The name of the county comes from theTimiș River, known in Roman antiquity asTibisis orTibiscus. According to Lajos Kiss'etymological dictionary, the name of the river probably comes from theDacian language:thibh-isjo ("marshy").[5] InHungarian, Timiș County is known asTemes megye, inGerman asKreis Temesch, inSerbian as Тамишки округ/Tamiški okrug, inUkrainian as Тімішський повіт, and inBanat Bulgarian asokrug Timiš.
Timiș County is part of theWest Development Region along with the counties ofArad,Caraș-Severin andHunedoara, being located in the center of the historical province ofBanat. Due to its geographical position, almost a third of the county's borders are at the same time state borders. Thus, in the northwestern part, it bordersCsongrád-Csanád County (Hungary), 18 km of this border being on theMureș River. To the southwest, betweenBeba Veche andLățunaș, Timiș County borders theAutonomous Province of Vojvodina (Serbia). The land connection with the counties of the neighboring countries is ensured by the border crossing points fromCenad,Moravița andJimbolia. The neighboring Romanian counties with Timiș County areArad to the north,Hunedoara to the east andCaraș-Severin to the southeast.[8]: 20
The relief is characterized by the predominance ofplains, which cover the western part (low plain) and the central part (high plain) of the county. Timiș County features alllandforms, with altitudes between 75 m in Banat Plain and 1,374 m inPoiana Ruscă Mountains. Proportionally, the plain covers about 6,700 km2, representing 77.2% of the county's area; the hills cover about 1,650 km2, i.e. 19.01%; and the mountains cover a relatively small area of 300 km2, i.e. 3.45%.[6]: 3
The plain penetrates in a gulf-like manner the hilly areas, on the valleys ofTimiș (towardsLugoj) andBega (towardsFăget).[9] In the east of the county lie the pre-mountain hills of Buziaș and the southern sector of the Lipova Plateau, whose peaks rise to altitudes between 200 and 400 m. The hills of Lăpugiu, Făget, Lugoj, Lipova, Silagiu and Sacoș are rich in pastures, orchards of fruit trees, vineyards, but also in cereal crops. The relief in the eastern part of the county is dominated by the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, with deep valleys and steep slopes, with heights that rarely exceed 1300 m (Padeș peak – 1374 m, Rusca peak – 1355 m).[10]: 8–9
The hydrographic network of Timiș County, spread over 3,104 km, is composed of two hydrographic basins: Bega–Timiș–Caraș and Mureș. The most important rivers in size and hydropower potential in the county, which cross the territory through the center, dividing it into two halves, south and north, areTimiș andBega. Timiș is the largest inland river in Banat, which has its sources on the eastern slopes of the Semenic Mountains, inCaraș-Severin County. The river is formed at the confluence of three branches: Semenic, Grădiște and Brebu. It crosses the whole of Timiș County, then passes into Serbia where it flows into theDanube, toPančevo. Bega River springs from the Poiana Ruscă Mountains and flows into theTisza after a route of 244 km, being its southernmost tributary. Downstream, towards the western edge, up to the border, the course of the Bega River is completely canalized. TheBega Canal is navigable both in Romania and in Serbia, having a length of 44 km only in Romania.
The natural lakes, with small areas and depths, are represented by the lake complex ofSatchinez (40 ha; 1.5 m deep), the two lakes ofBecicherecu Mic (one of 33 ha and another of 13 ha), the Petra pond ofJebel, etc. Between 1969 and 1975, pond-like lakes forflood control,irrigation andfishing were arranged on the courses of both Timiș and Bega. The largest of these,Lake Surduc, was arranged onGladna stream, a tributary of the Bega, and has an area of 460 ha and a volume of 51 million m3.[12] In the county there are also two lakes with hot (20 °C) and mineral water atRomânești, with an area of 50 m2 and the muddy volcano fromOhaba-Forgaci, in the Magheruș valley, of 50 m2.
The high density of the hydrographic network, the low slopes of the riverbeds in the plain sector, the reduced depth of the groundwater, the presence ofultisols, all favor the floods and marshes. To reduce the amplitude of these phenomena, since the first half of the 18teenth century, large engineering works (damming, canalization, draining etc.) were made in the region, most of which are still functional today. Among the majorflash floods andfloods in the Banat Plain, the most important were those of May 1912, June 1966 andApril 2005.[13]
The natural vegetation, strongly influenced by human activities, is characterized by the small-scale presence offorest-steppe plants and by a higher frequency of hydro- and hygrophilous vegetation in low plains and meadows with excess moisture. The extensive agricultural crops in the plain alternate with small areas of secondary meadows dominated by fescue associations (Festuca valesiaca,Festuca rupicola andFestuca pseudovina) mixed with wormwood (Artemisia austriaca) and others. The deciduous forests, made up of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), Austrian oak (Quercus cerris) and Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto), occupy insularly or on compact areas the Lipova Plateau, the Lugoj and Pogăniș Hills and partly the Gătaia Plain. In the eastern extremity of Timiș County there are sessile oak forests (Quercus petraea) mixed with Austrian oak (Quercus cerris), beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) mixed with hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), and the upper slopes of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains are covered withspruce forests mixed withfir andbeech.
In Timiș County there are 45nature reserves that total 134,766.49 ha or about 13% of the county's area.[14]
The climate has a moderate temperatecontinental character, with hot summers and mild winters due to both the influences of the oceanic (from the west) and Mediterranean (from the south and southwest) air masses and the fact that over 85% of the territory belongs to the plain climate (the remaining 15% belongs to the climate of hilly and mountainous regions).[15]: 49 The western area of the Banat Plain is classified according toKöppen's guide asCfa, and the mountainous area in the east of the county asDfb.[15]: 50 Due to the high uniformity of the relief, the average annual temperatures are poorly differentiated on the territory of Timiș County. The annual averages are close to 11 °C in the region with plain climate and decrease by 1–2 °C on the hills in the east of the county.[10]: 9 The averages of the warmest month (July) exceed 21 °C in the plain and fall below 18 °C in the east. The averages of the coldest month (January) are higher than –2 °C in the plain and rise to values higher than –1 °C in the east of the county. The absolute maximum temperature (42 °C) was recorded inBanloc (24 July 2007), and the absolute minimum temperature (–35.3 °C) in Timișoara (29 January 1963).[15]: 55
The average multiannual precipitation amounts to increasing quantities from west to east, i.e. 569 mm in Jimbolia, 620.6 mm in Timișoara, 734 mm in Făget and over 1,200 mm on the ridges of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains. The maximum rainfall occurs in June, as a result of the intensification of cyclonic activity in theNorth Atlantic or in the Mediterranean basin. On the other hand, the lowest average monthly amounts fall in February–March. The snow layer is unstable and has insignificant thicknesses.
Predominant winds blow from the north (16.9%), east (15%), northwest (9.1%) and south (8.4%), with average annual speeds between 1.2 and 3.8 m/s. Local winds includeaustru (dry wind from the south),coșavă (high-speed cold wind),rușavăț (in the Banat Plain) and mountain breezes (in the east).[15]: 65
Characteristic parameters of the topoclimates of Banat
According to the2021 census, Timiș County had a population of 650,533 (or 3.4% of the country's population), being the sixth most populous county in Romania. Thepopulation density was74.8/km2 (193.7/sq mi).[18]
*Censuses initalics are based on mother tongue and not ethnicity.
According to the 2011 census,Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority in Timiș County, numbering 35,295 people or 5.2% of the county's population. Significant concentrations of the Hungarian population follow the areas where the policy of colonization of theKingdom of Hungary manifested itself in the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. At the 2011 census, there were 16 localities – all rural – that had at least 20% Hungarian population. However, their total population represents only 12.6% of the Hungarian population in the county. This is explained by the migration of Hungarians from rural to urban areas after 1990. By weight, the largest Hungarian communities are found inOtelec (Ótelek; 75.1%),Cherestur (Pusztakeresztúr; 69.7%),Bodo (Nagybodófalva; 64%),Tormac (Végvár; 60.6%) andOtvești (Ötvösd; 52.6%).[23]
Roma are the second largest minority, with 14,525 people (or 2.1% of the county's population) at the 2011 census, although unofficial estimates put the figure at 45,000.[24]Măguri, a component locality ofLugoj municipality, is the only village in the county where the Roma have an absolute majority (69.4% in 2011).[25]
The largest communities ofSerbs,Germans andBulgarians in Romania also live in Timiș County. The number of Serbs living in Timiș exceeds 10,000. Most of them are located in Timișoara and in the localities near the border withSerbia:Cralovăț (Краљевац/Kraljevac; 64.5%),Petrovaselo (Петрово Село/Petrovo Selo; 48.4%),Sânmartinu Sârbesc (Српски Семартон/Srpski Semarton; 35.6%),Cenei (Ченеј/Čenej; 24.2%),Diniaș (Дињаш/Dinjaš; 21.8%), etc.[26] Up to the 20th century, the Germans (specificallyBanat Swabians) were a very large community. They were colonized here at the end of the 17th century and during the 18th century, in three successive waves, during the reigns ofCharles VI,Maria Theresa andJoseph II. They came from different areas of Germany, especiallyRhineland, thePalatinate andSwabia, but alsoLuxembourg,Lorraine,Alsace,Westphalia,Hesse,East Franconia andBavaria. Deported to theSoviet Union for forced labor after 1945 and subjected tonationalization andcollectivization during the communist period, most Germans in Timiș County left forGermany andAustria, with one last wave after 1990.[27] At present, they account for merely1⁄24 of the number at the 1900 census, when the highest number of Germans was recorded.Banat Bulgarians, a Bulgarian Catholic minority, began settling in Banat in the late 17th century from the north and northwest of today'sBulgaria. The largest communities of Banat Bulgarians in Timiș County live inBreștea (Brešća; 80.3%),Dudeștii Vechi (Stár Bišnov; 66.5%) andDenta (Dénta; 5.2%).[28]
Timiș County is administered by a county council (consiliu județean) consisting of 36 councilors. Following the2020 local elections, the council is chaired byAlin Nica [ro] fromPNL,[1] and the political composition of the council is as follows:[32]
The flag of Timiș County has a rectangular shape, with its width equal to two-thirds of its length and consists of the county coat of arms superimposed on a white background. White chosen for the flag signifies purity and peace. Above the coat of arms is inscribed in capital letters invermilion the word "Romania", and below it is inscribed with the same characters incobalt blue the words "Timiș County". The county flag was approved in 2021.[34]
The coat of arms was approved in 2002 and consists of a cutshield; at the top, on the redfield, a golden lion coming out of the battlements of a wall of built gold; the lion holds a bent sword, with a wide point, made of silver; in the upper right-hand corner is a golden sun, and in the upper left, a rising silver moon. At the bottom, on the blue field, is a wavy silver band. The lion with armed arm, characteristic ofBanat of Temeswar, symbolizes the defenders of the land and of Christianity against the Ottoman armies; the lion carries the victorious sword ofPál Kinizsi, Count ofTemes County. The gold wall symbolizes thefortress of Timișoara. The golden sun symbolizes, through its position, the lofty goals for which the heroes of this land fought. The silver moon represents the pair of the sun. The wavy silver band on the blue field symbolizes theTimiș River, which gives the county its name.[35]
Timiș County has one of the most dynamic economies in Romania. The county's economy gradually transformed from a predominantly industrial one, sometimes with significant losses due to the non-use of labor and capital endowments, into atertiary one (based mainly onservices).[36]: 141 The specialization of Timiș County stands out in the computer, automotive and electrical equipment industry, these registering high values of thelocation quotient (as of 2019).[37]: 18
In 2021, Timiș County had a GDP per capita of 31,519 euros, 40% above the national average, and an annual growth rate of 5–10%.[38]: 4 At national level, it ranks third in terms ofGDP, reaching 62.5 billion lei in 2021, with a contribution of 6.5% of Romania's total GDP,[38]: 2 having a developed economy and among the highest entrepreneurial rates in the country (36SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019).[36]: 145 The most important sector represented locally is theautomotive industry, supported by large companies such asContinental,Delphi Packard,Hella,Mahle,Dräxlmaier,Flex, etc. In recent years, certainhigh techknow-how-intensive services, such asIT&C, have seen strong growth. Timiș has one of the lowestunemployment rates in the country – 0.8% in 2019.[19]: 39 Most employees are in manufacturing (27%), trade (15.2%) and agriculture (15.1%).[36]: 152
Timiș stands out as the second business pole at national level, afterBucharest–Ilfov,[39] with a turnover of companies of 72 billion lei, which constitutes about 5% of the turnover of 1,400 billion lei of all companies in Romania.[40] The county's exports stood at over 39.05 billion lei, Timiș being among the few counties in the country with a positive trade balance. Timiș County's exports consist mainly of the following groups of goods:electrical machines,appliances andequipment (37%),plastics andrubber (14%), means of transport (11%),footwear (9%),optical instruments and appliances (7%),furniture (5%). Timiș County is also the largest importer of consumer goods, after Bucharest.[40]
The industry of Timiș County is strong and diversified, due to the high rate ofgreenfield and brownfield investments, the western location of the county, the high qualification of the labor force, as well as the entrepreneurial tradition. The most significant share in the total production of the county is held by themanufacturing industry, having as sub-branches:electronics industry,food industry,chemical industry,textile industry,metal andwood processing industry andconstruction. Although with only 8% of the number of companies in Timiș, the manufacturing industry registers a turnover of 40% of the county's total.[40]
Timiș County ranks first in the country in terms of both agricultural and arable land. Timiș County has an agricultural area of 691,299 ha, of which 531,472 ha isarable land, 118,671pastures, 28,632hayfields, 4,121vineyards and vine nurseries and 8,403orchards and fruit nurseries.[19]: 74
One of the oldest and most important agricultural activities in the county, with favorable climatic conditions, is the cultivation ofcereals and technical plants, andviticulture is practiced in most of the communes in the plain and hill area of the county. Places likeRecaș,Buziaș andGiarmata are renowned for theirwine production. The production of vegetables in individual micro-farms is also a traditional economic activity, especially in the rural localities in the vicinity of urban centers. By cultivated area, the main crops aremaize (165,643 ha),wheat andrye (133,657 ha),sunflower (78,242 ha), perennialfodder (38,060 ha) andsoybeans (21,200 ha).[19]: 77 Livestock farming is also an important, traditional branch of Timiș agriculture, and in recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of animals in the private sector. As of 2019, livestock in Timiș County consisted of 1,524,625birds, 612,638sheep, 605,619swine, 45,332bee families, 37,305cattle, 21,890goats and 5,659horses.[19]: 80
Unlike industry, trade and construction, which also generates a large part of thegross value added (GVA) of the county economy, agriculture stands out with a very high share of employment correlated with a low share in GDP (5%), although that it places the county on the first place at national level from the perspective of the GVA obtained in agriculture.[36]: 152
The geographical position of the county in the immediate vicinity of the border with Hungary and Serbia leads to a high transit tourism, but with short and medium length of stay. The main form of tourism practiced in the county isbusiness tourism, followed by recreational, shopping and gastronomic tourism.[41] The tourist infrastructure of Timiș County consists of 56hotels, 14hostels, twomotels, acampsite, four tourist villas, 49 tourist pensions, 27 agritourism pensions and two camps for students and preschoolers with an accommodation capacity of 7,746 places.[19]: 94 In 2019, Timiș County had 396,644 tourists, of which 30% were foreigners.[19]: 95
Cultural-historical tourism includes many objectives in historical and archeological sites, architectural monuments and museums.Timișoara has the largest architectural ensemble of historic buildings in Romania (about 14,500), consisting of the urban heritage of theCetate,Iosefin,Fabric andElisabetin districts. In addition, there are 31 castles and mansions in Timiș County.[42] Notable are the Swabian-specific localities in the western Banat Plain (Jimbolia,Sânnicolau Mare,Șandra,Lovrin,Lenauheim, etc.), in the past important settlements of colonists from the German lands of the Habsburg Empire. Religious tourism includes many places of worship, churches and historic monasteries. Among the monastic ensembles are the historic wooden churches in Țara Făgetului, all built after the liberation of Banat from Ottoman occupation (1716),[43] the 11th-century Morisena Monastery (the first monastery in Romania), the 14th-centuryPartoș Monastery with the relics of St. Joseph of Partoș, the 15th-century Săraca Monastery, the 15th-century Serbian OrthodoxSt. George Monastery ofBirda, the 18th-century Cebza Monastery and, more recently, the Izvorul Miron Monastery (1912; nicknamed the "Voroneț of Banat") and the Timișeni Monastery (1944).
Ecotourism is practiced mainly in the mountainous area in the east of the county, where Lake Surduc is located (the largest lake in western Romania), but also a series of waterfalls and caves. Areas with a rich hunting fund, as well as those with a diversified fishing fund are suitable for sporthunting andfishing. On the territory of Timiș County there are 86 hunting funds and 30 fishing funds.[41]Canoeing andkayaking can be practiced on theBega Canal, andrafting on theTimiș River. Spa tourism is practiced inBuziaș (declared aspa resort in 1911),Timișoara,Deta, as well asCălacea,Teremia Mare andLovrin. Wine tourism is represented by theRecaș–Buziaș area, renowned both in the country and abroad for its wines.
Timiș County has a rich musical history. Notable in this respect are the choirs of BanatBauer. Banat choirs have their origins inchurch music, learned in schools, where the teacher was both organist, choir conductor, and not infrequently, composer. The choirs, which were to become a real movement in Banat, were an important means of national manifestation of the people of Banat, through which the Romanian language and culture were promoted. The oldest Romanian choir in Banat was the plowmen's vocal choir, founded in 1857 inChizătău, which was born from the old church choir. It was also the most famous and appreciated choral formation in the area, which had resounding success at various competitions and festivals, along with other Banat choirs.[44] Banat choirs had a rich repertoire, consisting of national, folk songs or choral works composed byIon Vidu,Filaret Barbu or Iosif Velceanu.[45]
Timișoara was a reputed city of music in the 19th century. Many famous musicians performed here, includingFranz Liszt (1846),Johann Strauss II (1847),David Popper (1867),Leopold Auer (1867),Pablo de Sarasate (1877),Henryk Wieniawski (1877),Johannes Brahms (1879) andJoseph Joachim (1879).[46] The onlyphilharmonic in the county, theBanatul Philharmonic, was founded in 1947 and organizes, in addition to the music season, events in unconventional spaces and successful festivals, such asTimișoara muzicală, the longest-lived cultural festival in Timișoara, which debuted in 1968. The firstmusic school in the county was founded by the Hungarian administration in 1907 in Timișoara.[46] Until 1907, music education was exclusively private.[47]
At the county level, there are 22hospitals (15 public and seven private), fivemedical dispensaries, three mental health centers, 522medical offices (school, student andfamily medicine), 846 dental offices, 115medical laboratories, 87 dental laboratories and atransfusion center. Regarding the pharmaceutical network in Timiș County, in 2019 there were 295pharmacies (16 public and 279 private), seven pharmaceutical points and 34 pharmaceutical warehouses.[19]: 53
Timișoara is nationally recognized as a center of excellence in medicine. Timișoara has made several breakthroughs in Romanian medicine, including the firstin vitro fertilization, the firstlaser heart surgery and the firststem cell transplant.[56] The Pius Brînzeu County Emergency Clinical Hospital and the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases from Timișoara were included by theMinistry of Health in the first class of competence (out of five possible).[57] Première Hospital, run by Regina Maria private health network, is the largestprivate hospital in the west of the country.[58]
Inter- and intra-county connections are provided by the main and secondary national roads from which a dense network of local roads emerges. The public road network of Timiș County has a length of about 2,930 km, with a density of 33.7 km/100 km2. More detailed, there are about 563 km of national roads, 1,145 km of county roads and 1,222 km of communal roads.[60]: 5 Also, Timiș County is served by almost 108 km ofmotorways, represented by theA1 andA6 motorways.[61] In 2019, Timiș County had a motorization index of 361.64 vehicles/1,000 inhabitants, being among the highest in the country.[62]: 74
Cioca Airfield, used as an airport for a short period of time, between 1941 and 1942,[64] serves today asairfield for recreational aircraft,air taxis andutility aircraft and venue for various festivals. It is located in the northwest of Timișoara, about 5 km from it.
Timiș County is crossed by one of the few artificially arranged waterways in Romania, theBega Canal. The Bega Canal is part of theRhine–Main–Danube system, making possible the connection between theNorth Sea and theBlack Sea. The length of the canal on the Romanian territory is about 44.5 km and 74 km on the Serbian territory. The navigable part of the canal starts from Timișoara from where it continues to the southwest until it flows into theTisza, located on Serbian territory. The Bega Canal is the first navigable canal built in Romania. Originally built for the sanitation of floodplains around Timișoara, it was later arranged for navigation.[60]: 13–14
Timișoara is the only Romanian city withpublic transport by water, made withvaporetto-like boats along the nine stations on the Bega Canal.[65]
^Badea, Lucian; Sandu, Maria; Buză, Mircea (2011).Unitățile de relief ale României. Vol. 5. Câmpiile pericarpatice. Bucharest: Ars Docendi.ISBN978-9735585723.OCLC895493320.
^Badea, Lucian; Gâștescu, Petre; Velcea, Valeria Amelia (1983).Geografia României. Vol. 1. Geografia fizică. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România.
^Vert, Constantin (2001).Tipuri de peisaje rurale în Banat. Timișoara: Mirton.ISBN9735854694.
^Nomachi, Motoki (2016). "The Rise, Fall, and Revival of the Banat Bulgarian Literary Language: Sociolinguistic History from the Perspective of Trans-Border Interactions". In Kamusella, Tomasz; Nomachi, Motoki; Gibson, Catherine (eds.).The Palgrave Handbook of Slavic Languages, Identities and Borders. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 395.ISBN978-1-137-34839-5.Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved29 July 2022.
^"Conace și castele din Banat".Asociația pentru Promovarea și Dezvoltarea Turismului în Județul Timiș. 29 January 2018.Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved20 June 2022.
^"Cartografia școlară".Sistemul Informatic Integrat al Învățământului din România.Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved20 June 2022.
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