Brașov

Template:Infobox City in Romania

Braşov (Romanian pronunciation: /bra'ʃov/; name in Hungarian: Brassó, German: Kronstadt, Medieval Latin: Brassovia or Corona) is a city in Romania, and the capital of Braşov County. The city's population is 284,596, according to the 2002 census.

Braşov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, and is part of the Transylvania region.

The city is notable for hosting the Golden Stag (Cerbul de Aur) international music festival.

Name

The current Romanian and Hungarian names are derived from the Pecheneg word, barasu, meaning "fortress". On Tâmpa Hill, located on the Southern side of the city, there was once a Romanian citadel called Brassovia, which gave the Romanian name of the city, one later used by the Hungarians as well.

The first attested mention of Braşov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras"), in a 1252 document. The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City", and is reflected in the city coat-of-arms, as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The three names of the city (Braşov, Kronstadt, and Corona) were used simultanously in the Middle Ages.

The city was named for a short period of time Oraşul Stalin, after Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, from 1951 to 1961 (during a period of Communist Romania).

Population

The municipality of Braşov has a total population of 284,596. Ethnic composition:

Romanians: 258,042 (90.66%)
Hungarians: 23,204 (8.53%)
Ethnic Germans: 1,717 (0.60%)
Roma: 762 (0.26%)
Jews: 138
other ethnicities (Russians, Greeks, Italians): 871 (0.31%)

In 2005, the metropolitan area of Brasov was created. Together with all surrounding cities, it is estimated to have 350-400,000 inhabitants.

History

The oldest inhabitants of Braşov are Romanians (Vlachs), a population which resulted from the assimilation of the Dacian tribes by the Romans. After the 271 retreat of the Roman armies, in the tumultuous Migration Period (from the 4th to 9th centuries A.D.), Romanians continued living in these territories, especially in areas protected by mountains and hills, and organized in small polities. One such community was Ţara Bârsei, comprising several villages. A village named Cotun is mentioned in the area around Braşov (the name draws similarities with a Dacian language word presumed to have meant "village") - its latest development led to today's neighborhood of Scheii Braşovului.

The Braşovian population of that time were mainly Christian shepherds (who followed Eastern Orthodoxy after the Great Schism). The Romanian settlement grew thanks to the diversification of their employments - many became well established merchants, craftsmen (butchers, weavers, carpenters, or builders), and clerics. Near the Orthodox church in Schei, Romanian Braşovians founded the first school for Romanians at the end of the 13th century.

Once Braşov became a German colony, Romanians were denied several privileges by the new German settlers. They were no longer recognized as citizens of the city, and as such they were no longer able to continue to practice their crafts and operate their businesses. Additionally, their religion was not officially recognized throughout Transylvania. Most turned to shepherding and smuggling as a result, ventures which still returned considerable wealth - allowing them to build the very first community stone church in Transylvania, to establish the first Romanian printing press in Transylvania (1558), and later to establish a library. The German burghers still relied on Romanian speakers from within the community in their dealings with the Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia, and occasionally with the Ottoman Empire.

The cultural and religious importance of the Romanian church and school in Schei is underlined by the generous donations received from more than thirty hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as that from Elizabeth of Russia. In the 17th and 19th centuries, the Romanians in Schei engaged in campaigning for national, political, and cultural rights, being supported in their efforts by Romanians from all other provinces, as well as by the local Greek merchants community. In 1838 they established the first Romanian language newspaper, Gazeta Transilvaniei, and the first Romanian institutions of higher education (Şcolile Centrale Greco-Ortodoxe - "The Greek-Orthodox Central Schools", today named after Andrei Şaguna). The Holy Roman Emperor and sovereign of Transylvania Joseph II awarded Romanians citizenship rights for a brief period during the latter decades of the 18th century.

German colonists (also known as Transylvanian Saxons) played a decisive role in Braşov's development. Settlers coming primarily from the Rhineland, Flanders, and the Moselle region, with others from Thuringia, Bavaria, Wallonia, and even from France-proper, were granted settlement in Transylvania by the Hungarian King Géza II at different stages between 1141 and 1162.

In 1211, by order of Andrew II, the Teutonic Knights briefly settled the area, founding three distinct settlements on the site of Braşov:

Corona, around the Black Church (Biserica Neagră)
Martinsberg, west of Cetăţuia Hill
Bartholomä, on the eastern side of Sprenghi Hill

Germans living in Braşov were mainly involved in trade and crafts. The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe, together with certain tax exemptions, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert a strong political influence. They contributed a great deal to the architectural landscape of the city and always rivaled the city of Sibiu (Hermannstadt). Fortifications around the city were erected and continually expanded, with several towers maintained by different craftsmen's guilds, according to medieval custom. Part of the fortification ensemble was recetly restored using UNESCO funds, and other projects are ongoing. At least two entrances to the city, Poarta Ecaterinei (or Ekaterinentor) and Poarta Schei are still in existence. The city center is marked by the mayor's office building (Ratshaus) and the surrounding piazza, which includes one of the oldest buildings in Braşov, the Hirscher Haus, owned by a wealthy merchant. Nearby rises the "Black Church" (Biserica Neagră), which some claim to be the largest Gothic style church in Eastern Europe.

In 1910 the town had 41,056 inhabitants: 17,831 (43,4%) Hungarians, 11,786 (28,7%) Romanians, 10,841 (26,4%) Germans.^[1]

In 1918, when Transylvania became part of Romania, organizations of the German minority from Transylvania declared their allegiance to the new Romanian state. The inter-war period saw a flourishing of economic and cultural life in general, which included the Saxons in Braşov as well. However, at the end of World War II many ethnic Germans were forcibly deported to the Soviet Union (see Communist Romania), and subsequently many more emigrated to West Germany after Romania became a communist country.

Jews have lived in Braşov since 1807, when Aron Ben Jehuda was given permission to live in the city, a privilege until then restriceted only to Saxons. The Jewish Community of Braşov was officially founded 19 years later, followed by the first Jewish school in 1864, and the building of the synagogue in 1901. The Jewish population of Braşov expanded rapidly to 1280 people in 1910, and 4,000 in 1940. Today the community has about 230 members, after many families have left for Israel between World War II and 1989.

Like many other cities in Transylvania, Braşov is also home for a significant ethnic Hungarian minority.

During the communist period, industrial development was vastly accelerated. Under Nicolae Ceauşescu's rule, the city has been the site of the 1987 Braşov strike. This was repressed by the authorities and resulted in numerous workers being imprisoned.

Economy

Industrial development in Braşov started in the inter-war period, with one of the largest factories being the airplane-manufacturing plant (IAR Braşov), which produced the first Romanian fighter planes, used in World War II against the Soviets. After Communist rule was imposed under Soviet pressure, this plant was converted to manufacture of agricultural equipment.

Industrialization was accelerated in the Communist era, with special emphasis being placed on heavy industry, which attracted many workers from other parts of the country. The heavy industry is abundant, including a large factory which manufactures MAN AG trucks under licence, as well as native-designed trucks. Although the industrial base has been in decline in recent years, Braşov is still a site for manufacturing agricultural tractors and machinery, hydraulic transmissions, auto parts, ball-bearings, helicopters (at the nearby IAR site in Ghimbav), building materials, tools, furniture, textiles, shoes, cosmetics. There are also chocolate factories and a large brewery. In particular, the pharmaceutical industry has been developing lately, with GlaxoSmithKline establishing a production site in Braşov.

A large longwave broadcasting facility is located near Braşov, at Bod.

Transportation

The Braşov local transport network is well-developed. There are buses, trolleybuses and trams. Some of the bus lines run a night service. There is also a regular bus line serving Poiana Braşov, a nearby winter resort.

Tourism

Its central location makes Braşov a good starting point for trips around Romania, the city being situated at fairly equal distances from several tourism destinations in the country: the Black Sea resorts, the monasteries in northern Moldavia, and the well-preserved wooden churches of Maramureş. It is also the largest city in a mountain resorts area. The old city itself is very well preserved, and is best seen by taking the cable-car to the top of Tâmpa Hill (995 m), a beautiful lookout.

Temperatures from May to September fluctuate around 23°C / 75°F. Braşov benefits from a winter tourism season centered on winter sports and other activities.

Sights

Biserica Neagră ("The Black Church"), a celebrated Gothic site - the building dates from 1477, when it replaced a 1384 church. Its acquired the name after being blackened by smoke from a 1689 fire.
Biserica Sf. Nicolae (Saint Nicholas Church), dating back to the 14th century.
The Orthodox cathedral, built in 1858.
Muzeul "Prima Carte Românească", a museum exhibiting the first book printed in the Romanian language.
The "Braşov Citadell Fortress" - Cetăţuia Braşovului
The nearby Bran Castle, attracting many fans of Dracula, and often (but incorrectly) said to have been the home of Vlad the Impaler.
Poiana Braşov, mainly a ski resort, but also a sightseeing spot.
Tâmpa, a hill in the middle of the city (900m above sea level), a sightseeing spot near the old city center.
The Jewish synagogue