Lugoj, Timiș County, Romania

🇷🇴 Lugoj is a city in Timiș County, Banat, western Romania. The river Timiș divides the city into two halves, the so-called Romanian Lugoj that spreads on the right bank and the German Lugoj on the left bank. The city administers two villages, Măguri and Tapia.

History The beginnings of the settlement can be established since the Neolithic period, the archeological excavations made on the right bank of Timiș and in the Dealul Viilor area highlighting levels of living of a population of shepherds and farmers dating back to the 4th–3rd millennia BC. The later epochs are represented archeologically by the bronze deposit discovered in the Mondial area and vestiges from the Iron Age and the Daco-Roman period signaled both in the city centre and in various localities in the vicinity.

Lugoj first appears in written history in 1334, when a papal tithe record mentions a certain priest Martin of Lucas. As an administrative formation, the district of Lugoj, which also included the surrounding villages, dates from 1369, when it is mentioned as posesio Lugas. Later, in 1376, a document issued by King Sigismund of Luxembourg mentions the attribution of the fortress of Lugoj (castrum Lugas) to the count of Temes, and soon, in 1379, it appears in documents as a castle town, with Nicholas II Garai as chatelaine. Gradually, Lugoj becomes an important strategic and communication point in the medieval Banat area, due to its geographical position, in the contact area of the Tisa Plain with the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, at the intersection of the roads between Banat, Transylvania and the south-west of Wallachia, ensuring access to the Danube.

The 15th century found Lugoj under the authority of the count of Temes, but the settlement enjoyed a wide autonomy. The management of the town was entrusted to a knyaz, assisted by 12 jurors, the inhabitants having in addition to feudal obligations also military duties. Visiting Lugoj when he was count of Temes, John Hunyadi ordered the restoration and strengthening of the fortress on the right bank of Timiș, by building ramparts and palisades.

The merits of the Lugoj District in the battles with the Turks are recognised on 29 August 1457, by a diploma of privileges granted by King Ladislaus the Posthumous. A special moment during this period is the participation of the people of Lugoj, under the captainship of Count Pál Kinizsi, in the battle of Breadfield in 1479.

After the establishment of the Temeşvar Eyalet, the eastern part of Banat was organized in a separate administrative unit, Banate of Lugos and Karánsebes, dependent on the prince of Transylvania. The distinctive role of the town is confirmed on 7 May 1551, by Queen Isabella Jagiellon, who strengthens the old privileges by granting Lugoj the status of civitas regionalis, as well as heraldic signs – a wolf standing above the crown. The Banat of Lugos and Karánsebes resisted the Turkish pressures until 1658 when Ákos Barcsay, prince of Transylvania, asked the people of Lugoj and Caransebeș to accept the decision of the Diet of Sighișoara, subduing to the Turks. They soon occupied the town, bringing in a military garrison led by an agha.

The end of the 17th century finds Lugoj involved in the battles for supremacy between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans, the inhabitants supporting on 25 September 1695 the resistance of General Frederico Veterani fortified in the swampy area south-east of the town. The battle ended with the defeat of Austrian troops by the Ottoman army led by the sultan himself, General Veterani being killed on the battlefield. The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluded in 1699 between the imperialists and the Ottomans, saw the fortress of Lugoj demolished; today, only a street called Cetatea Veche (Old Fortress) reminds of the former fortress. The plan of the fortress, made at the end of the 17th century by architect Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, was also preserved, and the works for the construction of the University of Lugoj building revealed traces of fortifications, initially located between two arms of the Timiș. In 1661, Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi described the fortress as a "square-shaped building, built of stone, fortified with palisades and surrounded by the Zeppel stream, with a gate to the east and a bridge that can be raised". The Turkish domination, for over 150 years in Banat, has left few traces on Lugoj, as well as on other towns on the edge of the Empire, which being subjected to a more tolerant regime, feel strongly the influences and temptations of the West, as a result of policies promoted by Habsburgs.

By the Treaty of Passarowitz of 1718, Banat came under Austrian rule, being declared a crown land, under the name of Banat of Temeswar, administered by the imperial court through General Claude Florimond de Mercy. In 1778, Austria ceded Banat to Hungary, and Lugoj became the seat of Krassó County. After the revolution of 1848, for a short time, it was returned to the possession of Austria, so that through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 it was returned to Hungary, integrating into the dualist empire thus created. Starting with 1881, Lugoj became the capital of the new Krassó-Szörény County, created by merging the Krassó and Szörény counties, and in 1889 it was declared a municipality. The new statute brought a series of defining changes in the ethnic and religious structure and in the economic and cultural evolution of the whole area. Hungarian reformism made possible access to modernity in the fields of institutions, legislation and education system, imposing emancipation from the servitudes of the medieval mentality, the penetration of new European ideas and thus the shaping of social categories capable of receiving them.

German colonization In 1725 the first settlers from Austria, Bohemia, Bavaria and Silesia were brought to Lugoj, dealing mainly with blacksmithing, carpentry and masonry. They were settled to the left of Timiș, in a strictly delimited area, where they built their houses, laying the foundations of "German Lugoj" (German: Deutsch-Lugosch). The two localities on the banks of Timiș were the property of the Chamber, but each had its own administration. According to the 1786 conscription, "Romanian Lugoj" had 1,039 houses and 5,130 inhabitants, while "German Lugoj" had 203 houses and 1,446 inhabitants. In 1795, as a result of a decision of the Chamber, the two localities were unified, the leaders being elected alternately between Romanians and Germans.

Jewish history Jews first settled in the town in the early 18th century, working in manufacturing and in running the transport system. They eventually adhered to the Neolog movement; a Jewish school was founded in 1883. Many Jews left at the end of World War I and the beginning of Romanian rule. Zionist activity began in 1919. In 1930, there were 1,418 Jews, accounting for 6% of the population.

During World War II, the Ion Antonescu regime economically sanctioned the Jews, sending male members of the community to forced labor camps near the Olt River and to the Brașov area. Four youths aged 14–15, charged with illegal communist activity, were sent to the Transnistria Governorate, where they died. Many Jews left after the war, mainly to Palestine.

Geography Lugoj is located in south-western Romania, in Timiș County, in the historical region of Banat and consists of the town of Lugoj and the villages of Măguri and Tapia. Within Timiș County, Lugoj is located in its central-eastern part. According to the National Territorial Planning Scheme, Lugoj is a second-tier locality – municipality of county and zonal importance at county level, secondary pole at county level, with a balancing role in the network of localities. It is the second largest and most important city in Timiș County, being part of the Western Development Region and the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Lugoj covers an area of 98.03 km², of which 20.35 km² in the build-up area and 77.68 km² outside the build-up area. It borders Boldur to the west, Darova to the south-west, Victor Vlad Delamarina to the south, Gavojdia to the south-east, Criciova and Bârna to the east and Coșteiu to the north-northwest.

Geography: Relief The territory of Lugoj belongs to the high plain of Lugoj and the hills of Lugoj. Located in the contact area of these units, the city developed on the lower terrace of the Timiș River, on both its banks. The relief unit in which Lugoj is located is the Lugoj Plain, which penetrates deep into the piedmont hills. The average altitude of the area is 124 m.

Most of the land on which the city is located has a flat relief, with a few elevations that do not exceed 2–3 m above the surface of the terrace. In the north-west of the plain there are the Lugoj Hills, which make the transition to the Poiana Ruscă Mountains. South of the Timiș riverbed, the territory of Lugoj extends to the floodplain of Cernabora, the nearest local tributary of Timiș.

Geography: Hydrography The hills of Lugoj have a radial hydrographic network that comes from the mountainous area and goes to the main collectors: Bega (in the north) and Timiș (in the southwest). Overall, the valleys have a consistent character and have naturally detached long peaks with the same radial orientation. The configuration of the relief north of Fârdea, in the confluence area of Miniș and Gladna, allowed the location here of the Surduc accumulation lake, which, with an area of over 320 ha, represents the largest lake area of Timiș County.

Economy At the end of the 18th century, Lugoj was recorded as an important viticultural centre, with 90% of the population owning vineyards. During this period, the population was engaged in agriculture, viticulture, animal husbandry and crafts. An important moment in the history of Lugoj is the formation of guilds towards the end of the 18th century, marking the transition to the future industrial system. The first industrial activities present in Lugoj were: milling (Elisabeth Imperial Mill, 1722), cloth manufacturing, blanket manufacturing, silk processing and brewing.

At present, the main economic areas in Lugoj are represented by: manufacturing (57%), trade (23%), transport and storage (6%) and construction (5%). In the local economy, the largest contribution to turnover is made by the manufacturing industry, which generates more than 50% of turnover at municipal level and concentrates more than half of the local labor force. The best represented fields of activity locally are those of the manufacture of ceramic sanitary ware, the automotive industry and the manufacture of electrical equipment.: 1  Over the years, two industrial platforms have been individualized, Tapiei and Timișorii. Among the most important companies present here are: Honeywell (protection, alarm and control systems), Autoliv (car safety products), Schieffer (plastics, supplier to the automotive industry), Hella (electrical systems and electronic equipment for the automotive industry), Villeroy & Boch (sanitary items), Inter-Spitzen (fancywork), Schöller and Riva Intima (underwear), Rieker, Primos and Calzaturificio Torre (footwear), Agache (furniture), Werzalit (wood products), Gammet 2000 (metal fabrications for furniture), Lugomet and Silcom (metalworks).

Culture: Music Lugoj has always been one of the musical centres of Banat. Lugoj is also called "City of Music". Mozart, Haydn and Schubert's masses and other sacred music works were performed here while they were still alive. The Minorite Church was the culture bearer of the city. The oldest piano school in Banat also comes from Lugoj, founded in 1760 by a monk from the Minorite Church. The monks themselves dealt with church music, piano lessons and organ building. The Ion Vidu Municipal Choir has existed since 1810; in 1852 another choral society was founded under the direction of composer Conrad Paul Wusching  – Lugoscher Gesang und Musikverein/Lugosi Dal- és Zeneegylet. The cultural life of Lugoj has been enriched over the years with the activity carried out by the Chamber Music Society (1869) and the Philharmonic Orchestra (1926).

Performing arts The first theater performance in Lugoj took place on 10 May 1841 and was a school theater performance staged by students from the local gymnasium. In January and February 1847, the Romanian Society of Theatrical Singers, under the direction of Iosif Farcaș, made up of several professional actors, presented the first performances in Romanian on the stage of the Lugoj Theater.

The current theater in Lugoj, named after tenor Traian Grozăvescu, was built between 1899–1900. The initiative to build the current Traian Grozăvescu Theater was made by Imre Jakabffy, count of Krassó-Szörény, who, after managing to get the land for the new theater, mobilized the local population who donated 24,000 kroner to build the theater.

During the interwar period, in Lugoj, several amateur theater societies were active: Thalia Romanian Theater Association, Banat Academic Circle, Musical Theater Society, which carried out a fruitful activity to promote the Romanian classical repertoire. It is worth mentioning that the Thalia Romanian Theater Association also took care of editing some collections of plays in one act, printing and disseminating, within ten years, almost 300 works.

Since 1992, the municipality and the theater of Lugoj have been organizing the only non-professional theater festival-competition with international participation in Romania.

Written press Lugoj imposed a distinct coloratura in the landscape of Banat press in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with numerous German (Lugoser Anzeiger – 1852, Lugoscher Zeitung – 1905) and Hungarian newspapers and magazines (Krassó-Szörényi Lapok – 1879) published here, as well as valuable Romanian publications (newspapers Deșteptarea and Drapelul under the editorship of Valeriu Braniște). Currently, two local weekly newspapers appear in Lugoj, Actualitatea and Redeșteptarea.

Education In terms of higher education, Drăgan European University, a private university with economic and juridic profiles, has been functioning in Lugoj since 1992.

Transport Lugoj benefits from primary connectivity to the TEN-T Core network via A1 motorway (Bucharest–Nădlac), passing through the north of the city. Also to the north, in connection with the A1 motorway, a section of about 11 km of the A6 motorway was inaugurated in 2013, which will connect Lugoj and Calafat. Lugoj is also served by a 9.6 km ring road, inaugurated in 2010. The network of streets in Lugoj totals about 99 km, of which 75 km are modernized streets. At the municipal level, 95% of Lugoj streets are paved.

Regarding the railway transport, Lugoj station is located on the CFR Line 900. With the commissioning of the Lugoj–Ilia railway, on 17 September 1898, Lugoj became a railway junction.

Public passenger transport services are provided by Meridian 22, established in 2007, on four urban lines: 1C (train station–Agricultural High School), 7 (Tirol–Banatului Street–I.C. Drăgan neighborhood), 15 (I.C. Drăgan neighborhood–Old Post–Tirol) and 17 (Tapia–Măguri–Agricultural High School).