Projekt Rumänien

Ueber Oradea

Oradea (pronounciation in Romanian: , Hungarian: Nagyvárad, colloquially also Várad, German: Grosswardein, former Turkish: Varat, Yiddish: , Italian: Gran Varadino) is the capital city of Bihor County, in Crişana, Romania. The city proper has a population of 206,614 as of the 2002 census; this does not include areas from the metropolitan area, outside the municipality; they bring the total urban area population to approximately 240,000. Oradea is one of the most prosperous cities of Romania.

Geschichte

Oradea dates back to a small 10th century castle, while its bishopric was founded during the 11th century by King Ladislaus I of Hungary. The first documented mention of its name was in 1113 under the Latin name Varadinum. The Citadel of Oradea, the ruins of which remain today, was first mentioned in 1241 during the Mongol invasion. However, it was not until the 16th century that Oradea started growing as an urban area. In the 18th century, the Viennese engineer Franz Anton Hillebrandt planned the city in Baroque style and, starting from 1752, many landmarks were constructed such as the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace, presently the Muzeul Ţării Crişurilor ("The Museum of the Crişland").

After the Ottoman invasion of Hungary in the 16th century, the city was administered at various times by the Principality of Transylvania, the Ottoman Empire, and the Habsburg Monarchy. At the end of World War I, Oradea and Transylvania were united with Romania. During World War II, Northern Transylvania and Oradea were ceded by Romania to Hungary as a result of the Vienna Award; this dictate was reversed at the war's end and the lands were returned to Romania.

After the World War I, governments of Romania engaged in a policy of relocating Romanians to Transyilvania, especially to Southern Transyilvania, the Szekelyland and near the Hungarian-Romanian border. Out of the 82,687 (Oradea's total population in 1930), 13,775 were born abroad and 5,000 were born in Bukovina, Moldavia, Dobrogea, Oltenia. Only 35% of the total population was native resident in 1930.

Ethnic tensions often ran high in the area. Romanian nationalists believe Oradea and the surrounding Bihor region have always been Romanian and were finally restored to Romanian control at the end of World War I. Hungarian nationalists refer to the city's pre-war Magyar majority and previous inclusion in the Kingdom of Hungary. Nowadays, however, Oradea is an example of tolerance and multiculturality, in an authentic European fashion. The different ethnic groups live in harmony, growing on each other's contribution to the modern culture. There are many mixed (Romanian-Hungarian) families in Oradea, with children assimilating both of their parents' languages and cultures as they learn to speak.

Bevölkerung

The City of Oradea, Romania, had a population of about 240'000 inhabitants in the year 2002.

Ethnic

Oradea - Historical. Oradea - Contemporary population. Ethnic breakdown from the 2002 census:

Romanian: 145,284 (70.31%)
Hungarian: 56,987 (27.58%)
Roma: 2,449 (1.18%)
German: 563 (0.27%)
Slovak: 474 (0.22%)
Jewish: 166 (0.1%)
Italian: 109
Ukrainian: 93
Greek: 64
Russian: 26
Bulgarian: 25
Serbian: 20
Czech: 9
Turkish: 8

Distrikte / Quartiere

Before 1848, Oradea was made up of 4 separate towns: Várad-Újváros (Villa Nova, former Vicus Zombathely), Várad-Olaszi (Villa Latinorum Varadiensium), Várad-Velence (Vicus Venetia), Várad-Váralja (Civitas Waradiensis). The names Vicus Venetia, Villa Latinorum, Vicus Bolognia, Vicus Padua and others refer to the French, Walloons, and Italian inhabitants who settled in the 13th century.
Today the city is made up of the following districts called quarters (cartiere in Romanian):

The quarter named Vie is also known as Podgoria. "Vie" and "podgorie" means the same thing in Romanian, i.e. vine estate.

Wirtschaft

Oradea has long been one of the more prosperous cities in Romania, due mainly to its location on the Hungarian border, making it a gateway towards Western Europe. The GDP per capita of Oradea is approximately 150% of the Romanian average. After 1989, due to its important base of consumers, Oradea enjoyed an economic renewal, not so much in industry but rather in the services sector.

Despite this, a survey by Capital Magazine named Oradea as the least dynamic city in Romania with a population over 150,000, falling behind Cluj-Napoca, Arad and Timişoara. In particular, the city was criticised for high taxes, poor infrastructure and a lack of a clear development strategy.

Oradea has an unemployment rate of 6.0%, slightly lower than the Romanian average but much higher than Bihor County's average of around 2%. Oradea currently produces around 63% of the industrial production of Bihor County while accounting for around 34.5% of the population of the county. Its main industries are furniture, textiles and clothing, footwear and food.

In September 2002, Metro opened the first "cash & carry" store in Oradea.
In 2002, the Lotus Center commercial centre opened in Oradea; it was the first large shopping mall to open in the city.
In the spring of 2005, Selgros opened another "cash & carry" store in Oradea.
In the summer of 2006, Real opened the first Hypermarket store in Oradea.
In the fall of 2007, Pic opened a Hypermarket store in Oradea.
In the fall 2008, Carrefour opened a Hypermarket store in the Lotus Center Oradea.
in the winter of 2008, Real opened its second Hypermarket store in Oradea.

Informations from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradea