Petroșani

Sister cities

• Smedjebacken
• Várpalota

History

"Pietros" means "stony, rocky" in Romanian. The city of Petroșani was founded in the 17th century (around 1640) with the name Petrozsény. In 1720, an Austrian cartographer mentions that the entire Jiu Valley was intensely populated and settlements could be seen from one end to the other. At the 1818 census, Petroșani had 233 inhabitants, while the entire Valley counted 2,550. During this time, the main activity of the people was shepherding and no urban settlement had appeared yet. Around 1840, coal surface mining began in Petroșani, Vulcan, and Petrila. After Romania joined the Allies of World War I in 1916, Romanian troops attacked the town during the Battle of Transylvania. A battalion of miners defended Petroșani in a last stand battle, refusing to give up the town. The Romanian occupation, however, did not last long: the united Austro-Hungarian and German troops regained control of the town shortly, in which guerrilla warfare, led by the local Viktor Maderspach, played an important role. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I, and the declaration of the Union of Transylvania with Romania, the Romanian Army took control of Petroșani in December 1918, during the Hungarian–Romanian War. The town officially became part of the territory ceded to the Kingdom of Romania in June 1920 under the terms of the Treaty of Trianon. During the interwar period, the city was the headquarters of plasa Petroșani, within Hunedoara County. After 1950, the city became the headquarters of Petroșani raion within . Following the administrative reform of 1968, Petroșani became once more part of Hunedoara County. The population experienced massive growth only in the 20th century during the communist government, as many workers were brought in from other parts of…

Geography

Petroșani is located in the Jiu Valley, which is the entrance to the Retezat National Park and provides access to the Vâlcan, Parâng, and Retezat mountains. The city administers four villages: Dâlja Mare (Nagydilzsa), Dâlja Mică (Kisdilzsa), Peștera (Zsupinyászuvölgy) and Slătinioara (Szlatinova községrész).

Most-observed species

• Gray Wagtail

  Motacilla cinerea Tunstall, 1771 · Aves
  18
• Primula minima L.

  Primula minima L. · Magnoliopsida
  13
• Black Redstart

  Phoenicurus ochruros (S.G.Gmelin, 1774) · Aves
  13
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11
• False-acacia

  Robinia pseudoacacia L. · Magnoliopsida
  9
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  8
• Roseroot Stonecrop

  Rhodiola rosea L. · Magnoliopsida
  8
• Saxifraga pedemontana All.

  Saxifraga pedemontana All. · Magnoliopsida
  8

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2023-08-20
  3 km S of Stăneşti, Romania
• M 4 — 2023-07-18
  4 km SSW of Peştişani, Romania
• M 4.9 — 2023-03-20
  2 km SSE of Arcani, Romania
• M 4 — 2023-02-22
  3 km SSE of Pe?ti?ani, Romania
• M 4.5 — 2023-02-17
  Romania
• M 4.4 — 2023-02-16
  0 km NW of Arcani, Romania