Mediaş
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| County | Sibiu County | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Municipality | ||
| Mayor | Daniel Thellmann, Democratic Forum of Germans of Romania, since 2004 | ||
| Area | 62.62 km² | ||
| Population (2002) | 55,153 | ||
| Density | 884 inh/km² | ||
| Geographical coordinates | |||
| Web site | http://www.primariamedias.ro/ | ||
Mediaş (German: Mediasch, Hungarian: Medgyes) is the second largest city in Sibiu County, Transylvania, România.
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[edit] Geographic location
Mediaş is located in the middle basin of Târnava Mare river, at 39 km from Sighişoara and 41 km from Blaj. The health resort Bazna, officially recognized for the first time in 1302, is located at 18 km from Mediaş. The health resort offers mineral water springs, rich in salts, mineral mud and a special type of salt, called "Bazna Salt". The distance between Mediaş and the county's residence Sibiu is 55 km.
[edit] History
The first signs of human communities in the area go as far as the middle Neolithic.
In the XIII century, the kings of Hungary invited Germany settlers known as Transylvanian Saxons to the area, who settled in the valley of the Târnava Mare river.
- 1267: The first document that mentions the city is dated 3rd of June, 1267.
- 1283: Another reference appears in a document: Mediaş is listed as "villa Medgyes".
- 1318: The Hungarian king Carol Robert de Anjou offers the complete rights for the Sibiu region to the people living in Mediaş, Şeica and Biertan.
- 1359: Mediaş is called for the first time a city ("civitas"). The first seal of Mediaş was used in 1448.
- 1414: The "Sfânta Margareta" (English: Saint Margaret) church was the first church built in Mediaş. The first document that notes the presence of a hospital in the city is dated 1487.
- 1490-1534: The city is fortified by the people living in Mediaş and Şeica, after a document signed in 1477 by the king Matthias Corvinus's office.
- 1557: The population of Mediaş was hit by leprosy. The plague has also decimated the the population of Mediaş several times in history, in 1586, 1601-1604, 1633, 1646, 1653, 1656-1658, 1660-1661 and 1717-1718.
- 1586: The first mentioning of a school in Mediaş ("Schola civitatis")
- 1771-1781: The Johann Sifft typography started its activity.
- 1826: The first Romanian church in Mediaş was raised, with great effort and dedication from the Greek Catholic bishop Ioan Bob. In the same period, Ioan Bob established the first Romanian school in the city.
- 1863: Public lighting of streets in Mediaş was established.
- 1871: The agricultural school was founded and the G. A. Reisenberger typography started its activity.
- 1872: The first train station was built. The current train station was built between 1963 and 1965.
[edit] Population
According to the last census in 2002, Mediaş has 55,153 inhabitants. The ethnic composition is:
- 45,376 Romanians
- 6,554 Hungarians
- 1,959 Romas
- 1,150 Germans
- 114 other
[edit] Economy
Mediaş is the second industrial center after Sibiu in the county.
In the XIV-XIX centuries, various manufacturers and professionals were members of associations based on their trades called "bresle" (guilds), the first two unions were the ones formed by tailors and cloth makers, in 1457. In 1698, Mediaş already had 33 unions.
In the XIX century, unions started to merge and build factories. The first factory, called "Karres", was established in 1881 and produced various leather products. In 1888, a factory that manufactured cloth and various textiles was built, followed in 1985 by a factory called "Salconserv" that produced salami and cans. The company used to produce the famous brand of salami called "Salam de Sibiu", for the company "Theil & Co. A.G. Salami und Selchwarenfabrik", located in Sibiu.
In 1921, Mediaş has started to manufacture windows. The factory is now called "Geromed" and extended its products with blackboards, mirrors, windscreens and stained glass. In the same year, a factory now called "Emailul" has started to produce enameled pots, mugs and dishes.
The "Vitrometan" factory was built in 1922 and produces various glass products, including porcelain, light bulbs and mirrors. "Relee S.A" manufactures automobile components, switches, wall sockets, relays and electric motors.
Mediaş is known best for its role in production of methane gas. The area where Mediaş is located is the site of the largest natural gas field in Romania. The headquarters of "Romgaz" - the national gas exploitation enterprise - and of "Distrigaz Nord" - the natural gas distributor for the north side of the country - are located in Mediaş.
[edit] Tourism
Mediaş has one of the best preserved historical centers in Romania and also some well preserved medieval fortifications.
The city lies in the middle of the area which was inhabited by Transylvanian Saxons and in an area of 20 km around it there are dozens of fortified churches, two of them UNESCO World heritage sites.
