Timișoara (UK: /ˌtɪmɪˈʃwɑːrə/,[9] US: /ˌtiːmiː-/,[10] Romanian: [timiˈʃo̯ara] ⓘ; German: Temeswar, also Temeschwar or Temeschburg;[11] Hungarian: Temesvár; Serbian: Темишвар, romanized: Temišvar; see other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural centre in Western Romania. Located on the Bega River, Timișoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical Banat. From 1848 to 1860 it was the capital of the Serbian Vojvodina and the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar. With 250,849 inhabitants at the 2021 census, Timișoara is the country's fifth most populous city.[8] It is home to around 400,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area, while the Timișoara–Arad conurbation concentrates more than 70% of the population of Timiș and Arad counties. Timișoara is a multicultural city, home to 21 ethnicities and 18 religions.[12] Interculturality has long been a special characteristic of the western part of the country.
Timișoara
City
From top and left: Aerial view of Timișoara with the Metropolitan Cathedral in the foregroundVictory SquareTheresia BastionUnion SquareIulius TownMillennium ChurchLiberty Square
Flag of Timișoara
Flag
Coat of arms of Timișoara
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Little Vienna (Romanian: Mica Vienă)
City of Roses (Romanian: Orașul rozelor)[1]
City of Parks (Romanian: Orașul parcurilor)[2]
Location in Timiș County
Location in Timiș County
Timișoara is located in RomaniaTimișoaraTimișoara
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Coordinates: 45°45′35″N 21°13′48″E
Country
Romania
County
Timiș
Status
County seat
First official record
1212 (as castrum regium Themes)[3]
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)
Dominic Fritz[4] (USR)
• Deputy mayors
Ruben Lațcău (USR)
Cosmin Tabără (PNL)
Area[5][6]
• City
130.03 km2 (50.20 sq mi)
• Metro
1,080.31 km2 (417.11 sq mi)
Elevation
90 m (300 ft)
Population (2021 census)[8]
• City
250,849
• Rank
5th
• Density
1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
• Metro
430,071[7]
Demonym(s)
timișorean, timișoreancă (ro)
temesvári (hu)
temeswarer, temeswarin (de)
Time zone
UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
300xyz1
Tel. code
+40 x562
Car plates
TM
Climate
Cfb
Website
www.primariatm.ro
1x, y and z are digits that indicate the street, part of the street or even the building of the address
2x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for other ground telephone networks
Conquered in 1716 by the Austrians from the Ottoman Turks, Timișoara developed in the following centuries behind the fortifications and in the urban nuclei located around them. During the second half of the 19th century, the fortress began to lose its usefulness, due to many developments in the military technology. Former bastions and military spaces were demolished and replaced with new boulevards and neighbourhoods.[13] Timișoara was the first city in the Habsburg monarchy with street lighting (1760) and the first European city to be lit by electric street lamps in 1884[14] and has been notable for having an important ethnic German population known as Banat Swabians. It opened the first public lending library in the Habsburg monarchy and built a municipal hospital 24 years before Vienna.[14] Also, it published the first German newspaper in Southeast Europe (Temeswarer Nachrichten).[14] Timișoara was the starting point of the Romanian Revolution.[15]
Timișoara is one of the most important educational centres in Romania, with about 40,000 students enrolled in the city's six universities. Like many other large cities in Romania, Timișoara is a medical tourism service provider, especially for dental care and cosmetic surgery.[16] Several breakthroughs in Romanian medicine have been achieved in Timișoara, including the first in vitro fertilization, the first laser heart surgery and the first stem cell transplant.[14] As a technology hub, the city has one of the most powerful IT sectors in Romania alongside Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Brașov. In 2013, Timișoara had the fastest internet download speed in the world.[17]
Nicknamed the "Little Vienna" or the "City of Roses", Timișoara is noted for its large number of historical monuments and its 36 parks and green spaces.[18] The spa resorts Buziaș and Băile Călacea are located at a distance of 30 and 27 km from the city, respectively, mentioned since Roman times for the properties of healing waters. Along with Oradea, Timișoara is part of the Art Nouveau European Route.[19] It is also a member of Eurocities.[20] Timișoara has an active cultural scene due to the city's three state theatres, opera, philharmonic and many other cultural institutions. The city is currently the European Capital of Culture alongside Veszprém in Hungary and Elefsina in Greece.[21]
