Baia Mare

Sister cities

• Serino
• Combs-la-Ville
• Kitwe
• Hollywood
• Szolnok
• Wels
• Nyíregyháza
• Ivano-Frankivsk
• Zalău
• Hódmezővásárhely
• Bielsko-Biała

History

The city's development on the middle course of Săsar River, in the middle of a plateau with a warm Mediterranean-like climate, has facilitated living conditions since the Palaeolithic. During the Bronze Age the region was inhabited by Thracian tribes. Later, it was included in the Dacian Kingdom formed by the King Burebista when the mining exploration began, as the area is rich in gold and silver. Baia Mare is first mentioned in written documents released by Charles I of Hungary in 1328 under the name of Rivulus Dominarum (). In 1347 the town was identified in documents by Louis I of Hungary as an important medieval town with a prosperous mining industry. Its rules of organisation were characteristic of the "free towns" of that time. In 1411 the town and its surrounding areas, including the mines, were transferred into the property of the Hunyadi family by Sigismund, King of Hungary (later also Holy Roman Emperor), who recognised Janos Hunyadi's contribution to stop the Turkish invasion of Europe. The town went into a period of prosperity, during which the St. Stephen Cathedral was built. Today the cathedral tower is one of the best-known of the town's historic landmarks (see Stephen's Tower). The first school, named Schola Rivulina, was opened in Baia Mare in 1547 by the Reformed Church following the Protestant Reformation. In 1703 Pintea Viteazul and his band managed to free the town for a short period of time from the Austrian rule, under which it belonged the royal treasury. Since then Pintea is considered an important figure in the town's history, representing the idea of freedom. The Budești Church has Pintea's chain mail shirt and a helmet, reportedly worn by him in his battles. The Museum of Baia Mare displays his weapons and their harness. In 1748 the…

Geography

The city is situated in the vicinity of the Gutâi and Igniș mountains. Altitudes reach in some peaks. The area is famous for its outstanding landscapes, and the mountains are easily accessible from the city, notable routes being: Igniș (1,307 m), Mogoșa (1,246 m), Gutâi (1,443 m), Creasta Cocoșului (1,450 m), Piatra Șoimului (839 m), Pleștioara (803 m), Dealul Bulat (683 m), Murgău (633 m), Dealul Crucii (500 m), etc.