Timisoara

Timisoara is the regional capital of Timis.
Population: aprox. 450.000
Area: 130,5 km²

Bega-River

History

The city, founded in 1212 by Hungarians, was destroyed in 1242 by the Tatars. Captured by the Turks in 1552, it became the trade center of Turkish Hungary until 1716, when it was recovered by Prince Eugene of Savoy.
In 1779 the capital of Banat belonged to Hungary but according to an edict of Joseph II. it remained a free royal city. After the revolution in 1848 (10 years after Sigmund was born) the Banat was united with the Serbian Voivodina and in 1860 it became part of Hungary again.
Austria held it until, through the Treaty of Trianon, it went to Romania in 1921.

Prinz Eugen, J.v.Schuppen, um 1720

Temesvar, also called "Little Vienna" cause of his highly cultural life, was a community where Rumanians, Hungarians, Germans and Jews lived together in peace until World War II.

It was the third town in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, after Vienna and Budapest, having a permanent theatre season.

Some of "first performances":
18.06.1811: Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
11.02.1841: Anna Bolena by Giacomo Donizetti
09.02.1855: La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi
24.02.1865: Faust by Gounod
13.01.1866: Tanhäuser by Richard Wagner

Old City House

The Opera House was built in 1882 by the famous architects Helmer and Fellner (in 1890 they built the house Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 70 for Sigmund Jaray and his family). In 1920 it burned down and the new building was constructed by architect Duliu Marcu.

One more interesting detail:
Temesvar was the first town in the Austro-Hungarian Empire with public illumination (1760 - lamps with oil and grease and in 1857 with gas).

Opera House

Among the many churches within the city are the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox cathedrals, as well as several synagogues. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic and Romanian bishop.

The Metropolitan Romanian Cathedral

Temesvar 1890-1900

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