Turda

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Turda

County

Cluj County

Status

Municipality

Mayor

Tudor Ştefănie, Democratic Party, since 2000

Area

91.43 km²

Population (2002)

55,770

Density

609 inh/km²

Geographical coordinates

46°34′15″N, 23°46′45″E

Web site

http://www.primturda.ro/

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Turda (German: Thörenburg; Hungarian: Torda) is a city and Municipality in Cluj County, Romania, situated on the Arieş river.

1 History
2 People
3 See also
4 Sister cities
5 Picture Gallery

[edit] History

Founded as a Dacian city under the name Patreuissa (after Ptolemeu in Geographia III, 8, 4), Patavissa or Potaissa (most frequently confirmed), Turda was conquered by the Romans. The castrum established was named Potaissa too and became a municipium, then a colonia. Potaissa was the basecamp of the Legio V Macedonica from 166 to 274.

Salt mines were worked in the area since prehistoric times. After the Hungarian conquest, the Turda salt mines were first mentioned in 1075. (The salt mines were closed in 1932 but have recently been reopened for tourism.)

Saxons settled in the area in the 11th century. The town was destroyed during the Tartar invasion in 1241-1242. Andrew III of Hungary gave royal privileges to the settlement. These privileges were later confirmed by the Angevins of Hungary.

The Hungarian Diet was held here in 1467, by Matthias Corvinus. Later, in the 16th century, Turda was often the residence of the Transylvanian Diet, too. The 1558 Diet of Turda declared free practice of both the Catholic and Lutheran religions, but prohibited Calvinism. Ten years later, in 1568 the Diet extended the freedom to all religions, declaring that "It is not allowed to anybody to intimidate anybody with captivity or expellig for his teaching" - a freedom unusual in medieval Europe. The Edict of Turda is considered by mostly Hungarian historians as the first legal guarantee of religious freedom in Christian Europe.

In 1609 Gabriel Báthori granted new privileges to Turda. These were confirmed later by Gabriel Bethlen. In the battle of Turda, Ahmed Pasha defeated George II Rákóczi in 1659.