Oravița

Coordinates: 45°2′25″N 21°41′7″E / 45.04028°N 21.68528°E / 45.04028; 21.68528
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oravița
Coat of arms of Oravița
Location in Caraș-Severin County
Location in Caraș-Severin County
Oravița is located in Romania
Oravița
Oravița
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°2′25″N 21°41′7″E / 45.04028°N 21.68528°E / 45.04028; 21.68528
CountryRomania
CountyCaraș-Severin
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Dumitru Ursu[1] (PSD)
Area
162.64 km2 (62.80 sq mi)
Elevation
253 m (830 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
9,346
 • Density57/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
325600
Vehicle reg.CS
Websitewww.oravita.ro

Oravița (Romanian pronunciation: [oˈravit͡sa]; Hungarian: Oravicabánya; German: Orawitz; Czech: Oravice; Serbo-Croatian: Oravica/Оравица) is a town in the Banat region of Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 9,346 in 2021. 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 (until 1960 Maidan; 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%
2021 9,346−8.6%
Source: Census data

Etymology[edit]

The name of the town is derived from the Slavic word orah(ov), meaning "(of) walnut" with suffix -ița.[3]

Villages[edit]

Agadici[edit]

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[edit]

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.[4]

Natives[edit]

Climate[edit]

Oravița has a humid continental climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification).

Climate data for Oravița
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 2.7
(36.9)
4.7
(40.5)
10.1
(50.2)
15.9
(60.6)
20.4
(68.7)
23.8
(74.8)
25.9
(78.6)
26.1
(79.0)
20.8
(69.4)
15.4
(59.7)
9.9
(49.8)
4
(39)
15.0
(58.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.6
(30.9)
1
(34)
5.6
(42.1)
11.2
(52.2)
15.9
(60.6)
19.4
(66.9)
21.4
(70.5)
21.5
(70.7)
16.6
(61.9)
11.3
(52.3)
6.3
(43.3)
1
(34)
10.9
(51.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.8
(25.2)
−2.6
(27.3)
1.1
(34.0)
6.2
(43.2)
10.8
(51.4)
14.3
(57.7)
16.4
(61.5)
16.5
(61.7)
12.5
(54.5)
7.5
(45.5)
3.3
(37.9)
−1.7
(28.9)
6.7
(44.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 66
(2.6)
62
(2.4)
68
(2.7)
90
(3.5)
93
(3.7)
110
(4.3)
92
(3.6)
75
(3.0)
79
(3.1)
65
(2.6)
63
(2.5)
74
(2.9)
937
(36.9)
Source: https://en.climate-data.org/europe/romania/caras-severin/oravita-15644/

Anina–Oravița railway[edit]

View from the Oravița–Anina mountain railway in 2010

The rail line from Anina to Oravița was the first mountain railway in Hungary and 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[edit]

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ^ Iordan, Iorgu (1963). Toponimia romînească. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne. p. 84. OCLC 460710897.
  4. ^ (in Romanian) Cristian Franț, "Berea Ciclova, un brand extrem de puternic care a murit subit", Adevărul, June 24, 2013
Church of the Assumption, Oravița (1781–1784)