Timișoara (Romanian pronunciation: [timiˈʃo̯ara]; German: Temeswar, also formerly Temeschburg or Temeschwar; Hungarian: Temesvár, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈtɛmɛʃvaːr]; Yiddish: טעמשוואר‎; Serbian: Темишвар/Temišvar; Banat Bulgarian: Timišvár; Turkish: Temeşvar) is the capital city of Timiș County, and the main social, economic and cultural centre in western Romania.

One of the largest Romanian cities (the third most populous city in the country, as of 2011 census), with a population of 319,279 inhabitants, Timișoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat. The city is a candidate to become the 2021 European Capital of Culture.

History

Middle Ages

Timișoara was first mentioned as a place in either 1212 or 1266 as Castrum Temesiense. The territory later to be known as Banat was conquered and annexed by the Kingdom of Hungary in 1030. Timișoara grew considerably during the reign of Charles I, who, upon his visit here in 1307, ordered the construction of a royal palace. Timișoara's importance also grew due to its strategic location, which facilitated control over the Banat plain. By the middle of the 14th century, Timișoara was at the forefront of Western Christendom's battle against the Muslim Ottoman Turks. French and Hungarian crusaders met at the city before engaging in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. Beginning in 1443, John Hunyadi used Timișoara as a military stronghold against the Turks, having built a powerful fortress. The city was repeatedly sieged by the Ottomans in 1462, 1476, 1491, and 1522.