Vulcan, Hunedoara

Vulcan
Municipality

Coat of arms
Vulcan
Location of Vulcan, Hunedoara
Coordinates: 45°22′52″N 23°17′29″E / 45.38111°N 23.29139°E / 45.38111; 23.29139Coordinates: 45°22′52″N 23°17′29″E / 45.38111°N 23.29139°E / 45.38111; 23.29139
Country  Romania
County Hunedoara County
Status Municipality
Government
 • Mayor Gheorghe Ile (Conservative Party)
Area
 • Total 87.31 km2 (33.71 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 22,906
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Website http://www.vulcan-vj.ro/

Vulcan (Romanian pronunciation: [vulˈkan]; formerly Jiu-Vaidei-Vulcan; Hungarian: Vulkán, Zsilyvajdejvulkán (Zsily-Vajdej-Vulkán); German: Wolkendorf, Wulkan) is a city in Hunedoara county, Romania. With a population of 22,906, it is the second-largest city in the Jiu Valley. It administers two villages, Dealul Babii ("Old Woman's Hill" in Romanian; Hegyvulkán) and Jiu-Paroșeni (Zsilymacesdparoseny).

The city is named after the Vulcan Pass that connects the Jiu Valley to Oltenia, itself being derived from Slavic "vlk", meaning "wolf" (even if "vulcan" means "volcano" in Romanian).

The coal resources of the region were discovered in 1788 while the Austrian General Landau defended Vulcan from the Ottoman Turks. One night the soldiers could not put out the camp fire they made, as the piles of coal underneath had caught fire. General Landau thought that he could stop the Turks without a fight by setting piles of coal on fire. The Turks noted the large numbers of fires on the heights and thought that the Austrian army was much larger than theirs and retreated.

In 1850, the first mine was set up by the Hoffman brothers of Brașov.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1956 14,859—    
1966 21,979+47.9%
1977 28,664+30.4%
1992 34,524+20.4%
2002 33,186−3.9%
2011 22,906−31.0%
Source: Census data

People

See also

  • Jiu Valley Portal - the regional portal host of the official Jiu Valley municipal websites
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