Lovrin (, formerly ''Lorandhausen''; , formerly ''Lóránthalma'') is a
commune in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. It is composed of a single village, Lovrin. It also included three other villages – Gottlob, Tomnatic, and Vizejdia – until 2004, when they were split off to form
Gottlob and
Tomnatic communes.
The commune itself is a significant
railway junction
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge) is provided by turnouts (US: switc ...
served by local railway lines radiating in five directions. It is an agro-industrial and urban center for the surrounding region. Until the early 1990s, the majority of inhabitants were of German descent, but emigration has significantly reduced their numbers.
History
Lovrin was documented in 1466 as ''Lóránthalma''.
Later it was also known as ''Lóránt'' or ''Lórántfalva''. In 1529 it was looted by the Turks, which led to the refuge of the population for a while.
In 1564 the village is recorded as private property of the bishop of
Cenad
Cenad (, during the Dark Ages ''Marosvár''; , archaically ''Maroschburg''; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cenad. The village serves as a customs point on the border with Hungary. Today's village ...
. It began to be repopulated and was inhabited by Serbs who were still living here in 1582. A period of decline followed again, with the settlement almost deserted. The repopulation took place only after 1760. At that time Lovrin was part of the
Nagykikinda District and was subject to the military administration that had been established in
Banat
Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
after the expulsion of the Turks in 1717.
Bulgarian settlers first came here, who changed its name to ''Lovrinac''.
Between 1785–1792, the first German colonizations are recorded, with Swabians brought from
Cenad
Cenad (, during the Dark Ages ''Marosvár''; , archaically ''Maroschburg''; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Cenad. The village serves as a customs point on the border with Hungary. Today's village ...
and other Banat localities. They have received numerous privileges to indigenous peoples, which is why communities of Serbs and Bulgarians were forced to leave.
In 1792, Lovrin, along with
Gottlob, were gifted by Emperor
Leopold II to General
Anton Lipthay, for special merits in the battles against the Turks.
General Lipthay built a mansion here that still bears his name today.
Lovrin experienced an industrial boom in the 19th century, several small factories opening here. Some of them include the
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
(1846–1870), the iron foundry (1924–1944) and the dressing factory.
Between 1940 and 1944, canned vegetables were fabricated for the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
''; the factory was closed immediately after 1944.
The German majority remained until the agrarian reform of 1945. Between 1951 and 1956, 434 people
were deported from Lovrin to the
Bărăgan Plain
The Bărăgan Plain ( ) is a steppe plain in south-eastern Romania. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing area.
It is bounded on the s ...
.
After 1989–1991, most of the remaining Germans emigrated, their place being taken by the Romanian population.
Demographics
Lovrin had a population of 2,866 inhabitants at the
2021 census.
At the
2011 census, it had 3,223 inhabitants, down 10% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants were
Romanians
Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(88.4%), larger minorities being represented by
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
(3.41%),
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
(2.36%), and
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
(1.27%). For 3.41% of the population, ethnicity was unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox (79.34%), but there are also minorities of
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
s (8.25%) and
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
s (7.88%). For 3.57% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
Notable people
* (1821–1899), composer
* (1826–1913), composer
* (1848–1918), church musician
* (1849–1918), composer
* (1876–1966), politician
* (1923–1995), historian
*
Edda Buding (1936–2014), tennis player
* (b. 1938), art historian and writer
*
Ilse Buding (1939–2023), tennis player
*
Ingo Buding
Ingo Dietmar Buding (9 January 1942 – 10 May 2003) was a West German tennis player. His sisters Edda and Ilse were also tennis players.
Buding reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 1965 and won the boys' singles title in 1959 and ...
(1942–2003), tennis player
* (b. 1943), writer and visual artist
*
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
(1952–2023), novelist
* (b. 1960), psychologist
*
Ioan Almășan (b. 1962), football goalkeeper
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat