Petroșani | |
|---|---|
 View of the city  I. D. Sîrbu Theater  Railway station | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Hunedoara County | |
  Petroșani Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:45°24′44″N23°22′24″E / 45.41222°N 23.37333°E /45.41222; 23.37333 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Hunedoara |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2024) | Tiberiu Iacob-Ridzi[1] (PNL) |
Area | 195.56 km2 (75.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 431 m (1,414 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[2] | 31,044 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (410/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 330001 |
| Area code | (+40) 02 54 |
| Vehicle reg. | HD |
| Website | www |
Petroșani (Romanian pronunciation:[petroˈʃanʲ];Hungarian:Petrozsény;German:Petroschen) is acity inHunedoara County,Transylvania,Romania, with a population of 31,044 as of 2021.[3] The city has been associated with mining since the 19th century.
"Pietros" means "stony, rocky" in Romanian. The city of Petroșani was founded in the 17th century (around 1640) with the name Petrozsény. In 1720, anAustrian cartographer mentions that the entireJiu Valley was intensely populated and settlements could be seen from one end to the other.
At the 1818 census, Petroșani had 233 inhabitants, while the entire Valley counted 2,550. During this time, the main activity of the people wasshepherding and no urban settlement had appeared yet. Around 1840, coal surface mining began in Petroșani,Vulcan, andPetrila.
After Romania joined theAllies of World War I in 1916, Romanian troops attacked the town during theBattle of Transylvania. A battalion of miners defended Petroșani in a last stand battle, refusing to give up the town. The Romanian occupation, however, did not last long: the unitedAustro-Hungarian andGerman troops regained control of the town shortly, in which guerrilla warfare, led by the local Viktor Maderspach, played an important role.
After the collapse ofAustria-Hungary at the end ofWorld War I, and the declaration of theUnion of Transylvania with Romania, theRomanian Army took control of Petroșani in December 1918, during theHungarian–Romanian War. The town officially became part of the territory ceded to theKingdom of Romania in June 1920 under the terms of theTreaty of Trianon. During theinterwar period, the city was the headquarters ofplasa Petroșani, within Hunedoara County. After 1950, the city became the headquarters of Petroșaniraion withinHunedoara Region [ro]. Following the administrative reform of 1968, Petroșani became once more part of Hunedoara County.
The population experienced massive growth only in the 20th century during thecommunist government, as many workers were brought in from other parts of the country.
As other cities from the Jiu Valley, throughout the second half of the 19th century and most of the 20th century, most activities in the city revolved around the mines. But after thefall of the communist regime, many mines were closed, and the city, just like the whole valley, was forced to diversify the economy. This has also led to a significantpopulation decline: Petroșani is one of the Romanian cities which has experienced the fastest population loss from the 1990s onwards.[4]
Petroșani is located in the Jiu Valley, which is the entrance to theRetezat National Park and provides access to theVâlcan,Parâng, andRetezat mountains. The city administers four villages: Dâlja Mare (Nagydilzsa), Dâlja Mică (Kisdilzsa), Peștera (Zsupinyászuvölgy) and Slătinioara (Szlatinova községrész).
The following social events take place in Petroșani:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 581 | — |
| 1880 | 2,096 | +260.8% |
| 1900 | 7,765 | +270.5% |
| 1910 | 12,193 | +57.0% |
| 1930 | 15,405 | +26.3% |
| 1948 | 14,138 | −8.2% |
| 1956 | 23,052 | +63.0% |
| 1966 | 35,187 | +52.6% |
| 1977 | 40,664 | +15.6% |
| 1992 | 52,390 | +28.8% |
| 2002 | 45,447 | −13.3% |
| 2011 | 34,331 | −24.5% |
| 2021 | 31,044 | −9.6% |
| Source: Census data | ||
In 1850, Petroșani was a small village, the vast majority of its 581 inhabitants being Romanian.[5]According to the 1910 census, from 12,193 inhabitants 7,748 (63.54%) were Hungarian, 3,250 Romanian (26.65%) and 831 (6.82%) German.[5] At the 2002 census, 83.3% of the city's inhabitants wereRomanian Orthodox, 7.2%Roman Catholic, 3.7%Reformed, 2.2%Pentecostal, 0.8%Greek-Catholic, and 0.9% belonged to another religion. At the2011 census, 90.59% of inhabitants wereRomanians, 6.54%Hungarians, 1.82%Roma, and 0.35%Germans. At the2021 census, Petroșani had a population of 31,044.[6]
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Petroșani travel guide from Wikivoyage
