului Banatean] – an open-air museum with more than 30 peasant cottages from the 19th century
