Bistriţa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about a city in Romania. For other uses see Bistriţa (disambiguation).
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| County | Bistriţa-Năsăud County | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | County capital | ||
| Mayor | Moldovan Vasile, Democratic Party, since 2000 | ||
| Population (2002) | 81,467 | ||
| Geographical coordinates | |||
| Web site | http://www.primariabistrita.ro/ | ||
Bistriţa (German: Bistritz, archaic Nösen;[1] Hungarian: Beszterce) is the capital city of Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistriţa River. The city has a population of approximately 80,000 inhabitants.
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[edit] History
The earliest indication of settlement in the area of Bistriţa is from Neolithic remains. Transylvanian Saxons settled the area in 1206 and dubbed the region "Nösnerland". The destruction of Markt Nosa ("Market Nösen") by Mongols heading toward central Europe was described by a document from 1241. Being situated on several trade routes, Bistriţa became a flourishing medieval trading post. The town was named after the Bistriţa River, whose name comes from the Slavic word bystrica meaning "the limpid water".
Bistriţa became a free royal town in 1330. In 1353 it gained the right to organize an annual 15-day fair, as well as a seal containing the coat of arms of an ostrich with a horseshoe in its beak. In 1465, the city's fortifications had 18 defensive towers and bastions defended by the local guilds. It was also defended by a Kirchenburg, or fortified church.
[edit] Main sights
The main attraction of Bistriţa's central square is the Lutheran church which was built by the Transylvanian Saxons, originally constructed in the 14th century in Gothic style but remodeled from 1559-1563 by Petrus Italus with Renaissance features. It was re-renovated in 1998.
The Bistriţa-Năsăud County Museum, located in a former barracks, contains Thracian, Celtic, and German artifacts. 19th century fires destroyed much of the city's medieval citadel.
[edit] Popular culture
In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the character Jonathan Harker visits Bistriţa and stays at the Golden Krone Hotel (Romanian: Coroana de Aur). Although no such hotel existed when the novel was written, a hotel of the same name has since been constructed for tourists.
[edit] Transportion
The major cities directly linked by trains to this city are Bucharest via a night train, and Cluj-Napoca via several trains.
Bistriţa also serves as a midway point for C&I, a transport service, and is a changing point for people traveling between Suceava, Satu Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Sighişoara, Târgu Mureş, and Braşov.
[edit] Notable residents
- Arnold Graffi (1910-2006), doctor
- Andrei Mureşanu (1816-1863), writer of the Romanian national anthem
[edit] Twinned cities
L'Aquila, Italy
Besançon, France (since 1997)
Zielona Góra, Poland (since 2001)
Columbus, Georgia, United States (since 2003)
Herzogenrath, Germany (since 2005)
[edit] References
- ^ Siebenbürgen Village List. Accessed 11 January 2007.
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 11 January 2007.
[edit] External links
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