Oradea

City: Oradea

Country: Romania

    Address: Primăria municipiului Oradea Piata Unirii nr.1 Oradea 410100 ROMANIA

Official page: oradea.ro

Cooperation agreement: 05.05.2003

    Oradea, or Oradia - a city in Romania, the center of Bihor County. The city is located in the west of the country, in Krishan, on the river Mures, near the border with Hungary. The population of Oradea is more than 200 thousand inhabitants. The linear distance between Oradea and Ivano-Frankivsk is 294 km.

    Oradea was first mentioned in 1113 under the Latin name Varadinum, which means "castle". The fortress of the city, the ruins of which have survived to this day, was first mentioned in 1241 in preparation for defense against the Mongol-Tatars. However, only in the XVI century. the settlement began to turn into a city. In the 1700s, the Viennese engineer Franz Anton Hillebrandt designed the city to be built in the Baroque style. The central square of the city is Ferdinand Square. A theater, a city hall, a library, cathedrals, and a monument to the Wallachian prince Mihai Vityazul were built on this square. The architecture of the center of Oradea mainly consists of buildings constructed in the XVIII-XIX centuries, in the style of Art Nouveau and Austrian classicism. In the center there are also several large and beautiful cathedrals and churches, Orthodox and Catholic, there is a synagogue with a huge dome.

    Although Oradea is a Romanian city, mostly Hungarian is heard on the city streets, although Russian and Romanian can sometimes be heard as well. The center of the city sharply contrasts with its beauty with the main part. In the northwestern part of Oradea, behind the houses, there is an industrial zone with chemical plants. When leaving the city towards Hungary, there is a religious center of the western part of the country - the bishopric complex of Bihor. The monuments of Oradea include Cerium - a palace-museum, which was built in 1762-1777. This building was built as a palace of Roman Catholic bishops. In 1899-1900, the State Theater was built, in which Romanian and Hungarian troupes perform. Oradea has many buildings that amaze with their architecture. These include the Church of the Moon, built in 1784, the Greek Catholic Palace, the Palace with stained glass passages "Black Eagle", the Palace of Apollo and the famous Roman Catholic Cathedral. There are about 100 religious monuments in Oradea. The largest Baptist church was built in the city. The city's industry is characterized by such major industries as furniture, textiles, footwear and food.

    However, the city of Oradea is mainly a tourist and health center with its healing geothermal waters. The city is well known among tourists for its rich history and beauty of buildings. The Baile Felix Spa, located southeast of Oradea, is quite popular due to its thermal springs.