Reșița is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraș-Severin County.[2] It is located in the Banat region. The city had a population of 58,393 in 2021. It administers six villages: Câlnic (Kölnök), Cuptoare (Kuptore), Doman (Domány), Moniom (Monyó), Secu (Székul; Sekul), and Țerova (Krassócser).
Etymology
The name of Reșița might come from the Latin recitia, meaning "cold spring", as the historian Nicolae Iorga once suggested, presuming that the Romans gave this name to Reșița, from a water spring on the Doman valley. A much more plausible version, according to Iorgu Iordan, would be that the name is actually coming from a Slavic word: people living in the neighbouring village of Carașova 15 km away, referring to this place, that in those days was a similar village to theirs, as being "u rečice" (at the creek). It can also be noted that almost all Slavic countries have places with the name of Rečice (pronounced Recițe in Romanian).[3]
History
Historically, the town has its origins in the 15th century under the name of Rechyoka and Rechycha. Archaeological research found traces of habitation going back to the Neolithic, Dacian, and Roman eras. In the Middle Ages, the area was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Following the death of the Jagiellon King of Hungary Louis II at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Hungarian crown would be inherited by the Habsburg monarchy, but this was contested by much of the Hungarian nobility, resulting in the formation of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, encompassing much of Transylvania and the Banat. In 1553, the area was incorporated into Temeşvar Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. The town is mentioned in 1673 under the name of Reszinitza, whose citizens paid taxes to the Ottoman bey (governor) in Timișoara (Turkish: Temeşvar; Hungarian: Temesvár).
Following the Battle of Vienna in 1683, Ottoman influence north of the Danube would contract. and the Habsburg and by the years 1690–1700, it was mentioned as being part of the District of Bocșa together with other towns in the Bârzava Valley. In the Habsburg-Ottoman War of 1716-1718, Prince Eugene of Savoy would conquer the region for the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs established the Banat of Temeswar and began fortifying the region as a military frontier. The town was referenced in the conscription acts of 1717 under the name of Retziza. Under Empress Maria Theresa, in 1751 Reșița and much of the northern Banat was detached from the Banat Military Frontier and transferred from military to civil administration. On 3 July 1771, it became an important metal-manufacturing center in the region. The foundation of the industrial Reșița was laid with the establishment of factories near the villages of Reșița Română (Reschiza Kamerală or Oláh Resitza) and Reșița Montană (Eisenwerk Reschitza, Német(h) Reschitza or Resiczbánya). Reșița Montană was at first inhabited by Romanians..
Even before Hungary fell under Habsburg Rule, the old kings of Hungary had encouraged Germans to settle in Transylvania and the Banat. In 1224, King Andrew II of Hungary issued the Diploma Andreanum, granting provisional autonomy to the Transylvania Saxons and their fortified towns in Northeastern and Southeastern Transylvania (German: Siebenbürgen). For much of the Early Modern Period the Banat had become a dangerous border region caught between two waring Empires and would experience periods of devastation and depopulation. However, in the 18th century, the expansion of Habsburg authority, its efforts to fortify the region, and the movement of the frontier southward greatly increased regional security, making the Banat once again suitable for civilian settlement. Besides the installation of a civil administration, the Theresian period (1740-1780) would see large-scale efforts to recruit settlers and repopulate the region, resulting in a large influx of German settlers, especially from Swabia. In 1776, 70 German families settled Reșița (German: Reschitz). In 1880, Germans represented the majority of the city's population.
Following the First World War, the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Trianon in 1920 would result in Reșița much of the Banat being annexed by the Kingdom of Romania. However, in the Interwar Period, Germans would continue to constitute the majority of the population. In 1941, Reșița had 12,096 Germans residents, 9,453 Romanian residents, and 1,861 Hungarian residents. Between 1910 and 1925, Reșița had the status of a rural area, and in 1925, it was declared a town thanks to its development into a powerful industrial location in modern Romania. In 1968, it became a municipality.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Reșița lost most of its importance and its economy faced a recession, along with the Romanian economy. The population also declined, dropping from 110,000 in 1989 to 86,000 in 2006. After the fall of communism, the Reșița Steelworks (Combinatul Siderurgic Reșița, CSR) was bought by an American investor who brought the factory just one step away from bankruptcy. Today the steelworks are run by TMK Europe GmbH, a German subsidiary of OAO TMK, Moscow, which has projects of modernization for the CSR.
In 2022 it was inducted into UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).[2][4]
The city
The city is situated along the Bârzava River, which meets the Doman River in the centre of town. Most of the urban area is concentrated along the Bârzava, with some development—mostly residential—in the surrounding hills.
It is made of three main areas, two former villages that were very close: Romanian Reșița ( or Olah Resitza) and Highland Reșița (, Eisenwerk Reschitza or Nemet Reschitza); a new area, recently built, made of tower blocks on a wide opened meadow, called Bârzava's Meadow.[5]
The Civic centre of the city has been partially renovated in 2006. An important point of attraction located in the City Centre is the impressive kinetic fountain designed by Constantin Lucaci, built in the communist era.
There are also important cultural points in Reșița that have been renewed in 2006, including the Concrete School (Școala de Beton), Downtown, and the Polyvalent Hall (Sala Polivalentă).
The Reșița Steam Locomotive Museum features Romania's first locomotive built in Romania at Reșița in 1872, and is located in the open-air museum in the neighborhood.
An important iron and steel center, Reșița is the site of blast furnaces, iron foundries, and plants producing electrical appliances, chemicals and machinery (see Reșița works).
The city is a hub for leisure locations all around. Locations near Reșița include the
Demographics
At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 58,393. At the 2011 census, there were 65,509 people living within the city of Reșița,[6] making it the 29th largest city in Romania. The ethnic makeup is as follows:
Religion
According to the 1880 Austro-Hungarian census, the residents were:
Today there are many of the old churches in service and new ones:
- 6,569 Roman Catholics
- 2,129 Orthodox adherents
- 304 Lutherans
- 163 Eastern Catholics
- 126 Reformed adherents
- 72 Judaism adherents
- Roman Catholic churches
- Saint Mary of the Snows Church (Old City)
- Trinity Sunday Church (Govândari)
- Orthodox churches
- New Joseph from Partoș Church (City Center)
Climate
Reșița has a humid continental climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification).
Economy
Reșița has long been considered as the second-largest industrial center of Romania. It is an important center in manufacturing steel and vehicle manufacturing. C.S.R. (Combinatul Siderurgic Reșița) and U.C.M.R., the first Romanian factory (Uzina Constructoare de Mașini Reșița). The two are called as Reșița works and are the factories which sustained the city's life for more than 300 years. The first factories were built in 1771, during the reign of Maria Theresa. During the 19th century, the steelworks were known as StEG. After the end of World War I, when Banat became part of Romania, they changed their name again, this time to Uzinele și Domeniile Reșița or UDR (Reșița Works and Domains). Only later, under the Communist regime, did the UDR split into CSR and UCMR.
The economy of Reșița has faced a drawback since 1989, but began recovering as a result of increasing foreign and domestic investment, largely in industry.[9]
- Industry: Automobile industry, Iron industry, texture industry, civilian constructions.
- Agriculture: 1% of the labour force of the city works in agriculture.
- Services: public alimentation, internal and international transport.
- Tourism: 2 tourism societies (Tourist Semenic SA and BIRTA SA).
Transport
Public transport
Reșița's public transport relies on 6 bus lines and was operated by the now defunct Prescom company. It is now operated by Transport Urban Reșița (TUR).
Buses
Reșița's bus fleet consists of about 25 buses running on 6 lines: Reșița's bus fleet was to be upgraded sometime during 2009, and after in 2017 when the Resita municipality took over the management of public transport.
- 1M/2:[11] Marginea – Minda – Mol/Mopar/Molizilor
- 4: Moroasa II – Lend/Baraj (dam of Secu Lake) – CET – Molizilor – Moroasa II
- 8: Intim – Moniom – Intim
- 9: Intim – Țerova – Intim
- 10: Nera – Doman – Nera
Notable people
- Rolf Bossert (1952–1986), poet
- Cristian Chivu (1980–), football player
- Andre Drago (born 1995), athlete, boxer and coach
- Ciprian Foias (1933–2020), mathematician
- Christian Gabriel (1975–), chess grandmaster
- Flavius Koczi (1987–), artistic gymnast
- Eugen Pădureanu (1972–), actor
- Werner Stöckl (1952–), handballer
- Alexander Tietz (1896–1978), ethnographer
- Francisc Vaștag (1969–), boxer
Sport
Association football
Handball
- CSM Reșița
- HC Adrian Petrea
- CSM Reșița
Twin towns – sister cities
Reșița is twinned with:[14]
- 🇹🇷 Baskil, Turkey
- 🇧🇦 Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 🇫🇷 Caen, France
- 🇷🇸 Kikinda, Serbia
- 🇮🇹 Loreto, Italy
- 🇱🇹 Marijampolė, Lithuania[15]
- 🇷🇸 Pančevo, Serbia
- 🇮🇹 Pesaro, Italy
External links
References
- Results of the 2024 local elections Central Electoral Bureau, retrieved 18 December 2025^
- sfodor. Romania's Reșița joins UNESCO network of learning cities Romania Insider, 2022-09-06, retrieved 2025-07-08^
- Începuturile Reșiței Istoria Banatului, 17 June 2009, retrieved 24 June 2011