Târgu Mureș
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Târgu Mureș (, ; hu, Marosvásárhely ) is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
, Romania. It is the 16th largest Romanian city, with 134,290 inhabitants as of the 2011 census. It lies on the Mureș River, the second longest river in Romania (after the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
).


Names and etymology

The current
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
name of the city, ''Târgu Mureș'', is the equivalent of the Hungarian ''Marosvásárhely'', both meaning "market on the Mureș (Maros) iver. ''Târg'' means "market" in Romanian and ''vásárhely'' means "marketplace" in Hungarian. Local Hungarians often shorten ''Marosvásárhely'' to ''Vásárhely'' in speech. The
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
priest
Martin Szentiványi Martin Szentiványi (born at Szentiván, present-day Liptovský Ján, 20 October 1633 and died at Nagyszombat, present-day Trnava, 5 March 1708) was a polymathic Hungarian Jesuit writer and theologian. His 4000 page work, titled ''Miscellanea'', b ...
provides the first known written reference naming the city; in his work ''Dissertatio Paralipomenonica Rerum Memorabilium Hungariae'' (written in 1699) he records the name as ''Asserculis'' by stating, in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
, ''Asserculis, hoc est Szekely Vasarhely'', meaning, ''Asserculis, here is Szekely Vasarhely''. He provides the year 1230 for the reference. A second work of his, ''Curiesiera et Selectiera Variarum Scienetiomm Miscellanea'' (dated 1702) also mentions this name. Another written reference of the city was in the Papal registry in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
as ''Novum Forum Siculorum'' in 1332, and later as ''Sekulvasarhel'' (modern Hungarian: ''Székelyvásárhely''), meaning "market of the Székelys", in 1349. Greek traders called it "Agropolis". Another name for it was "Areopolis". In 1616, Gabriel Bethlen gave the name ''Marosvásárhely'' to the newly upgraded
royal free city Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és városok Mag ...
. The Romanian name for the city, ''Oșorhei'' was a phonetic derivation from ''Vásárhely'' while the German name for the town, ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'' (also shortened to ''Neumarkt'' or ''Marktstadt''; in
Transylvanian Saxon The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ...
, ''Nai Mark'' or ''Nai Muark''), can be translated as ''New Market''. Other historical Romanian names for the town besides ''Oșorhei'' were ''Mureș-Oșorhei'' and ''Târgul-Mureșului''; other historical Hungarian names in addition to ''Székelyvásárhely'' included ''Újszékelyvásár'' and ''Újvásár''. After
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Marosvásárhely became part of Romania and was renamed ''Oșorheiu''. The name ''Târgu Mureș'' became common in the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the spelling of the city's name was changed to ''Tîrgu Mureș'', following a 1953
spelling reform A spelling reform is a deliberate, often authoritatively sanctioned or mandated change to spelling rules. Proposals for such reform are fairly common, and over the years, many languages have undergone such reforms. Recent high-profile examples a ...
that replaced the letter ''â'' with ''î'' in all words. Another spelling reform in 1993 replaced the letter ''î'' with ''â'' in many words and the city's name has since been officially spelled "Târgu Mureș".


History

The first known recorded documentation of the city dates to 1332. It is mentioned in the papal registry under the Latin name ''Novum Forum Siculorum'' meaning ''New Szekler Marketplace'', and under the Hungarian name ''Sekulvasarhel'' (Székelyvásárhely) meaning ''Szekler Marketplace'' in 1349. In place of its Fortress' Church, the Dominican church stood until the
Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
, when it was destroyed. In its place, the Franciscans started building a new Gothic-style church around 1332, which was completed in 1446. Since 1439 the town was the scene of the sessions of the Transylvanian parliament (diet) 36 times. In 1405, the King of Hungary Sigismund of
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
granted the city the right to organize fairs. In 1470 King
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...
granted the first judicial privilege to the city, and in 1482 declared the city a royal settlement. In 1492, wayvoda (prince) István Báthory strengthened its monastery with fortifications. In 1506, the troops of
Pál Tomori Pál Tomori (c. 1475 – 29 August 1526) was a Catholic monk and archbishop of Kalocsa, Hungary. He defeated an Ottoman army near Sremska Mitrovica ( hu, Szávaszentdemeter-Nagyolaszi) in 1523. Pál Tomori was elected commander-in-chief (jointly ...
were beaten by the Székelys rising against the payment of an extraordinary Ox tax imposed on them on occasion of the birth of Louis II of Hungary. In 1557, the Reformed Church College (i.e., Presbyterians) was established as the oldest Hungarian school of Transylvania. In 1571, the session of the Transylvanian parliament under prince John II Sigismund Zápolya accepted the free preaching of the word of God, including by the Unitarian Church. In 1600–1601, as a result of the siege of Giorgio Basta, the fortress turned to ruins. In 1602, the troops of Gergely Németh put on fire the remaining houses of the town, therefore, in 1602 the reconstruction of the fortress was started on the advice of mayor Tamás Borsos, but it was actually built between 1614 and 1653. Mózes Székely the only prince of Szekler origin visited the city in 1603 when he liberated Transylvania from foreign domination. In 1616, it was granted the status of a free royal city under the name of Maros-Vásárhely by prince (fejedelem) Gábor Bethlen. In 1658 Turkish and Tartarian troops invaded the city and burned it, and 3,000 people were taken into captivity. In 1661, as no one showed willingness to accept the duty of prince, under Turkish pressure Mihály Apafi was elected prince of Transylvania here. In 1662, resulting from the negligence of the Turkish military residing here, the city almost completely burnt down. In 1687 it was devastated by German imperial troops. In 1704, the
kuruc Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711. Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national in ...
troops of Pál Kaszás occupied the fortress, which was re-occupied by Austrian troops led by Lőrinc Pekry in 1706. On 5 April 1707
Francis II Rákóczi Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
was raised to the chair of princes here. In 1707 the city was struck by the
plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...
with more than 3,500 deaths. The black death renewed in 1709, 1719 and in 1738–39. The city received a major boost to its social and economic life when it became home to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Principality of Transylvania in 1754. In 1802, the Teleki Library founded by count Sámuel Teleki opened to the public with 40,000 volumes. Avram Iancu, the leader of the 1848 Romanian revolution in Transylvania, was a young lawyer in the city of Marosvásárhely before engaging in the fight for the rights of the Romanians living in Transylvania. On 4 November 1848, the Szekler troops were beaten by the Austrian imperial troops under its walls, and the city was also captured. On 13 January 1849 the troops of major Tolnay recaptured it. On 30 July 1849, Sándor Petőfi and Józef Bem set out from here for the
Battle of Segesvár The Battle of Segesvár (Transylvania, now Sighișoara, Romania), also called the Battle of Fehéregyháza, was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 31 July 1849 between the Hungarian revolutionary army under the command of Li ...
. In 1854, Szekler martyrs Károly Horváth, János Török, and Mihály Gálfi were executed on the Postarét for plotting against Austrian rule. Since 1874 a monument marks the place. In 1861, Marosvásárhely became the seat of Marosszék, in 1876 that of Maros-Torda County. In 1880 the statue of Bem was inaugurated in Roses Square, in downtown area; in 1893 the statue of Kossuth was as well. The statue of
Rákóczi The House of Rákóczi (older spelling Rákóczy) was a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled ''Rákoci'' (in Slovakia), ''Rakoczi'' and ''Rakoczy'' in some forei ...
was also inaugurated in 1907. All three statues were demolished between 1919 in 1923, after Transylvania became part of Romania. The provincial appearance of the city changed greatly in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In 1913, the Hungarian Art-Nouveau style city hall complex and Palace of Culture was inaugurated, as part of mayor Bernády György's urban renewal. After World War I, together with the rest of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
, Marosvásáshely became part of Romania and became known as ''Târgu Mureș''. From having been an 89% Hungarian-populated city (in 1910), the Romanian population increased throughout the second half of the 20th century. From 1940 to 1944, as a consequence of the Second Vienna Award, the city was ceded back to the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
. After Hungary was occupied by Germany in 1944, a
Jewish ghetto In the Jewish diaspora, a Jewish quarter (also known as jewry, ''juiverie'', ''Judengasse'', Jewynstreet, Jewtown, or proto-ghetto) is the area of a city traditionally inhabited by Jews. Jewish quarters, like the Jewish ghettos in Europe, were ...
was established in the city. Târgu Mureș re-entered the Romanian administration in October 1944. However, on 12 November 1944 General Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov of the Soviet
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
expelled the returning Romanian authorities from Northern Transylvania with reference to the massacres committed by members of the so-called Maniu Guard, and the Romanian authorities were not allowed to return until the government of Petru Groza was formed on 6 March 1945. After World War II, the communist administration of Romania conducted a policy of massive industrialization that completely re-shaped the community. Between 1950 and 1968, Târgu Mureș was the center of the Magyar Autonomous Region, later renamed as Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region. On 7 September 1959,
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian communist politician and electrician. He was the first Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Part ...
, Secretary-General of the Romanian Workers Party, and
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Chivu Stoica Chivu Stoica (the family name being Chivu; 8 August 1908 – 18 February 1975) was a leading Romanian Communist politician, who served as 48th Prime Minister of Romania. Early life Stoica was born in Smeeni, Buzău County, the sixth child of ...
visited the city. It was decided at the time where to build the fertilizer production plant, and the new residential quarters of the city. It was decided that the residential quarters would not be built in the Mureș valley, but on the surrounding hills. In March 1990, shortly after the
Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred ...
overthrew the communist regime, the city was the scene of violent ethnic clashes between ethnic Hungarians and ethnic
Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...
. In the 21st century, the local economy started to get stronger after various investors settled in the area. In 2020, the city elected an independent candidate as mayor, Zoltán Soós, the first ethnic Hungarian to win in twenty years.


Geography

The city is located in the Mureș River valley. The city spreads out from Fortress Church in the center of the town, built in the 14th century, to form an area of . The city is located at the centre of the historical region of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
and covers an area of . It lies at the junction of three geographical regions of Transylvania (
Transylvanian Plain The Transylvanian Plain ( ro, Câmpia Transilvaniei; hu, Mezőség, ) is an ethnogeographical area in Transylvania, Romania, located between the Someșul Mare and the Someșul Mic rivers to the north and west and the Mureș River to the south and ...
, Mureș Valley and Niraj Valley) at
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...
. The city extends onto both banks of the Mureș river, however, the downtown area and the greater part of the districts are located on the left bank. The Cornești plateau ( hu, Somos-plateau) is the city's highest point ( above sea level, co-ordinates: ). Târgu Mureș is from
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
, from Chișinău, from
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...
, from
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
, from
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
and from
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
. It is surrounded by the following communes: Sângeorgiu de Mureș, Livezeni,
Sântana de Mureș Sântana de Mureș ( hu, Marosszentanna, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Sankt Anna an der Mieresch) is a commune in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania, composed of four villages: History Ancient times The Sântana de Mureș-Cher ...
, Sâncraiu de Mureș, Corunca, Cristești and Ceuașu de Câmpie. Two villages, Mureșeni (''Meggyesfalva'') and Remetea (''Remeteszeg''), are administered by the city. Distances between the city and some of the major cities in Romania: *
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
: by rail , by road * Brașov by rail , by road * Constanța by rail , by road * Cluj-Napoca by rail, by road * Iași by rail , by road *
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
by rail , by road * Timișoara by rail , by road


Climate

Târgu Mureș has a
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...
characterised by warm dry summers and relatively cold winters. Winter temperatures are often below . Throughout the year there are 38 days with snow, and more than 60 days when the snow covers the ground. In summer, the average temperature is between and (the average for June, July and August), even though temperatures sometimes reach during this period. On average, there are 143 days with
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
over the course of the year, most frequently in December with 16 days and the least in August, September and October with 8 rainy days. The average annual temperature for Târgu Mureș is . The lowest temperature registered in the city is , recorded in 1942 and 1963. The highest temperature, , was recorded in 1936.


Demographics

As of 2011 census data, Târgu Mureș has a population of 134,290, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. According to the 2002 census data,Results of the romanian 2002 census
, see TPR15A.pdf
the city had a population of 149,577. Among them 69,825 are
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
forming the largest urban Hungarian community in Romania, surpassing that of Cluj-Napoca. The 2002 census was the first to show the Hungarians as a local minority. The city is officially bilingual and both
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
and Hungarian languages are recognised as official and used in public signage, education, justice and access to public administration, however, in case of commercial signage and advertisements the bilingual signage is usually used only by companies if they are owned by Hungarians. Roma people make up 2.51% of the city's population which is considerably lower than their proportion of 6.96% in Mureș County.


Ethnic communities

Ethnic structure evolution from 1850 until 2011:


Religious communities

The largest religious community in Târgu Mureș is Romanian Orthodox, numbering 46.74% of the population. The most significant other religious communities are Reformed Church (30.06%), Roman Catholic (13.50%), Eastern Catholic (2.60%), and Unitarian (2.58%).


Economy

At present in Târgu Mureș there are over 8,500 private companies and several state-owned companies. The various industrial sectors are: *
Chemical industry The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. ...
( Azomureș) * Pharmaceutical industry * Food industry: ** Bread industry (Mopan) ** Dairy industry *
Wood industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnitu ...
* Textile industry


Districts of the city


Personalities

Many personalities have been born or lived in the city and helped shape it in different fields:


Main sights


Places of worship

The Reformed Fortress Church is the oldest church in the town. According to historical evidence, less than a century had passed after the first appearance of the Franciscan order in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
, Hungarian Kingdom, that the Franciscan friars arrived at Vásárhely. The building of the church took an entire century, from the middle of the 14th century until the middle of the 15th and it consisted of a
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
building, an older chapel, the church and the steeple. The church was finalized between 1400 and 1450. The church may have been originally decorated with frescos, as traces of mural paintings were found inside. The almost complete disappearance of these paintings is due to the fact that the church became the property of Protestant believers in 1557. The religious reform required for churches to have no paintings, statues or religious frescos. The existence of the Franciscan order in Vásárhely was directly affected by the religious reform which was largely spread in Transylvania during the 16th century. In 1557, the influence of the Reformed Church over the
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
in the town was so strong that it eventually led to the confiscation of the properties of Catholic monastic orders. Franciscan friars, who until that time had been attending the church in the fortress, were forced to leave town. They returned after nearly two centuries when the political climate had become favorable to Catholicism due to the instauration of the Habsburgs in Transylvania. They bought the land in the center of the town where they built a new church and monastery by 1777. The tower, the only part that is still standing, was added to the church's façade in 1802 by architect János Topler. In 1971 the municipality decided to demolish the monastery to create the necessary space for the construction of the National Theater and the square in front of it. A new church was built in 1972 for the Franciscans on Libertății street. At the beginning of the 18th century, one of the most representative Baroque churches of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
was built in the town. St John the Baptist Church was erected in the North-Eastern part of the city center and belongs to the Roman Catholic parish. The inside of the church is luxurious, with liturgical objects that are true works of art. The main altar, made in 1755 by Anton Schuchbauer and Johannes Nachtigal is of monumental dimensions and has a pseudo-architectural structure. The paintings of the altars in the lateral chapels: Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, Saint Joseph, Saint John of Nepomuc, Holy Cross belong to the same Michael Angelo Unterberger. The stained glass windows made by the Türke Company of Grottau were installed in 1898. The Great Synagogue (also known as the Big Synagogue) was built between 1899 and 1900 at the initiative of the Jewish community "Status Quo". The design of the building was drawn up by Gartner Jacob from Vienna and the construction works were coordinated by the Hungarian Pál Soós. The entire edifice is dominated by the central cupola. Each side of the central spire is decorated with a floral rosette similar to the ones on the façade. This type of window is also used several times on the lateral façades. The vast interior is richly decorated, both with shapes and color. The synagogue has 314 seats on the ground floor and 238 on the top floor. The most recent large scale remodeling of the building took place in 2000 when the walls were reinforced and the interior decoration was re-done. The existence of the Unitarian faith in the town is linked to the name of Ferenc Dávid, founder of Unitarianism and the first Unitarian bishop. The political circumstances in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
became favourable for Ferenc Dávid's activity as the Diet of Torda held between 1557 and 1568 granted freedom of faith to all religions in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
. The
Unitarianism Unitarianism (from Latin language, Latin ''unitas'' "unity, oneness", from ''unus'' "one") is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian branch of Christian theology. Most other branches of Christianity and the major Churches accept the Trinity, doctri ...
became religio-recepta together with all the other Protestant faiths. The king of the state himself, John II Sigismund Zápolya became Unitarian. The Unitarian Church was built between 1929 and 1930 next to the old Unitarian prayer house dating from 1869. File:Biserica de lemn din Targu Mures01.jpg, Saint Michael Wooden Orthodox Church (1793) File:Murescatedrala.jpg, Ascension of the Lord Orthodox Cathedral (1934) File:Evangélikus templom Marosvásárhely.JPG, Evangelical Church File:Szabadi úti református templom.JPG, Reformed Church on Liberty Street (1937) File:Unitárius templom Bolyai tér.JPG, Unitarian Church on Bolyai Street (1931) File:Sinagoga din Targu Mures.jpg, Status Quo Synagogue (1900)


Other sights

The first fortress in the town was erected in 1492 upon order of
voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
Stephen Báthory, and was accomplished somewhere between 1602 and 1652 under judge Tamás Borsos. Having a pentagon plan, surrounded by a defense wall, the Citadel has seven forts, five of them bearing the names of the guild which – according to tradition – supported its maintenance: the leather dressers', the tailors', the butchers', the ironmongers', the coopers'. After the Citadel was taken over by the Austrian troops, it became the headquarters of the military garrison based in the town. In the meantime the Baroque style building was built (on the left hand side of the road in front of the entrance gate) and in the second half of the 18th century the construction works of the "barkey" were started, an addition finished in the 19th century. On the occasion of the Târgu Mureș days – which have as central point of performance the Citadel – a museum center was opened in the gate fort (erected in 1613) presenting the history of the town and of the Citadel. The Teleki-Bolyai Library is a historic
public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...
and current museum in the town. One of the richest
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
n collections of cultural artefacts, it was founded by the Hungarian Count Sámuel Teleki in 1802, at the time when Transylvania was part of the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, and has been open to the reading public ever since. It was among the first institutions of its kind inside the Habsburg-ruled
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
. It houses over 200,000 volumes, of which many are rarities, constituting a comprehensive scientific database. The book collection is divided into several smaller libraries, of which the two main donations are the original 40,000-volume Teleki Library and the 80,000-volume Bolyai Library; the rest, grouped as the ''Miscellaneous Collection'', is made up of several private libraries, volumes previously held by religious schools and those of a
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
friary. Overall, the library constitutes a collection of most traditional types of Transylvanian book. The old City Hall was built in 1906–1907 after the construction plans of Márcell Komor and Dezső Jakab. The entrance area, including the corridor and the staircase leading to the first floor, is the most representative in this regard. The ribbed stellar vaults that cover this area were inspired by
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
. The vaults are supported by columns with composite caps, and the keystone is a large floral shape which includes the lighting appliance. The vaults are painted with spiraling vegetal motifs. Elements of the front hall include the stone bench with its legs shaped as those of an animal and with wing-shaped handles. Its shell-shaped, golden back has a shield flanked by two volutes on its upper side. Features of the monumental staircase leading to the first floor include the upper side of the banister resembling a slithering animal or a wave. The exterior decoration is simpler and is based on Hungarian-
Székely Székely may refer to: *Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania **Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania * Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary *Székely (sur ...
folk motives made of polychromatic ceramics. The ground floor is marked by a solid, embossed pedestal. Windows with large openings tend to be predominant in the façade. The three semicircular windows in the middle area of the façade are those of the honor hall that has a double elevation with respect to the other rooms. The glass paintings which illustrated Gábor Bethlen,
Francis II Rákóczi Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
, Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Deák and
Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until ...
are missing from the halls. The Palace of Culture is a remarkable construction in the city center. It was built upon initiative of the mayor of the town, György Bernády. Building works started in the spring of 1911. They contributed to the establishment of the distinctively flavored Hungarian Art Nouveau school in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
by their works in
Deva Deva may refer to: Entertainment * ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film * ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film * ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film * Deva (2007 Telugu film) * ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film * Deva ...
and Oradea. The plan is an irregular rectangle, with protuberances on the sides and at the extremities. The building has five floors: a tall ground floor, a mezzanine and three floors differentiated by the use of various construction materials. The façades are characterized by bi-dimensionality and by a liniar-rectangular style, with only a few curvilinear elements: the six bow-windows covered by semi-caps above the main portal and the circular balconies on the edges. The main entrance is in the middle of the façade on Enescu street and is made up of four massive doors, protected by an architectural element made of glass and with an iron framing. This element, as well as the doors decorated with iron floral motifs are typical for the early 20th century style. The exterior is richly decorated, with colored mosaic panels, with relieved scenes and busts of
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
. The mosaic on the main façade is an allegorical scene inspired by the Hungarian folklore. The cardboards were made by Nagy Sándor, a Hungarian artist, who founded with Körösföy Kriesch Aladár the School of Gödöllő. The art is characterized by bi-dimensionality and vertical rhythmicalness. Most of the mosaics and stained glass windows were authored by Róth Miksa, particularly those on the side facing Square. The city skyline can be seen from Cornești Heights 'in Hungarian: Somostető''


Culture

Târgu Mures is home to the Palace of Culture concert hall which is situated in the heart of the city. Weekly classical concerts are performed here by the Târgu Mureș State Philharmonic Orchestra. On the other side of the city center is the Târgu Mureș National Theater with two companies, Tompa Miklós (performances in Hungarian language) and Liviu Rebreanu (performances in Romanian language). Beside the main companies, there are also alternative underground theater companies called ''Yorick Studio'' and ''Teatru 74'. The city was home to the Peninsula / Félsziget Festival, Romania's former biggest music festival.


Politics


Mayor

Dorin Florea had three investigations from National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and did not run for another term in 2020. In 2016, Dorin Florea obtained 42.95% of votes and won against Soós Zoltán (40.23%). In 2020, Zoltán Soós obtained 50.53% of the vote (considerably more than supported UDMR for the local council: 44.57%). The runner-up obtained 17.06%.


Local Council

The local Municipal Assembly has 23 members: Turnout at the 2016 elections was 50.87% and in 2020 was 45.92% of the total registered voters.


Education

Târgu Mureș is an important centre for general and higher education. The most important high schools are the Alexandru Papiu Ilarian National College, Unirea National College and the Hungarian-speaking Bolyai Farkas Elméleti Líceum. The latter is a continuator of the traditions of the ''Schola Particula'', established in Târgu Mureș in 1557, and of the Reformed College banished from Sárospatak at the beginning of the 18th century. The establishment was one of the first schools of the Reformed Church in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
, was first working in the old building of the Franciscan friary in the fortress, and had Baranyai Decsi Czimor János, Tordai Ádám, Laskói Csókás Péter as teachers, as well as others. After being sacked in 1601 and 1602, the ''Schola'' was moved into another building, on the place of the present high school. For centuries it had accommodated the Reformed College and the present high school. The present aspect was acquired at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The main statue, facing Bolyai square was erected following the design of architect Baumgarten Sándor in 1908–1909, in Hungarian Secession style. Târgu Mureș also has a "School of Arts" (in Romanian ''Liceul de Artă''; in Hungarian ''Művészeti Líceum'') which was set up in 1949. The school offers young musicians and children interested in graphic arts the best education in the county. Along the book-learning, the children attend music theory classes, musical instruments (violin, piano, violoncello, viola, double bass, flute, harp, trumpet, tube, trombone, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, horn, percussion instruments etc.) and graphic arts classes. Renowned public universities like the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology (UMFST) (founded in 1945) and University of Arts (1946) account for more than 10,000 students. Other universities are the Sapientia University (2001), a private institution of Hungarian higher education in Transylvania, and Dimitrie Cantemir University (1991). File:Universitatea Petru Maior Targu Mures.jpg, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and Faculty of Sciences and Letters of the UMFST File:UAT1..jpg, University of Arts File:Papiu_kollegium.JPG, Alexandru Papiu Ilarian National College File:Bolyai Farkas College.jpg, Bolyai Farkas Elméleti Líceum File:Unirea National College in Targu Mures.jpg, Unirea National College File:RO MS Liceul de arta 1.jpg, Târgu Mureș Art High School


Health care

Târgu Mureș has a well-developed healthcare system. It consists of: *3 hospitals **Târgu Mureș Emergency Clinical County Hospital (the biggest in the county) with 11 specialized units **Târgu Mureș Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplant **Mureș County Clinical Hospital with 7 specialized units *36 medical offices *9 clinics *Over 80 pharmacies *Ambulance service and
SMURD SMURD is an emergency rescue service based in Romania. The name is the Romanian acronym for "Serviciul Mobil de Urgență, Reanimare și Descarcerare", which means ''Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication''. It was created ...
In medicine, units in the city are equipped with efficient equipment and highly specialized medical staff, among which stand out: the County Hospital, Emergency County Hospital (which is a regional unit), Institute of Prehospital Emergency Medical Care, Mobile Service Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD), who at the time of its appearance was a national pilot project, and the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation units under the direct authority of the Ministry of Health. The city's medical services are exerted beyond city and county, with more than 30% of hospital patients in the Târgu Mureș Emergency County Hospital coming from other counties. Târgu Mureș is a major academic center in medicine. The Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy of the UMFST offers a wide range of fields, such as medical and military medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, dental technology, surgical and emergency care. It has a multicultural and multilingual status, national education law. Education is available both in Romanian and Hungarian, and also in English. Research programs are carried out both within the institution and in the hospital, there are several research projects conducted with partner institutions abroad.


Transport


Road

The Transylvania Motorway (also known as A3), which is under construction, will pass near Târgu Mureș. Another future highway that will be connected with the city is the East-West Motorway, that will start in the eastern part of the country near Iași,
Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
and will connect itself with A3. The construction is proposed to begin in the 2020s.


Rail

Romanian main-line railways are operated mainly by Căile Ferate Române (CFR). There are three railway termini in Târgu Mureș, South (southbound),
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
, and
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...
(northbound), operating both domestic and international rail services. The town is one of the main stops of the routes of MÁV: ''Mureș InterCity'', ''Hargita InterCity''. A tourist narrow gauge line (which formed part of an extensive narrow gauge system closed in the 1990s) to Band is operated at certain times of the year.


Air

The city is served by Târgu Mureș Transilvania Airport, which provides both domestic and international flights. The airport was renovated in October 2005. It is the second busiest airport in Transylvania after the Cluj International Airport.


Public transport

The city transport operators are Transport Local, Siletina-Impex and TudorTrans. File:23_bus_in_Marosvásárhely_2.jpg, A bus in Târgu Mureș File:Bus board in Kövesdomb in Marosvásárhely.jpg, A bus stop sign in the city File:Transilvania International Airport.jpg, Transilvania Airport terminal


Sports

Târgu Mureș is represented in many sports, including: football,
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
and
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
. Two football teams are based in the city: CSM Târgu Mureș and ACS MSE Târgu Mureș. Historically, the city's most successful clubs are ASA Târgu Mureș and
ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș Asociația Sportivă Ardealul 2013 Târgu Mureș, commonly known as ASA Târgu Mureș or simply as Târgu Mureș, was a Romanian professional football club based in Târgu Mureș, Mureș County, which last played in the Liga II. During its short ...
. The former was dissolved in 2007, its biggest achievement being its participation in three editions of the UEFA Cup during the '70s. The latter, founded in 2008, had a relatively short existence, being dissolved in 2017, but managed to win the 2015 Romanian Super Cup. BC Mureș is the city's basketball team. It plays in the First Romanian League. In the 2012–13 season, the club reached its highest achievement yet. It was the first time in club history when BC Mureș won the regular season. Eventually they finished second after losing in the final 4–2 to
CSU Asesoft Ploiești CSU may refer to: * Channel service unit, a Wide area network equivalent of a network interface card * Chari Aviation Services, Chad, by ICAO airline code * Christian Social Union (UK), an Anglican social gospel organisation * Christian Social U ...
. ''CSU Medicina'' represents Târgu Mureș in the women's volleyball league. The team has been a constant presence in the top flight of Romanian volleyball in the last 15 years. Târgu Mureș is also known for its
bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
team, ''Electromureș''. The city has the 3 times national champion futsal team ''City'us Târgu Mureș'', team who also competed in the UEFA Futsal Champions League. Romania's largest racetrack,
Transilvania Motor Ring Transilvania Motor Ring is a 3.7 km racing circuit A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feat ...
, is located near the city.


Military

The 6th Special Operations Brigade "Mihai Viteazul" (Romania) is headquartered in Târgu-Mureș.


Local media

;Printed media * Cuvântul liber * Zi de zi * 24 de ore mureșene * Vásárhelyi Hírlap * Népújság * Ziarul de Mureș (weekly paper) * Infomația de Mureș (weekly paper) * Flash (weekly advertisement) * Piața Mureșeană (weekly advertisement) * Központ (weekly paper) * Ziarul de Mureș (weekly paper) * Infomația de Mureș (weekly paper) * Flash (weekly advertisement) * Piața Mureșeană (weekly advertisement) * Mediatica.ro * EuroMaros.ro * kakukk.ro ;Radio * Radio Tîrgu Mureș/Marosvásárhelyi Rádió * Rock FM * Kiss FM * Radio GaGa * Radio 21 * Magic FM * Europa FM * Erdély FM ;Television * TTM – Televiziunea Tîrgu Mureș * TVR Târgu Mureș * Știi TV * Mureș/Maros TV *
ProTV PRO TV (, often stylized as PRO•TV as of 2017) is a Romanian free-to-air television network, launched on 1 December 1995 as the fourth private TV channel in the country (after TV SOTI, Antena 1, and the now-defunct Tele7ABC). It is owned by CME ...
Tîrgu Mureș * Prima TV Tîrgu Mureș * Antena 1 Tîrgu Mureș * Erdélyi Magyar Televízió *
Realitatea TV Realitatea TV (, meaning "The Reality TV") is the former name of the Romanian news television channel Realitatea Plus. The channel began broadcasting in 2001 as a general-profile television and became the first Romanian news television in 2002 ...
Tîrgu Mureș * Duna TV Marosvásárhely


Twin towns – sister cities

Târgu Mureș is twinned with:


See also

*
List of Hungarian exonyms (Mureș County) This is a list of Hungarian names for towns and communes in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. {{DEFAULTSORT:List of Hungarian exonyms (Mures County) Mures County Hungarian exonyms in Mures Hungarian Hungarian Exonyms An endonym ...


Notes


References


External links


Municipal website

City guide

BC Mureș Official Website

Interactive 360° panoramas of Târgu Mureș and its surroundings

Târgu Mureș photo gallery

Photo gallery and collection of links

Photos taken at the Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș

Images taken at the Week-End Holiday Complex in Târgu Mureș by photographer Zsolt Suto

Local news on Mureș/Maros TV

Local news provided by Erdélyi Magyar Televízió
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Targu Mures Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Populated places in Mureș County Localities in Transylvania