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The City
The guide was updated:
Timisoara is the regional capital of the Banat province, the abundant agricultural heartland of Romania, as reflected in the city’s many restaurants. It is Romania’s most cosmopolitan city, owing to its liberal history and the diverse ethnicities that make up its population. Timisoara has a large Hungarian population, as well as Serbs, Germans and Roma. It has been dubbed ‘the city of flowers’ in honour of the many parks which circle the city, but is most recently (and affectionately) known to its inhabitants as ‘Primul Oraş Liber’ – the first free town – in reference to its part in the revolution of 1989.
It was here that a Hungarian priest first spoke out against the dictator Ceauşescu, resulting in one of the most passionate revolutions in recent European history. The city has an easy-going Latin feel to it, with large squares lined by coffee shops and cafés and some fine architecture revealing the city’s Hapsburg past. It was the first city in Europe to introduce horse-drawn trams in 1869, and they are still here now – minus the horses! Today, people are quickly adjusting to the new democracy, with a thriving city centre and new ventures opening all the time.
It was here that a Hungarian priest first spoke out against the dictator Ceauşescu, resulting in one of the most passionate revolutions in recent European history. The city has an easy-going Latin feel to it, with large squares lined by coffee shops and cafés and some fine architecture revealing the city’s Hapsburg past. It was the first city in Europe to introduce horse-drawn trams in 1869, and they are still here now – minus the horses! Today, people are quickly adjusting to the new democracy, with a thriving city centre and new ventures opening all the time.