Oravița

Oravița
Town

Coat of arms

Location of Oravița
Country  Romania
County Caraș-Severin County
Status Town
Government
 • Mayor Dumitru Ursu (Social Democratic Party)
Area
 • Total 162.64 km2 (62.80 sq mi)
Population (2002)
 • Total 15,265
 • Density 90/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Climate Cfb
Website http://www.oravita.ro/

Oravița (Romanian pronunciation: [oˈravit͡sa]; Hungarian: Oravicabánya; German: Orawitz; Czech: Oravice; Serbo-Croatian: Oravica/Оравица) is a town in southwestern Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 15,524 in 2000. Its theater is a fully functional scaled down version of the old Burgtheater in Vienna. Six villages are administered by the town: Agadici (Agadics; Agaditsch), Brădișoru de Jos (Majdán), Broșteni (Brostyán), Ciclova Montană (Csiklóbánya; Montan-Tschiklowa), Marila (Marillavölgy; Marillathal) and Răchitova (Rakitova).

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1930 9,585—    
1948 6,974−27.2%
1956 8,175+17.2%
1966 9,912+21.2%
1977 14,987+51.2%
1992 15,293+2.0%
2002 15,222−0.5%
2011 10,225−32.8%
Source: Census data

Etymology

The name of the town is derived from the Slavic word orah(ov), meaning "(of) walnut" with suffix -ița.[1]

Villages

Agadici

The history of Agadici can be traced back to at least the 17th century, when records noted a population of "800 souls". Today, there are fewer than 200 people living in Agadici. Agadici is a word derived from Turkish: Aga meaning 'colonel' and dici meaning 'daughter'. Therefore, Agadici means "daughter of the colonel". The town was supposedly named after a colonel's daughter when the Ottoman Empire occupied the land that is now the Banat (see the Temeşvar Eyalet).

Ciclova Montană

The second-oldest beer in what is now Romania was produced in Ciclova; it is first attested in a document of 1728. In the beginning, production was under the management and patronage of the local Catholic monastery. Known as "bere Ciclova" in later years, the firm went bankrupt in 1996.[2]

Anina–Oravița railway

View from Oravița–Anina mountain railway in 2010

The Anina–Oravița was the first mountain railway in today's Romania, opened in 1863, it is still in use today for touristic purposes, and it is one of the most beautiful railways in Europe due to very picturesque landscapes, viaducts and long tunnels.

References

  1. ↑ Iordan, Iorgu (1963). Toponimia romînească. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne. p. 84. OCLC 460710897.
  2. ↑ (in Romanian) Cristian Franț, "Berea Ciclova, un brand extrem de puternic care a murit subit", Adevărul, June 24, 2013

Coordinates: 45°02′N 21°41′E / 45.033°N 21.683°E / 45.033; 21.683

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