Braşov

Ministries:

• Isaiah's House

County	Braşov County
Status	County capital
Mayor	George Scripcaru, Democratic Party, since 2004
Population (2002)	284,596 (2006 est.: 321,456)[citation needed]
Geographical coordinates	45°40′N 25°37′E
Web site	http://www.brasovcity.ro/

Braşov (Romanian pronunciation: /bra'ʃov/; German: Kronstadt; Hungarian: Brassó; Medieval Latin: Brassovia or Corona) is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County. The city's population is 284,596, according to the 2002 census.

Braşov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, and is part of the Transylvania region.

The city is notable for hosting the Golden Stag (Cerbul de Aur) international music festival. Etymology

The current Romanian and Hungarian names are derived from the Pecheneg word, barasu, meaning "fortress". On Tâmpa Hill, located on the southern side of the city, there was a citadel called Brassovia, which gave both the Romanian and the Hungarian name of the city.

The first attested mention of Braşov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras"), in a 1252 document. The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City", and is reflected in the city's coat of arms, as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The three names of the city (Braşov/Brassó, Kronstadt, and Corona) were used simultaneously in the Middle Ages.

From 1950 to 1960, during part of the Communist period in Romania, the city was called Oraşul Stalin, after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Population

The municipality of Braşov has a total population of 284,596. Its ethnic composition includes:

• Romanians: 258,042 (90.66%)
• Hungarians: 23,204 (8.54%)
• Ethnic Germans: 1,717 (0.60%)
• Roma: 762 (0.26%)
• Jews: 138
• other ethnicities (Russians, Greeks, Italians): 871 (0.31%)

In 2005, the metropolitan area of Braşov was created. With its surrounding localities, it is estimated to have 350,000-400,000 inhabitants.

History

The oldest traces of human activity and settlements in Braşov date back to the Neolithic. Archaeologists, working from the last half of the 19th century, discovered continuous traces of human settlements in areas situated in Braşov: Valea Cetăţii, Pietrele lui Solomon, Şprenghi, Tâmpa, Dealul Melcilor, and Noua. The first three locations shows traces of Dacian citadels; Şprenghi Hill housed a Roman-style construction. The last two locations had their names applied to Bronze Age cultures — Schneckenberg and Noua.

In subsequent periods, the inhabitants of Braşov were primarily Romanians (see Origin of the Romanians) who continued living in these territories (especially in areas protected by mountains and hills), and organized small polities. Archaeological discoveries, including coins, rings, metal tools, pottery, and settlements, have been dated from the 2nd-8th centuries. One such community was Ţara Bârsei, comprising several villages. A village named Cotun is mentioned in the area around Braşov (the name draws similarities with a Dacian language word presumed to have meant "village") - its latest development led to today's neighborhood of Scheii Braşovului.

The population of that time consisted mainly of Christian shepherds (who followed Eastern Orthodoxy after the Great Schism). The Romanian settlement grew thanks to the diversification of their occupations - many became well-established merchants, craftsmen (butchers, weavers, carpenters, or builders), and clerics. Near the Orthodox church in Schei, Romanian Braşovians founded the first school for Romanians at the end of the 13th century.

German colonists known as the Transylvanian Saxons played a decisive role in Braşov's development. These Germans were invited by King Géza II of Hungary to develop towns, build mines, and cultivate the land of Transylvania at different stages between 1141 and 1162. The settlers came primarily from the Rhineland, Flanders, and the Moselle region, with others from Thuringiaa, Bavaria, Wallonia, and even France.

In 1211, by order of King Andrew II of Hungary, the Teutonic Knights fortified the Burzenland to defend the border of the Kingdom of Hungary. Although the crusaders were evicted by 1225, the colonists they brought in remained, as did three distinct settlements they founded on the site of Braşov:

• Corona, around the Black Church (Biserica Neagră);
• Martinsberg, west of Cetăţuia Hill;
• Bartholomä, on the eastern side of Sprenghi Hill.

Germans living in Braşov were mainly involved in trade and crafts. The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe, together with certain tax exemptions, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert a strong political influence. They contributed a great deal to the architectural flavor of the city. Fortifications around the city were erected and continually expanded, with several towers maintained by different craftsmen's guilds, according to medieval custom. Part of the fortification ensemble was recently restored using UNESCO funds, and other projects are ongoing. At least two entrances to the city, Poarta Ecaterinei (or Ekaterinentor) and Poarta Schei are still in existence. The city center is marked by the mayor's office building (Ratshaus) and the surrounding square (piaţa), which includes one of the oldest buildings in Braşov, the Hirscher Haus, owned by a wealthy merchant. Nearby is the "Black Church" (Biserica Neagră), which some claim to be the largest Gothic style church in Eastern Europe.

Once Braşov became a German colony, Romanians were denied several privileges by the new German settlers. They were no longer recognized as citizens of the city, and as such they were no longer able to continue to practice their crafts and operate their businesses. Additionally, their religion (Orthodox) was not officially recognized throughout Transylvania, especially during and after the 15th century. Most turned to shepherding and smuggling as a result, ventures which still returned considerable wealth - allowing them to build the very first community stone church in Transylvania, to establish the first Romanian printing press in Transylvania (1558), and later to establish a library. The German burghers still relied on Romanian speakers from within the community in their dealings with the Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia, and occasionally with the Ottoman Empire.

The cultural and religious importance of the Romanian church and school in Schei is underlined by the generous donations received from more than thirty hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as that from Elizabeth of Russia. In the 17th and 19th centuries, the Romanians in Schei campaigned for national, political, and cultural rights, and were supported in their efforts by Romanians from all other provinces, as well as by the local Greek merchant community. In 1838 they established the first Romanian language newspaper, Gazeta Transilvaniei and the first Romanian institutions of higher education (Şcolile Centrale Greco-Ortodoxe - "The Greek-Orthodox Central Schools", today named after Andrei Şaguna). The Holy Roman Emperor and sovereign of Transylvania Joseph II awarded Romanians citizenship rights for a brief period during the latter decades of the 18th century.

In 1910 the town had 41,056 inhabitants: 17,831 (43,4%) Hungarians, 11,786 (28,7%) Romanians, 10,841 (26,4%) Germans.^[1]

In 1918, when Transylvania became part of Romania, organizations of the German minority from Transylvania declared their allegiance to the new Romanian state. The inter-war period saw a flourishing of economic and cultural life in general, which included the Saxons in Braşov as well. However, at the end of World War II many ethnic Germans were forcibly deported to the Soviet Union (see Communist Romania), and subsequently many more emigrated to West Germany after Romania became a communist country.

Jews have lived in Braşov since 1807, when Aron Ben Jehuda was given permission to live in the city, a privilege until then granted only to Saxons. The Jewish Community of Braşov was officially founded 19 years later, followed by the first Jewish school in 1864, and the building of the synagogue in 1901. The Jewish population of Braşov expanded rapidly to 1280 people in 1910, and 4,000 in 1940. Today the community has about 230 members, after many families left for Israel between World War II and 1989.

Like many other cities in Transylvania, Braşov is also home for a significant ethnic Hungarian minority.

During the communist period, industrial development was vastly accelerated. Under Nicolae Ceauşescu's rule, the city was the site of the 1987 Braşov strike. This was repressed by the authorities and resulted in numerous workers being imprisoned.