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Alba Iulia

Alba Iulia (Romanian pronunciation: [ˌalba ˈjuli.a] ; German: Karlsburg or Carlsburg, formerly Weißenburg; Hungarian: Gyulafehérvár; Latin: Apulum[3]) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a population of 63,536 (as of 2011).[4]

Alba Iulia
Porta Principalis Dextra
Defense wall of the citadel
The Union Museum
Saint Michael Catholic Cathedral
Location in Alba County
Alba Iulia
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°4′1″N 23°34′12″E / 46.06694°N 23.57000°E / 46.06694; 23.57000
Country Romania
CountyAlba
Government
 • MayorGabriel Pleșa[1] (2020–2024) (USR PLUS)
Area
 • Total103.65 km2 (40.02 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
 • Total64,227
 • Density620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Websitewww.apulum.ro

During ancient times, the site was the location of the Roman camp Apulum. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1526 and 1570 it was the capital of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom from which the Principality of Transylvania emerged by the Treaty of Speyer in 1570 and it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania until 1711. At one point it also was a center of the Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan of Transylvania with suffragan to Vad diocese.[5][6] On 1 December 1918, the Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared in Alba Iulia, and the Romania's King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie were crowned in the Alba Iulia Orthodox Cathedral, in 1922.[7]

Alba Iulia is historically important for Romanians, Hungarians, and Transylvanian Saxons. In December 1918, Alba Iulia was officially declared Capital of the Great Union of Romania.[8]

The city administers four villages: Bărăbanț (Borbánd), Micești (Ompolykisfalud), Oarda (Alsóváradja), and Pâclișa (Poklos).[9]

Names edit

During the Roman period the settlement was called Apulum (from the Dacian Apoulon, mentioned by Ptolemy).[10][11][12] When the settlement with its Roman ruins became the seat of a dukedom in the 10th century, the population may have been Slavic.[13] From the 9th to the 11th centuries, the settlement bore the Slavic name Bălgrad (meaning "white castle" or "white town").[7][12][14] The old Romanian name of the town was Bălgrad,[15] which originated from Slavic.

The Hungarian name Gyulafehérvár is a translation of the earlier Slavic form,[14] meaning "white castle of the Gyula"[16] meaning "white city of Julius".[14] Alba is the Romanian feminine form of the word for white, and Iulia ("Julius") refers to Gyula II, a mid-10th-century Hungarian warlord who was baptized in Constantinople.[12][14]

Under the influence of the Hungarian form, Gyulafehérvár, the town's Latin name eventually became Alba Julia or Alba Yulia.[11][17][18] Its modern Romanian name, Alba Iulia, is the adoption of this[12][17] that started to spread in Romanian in ordinary speech in the 18th century.[19] The modern name has been officially used since the town became part of Romania.[20]

The 16th-century German name was Weyssenburg.[12] The Saxons later renamed the town to Karlsburg (Carlsburg)[21] in honour of Charles VI (1685–1740).[12][22] In Yiddish and Hebrew, Karlsburg was prevalent. In Ladino, Carlosburg was used.[10] Alba Carolina was also a Medieval Latin form of its name.[10]

Among Ruthenians, the city was known as Bilhorod ("white city").[5]

The city's Latin name in the 10th century was Civitatem Albam in Ereel.[23][clarification needed] The first part of the name Alba denotes the ruins of the Roman fort Apulum, the pre-feudal white citadel.[14][24] Later in the Middle Ages, different names were used: Frank episcopus Belleggradienesis in 1071, Albae Civitatis in 1134, Belegrada in 1153, Albensis Ultrasilvanus in 1177, eccl. Micahelis in 1199, Albe Transilvane in 1200, Albe Transsilvane in 1201, castrum Albens in 1206, canonicis Albensibus in 1213, Albensis eccl. Transsylvane in 1219, B. Michaelis arch. Transsilv. in 1231, Alba... Civitas in 1242, Alba sedes eptus in 1245, Alba Jula in 1291, Feyrvar in 1572, Feyérvár in 1574, Weissenburg in 1576, Belugrad in 1579, Gyula Feyervár in 1619, Gyula Fehérvár in 1690 and Karlsburg in 1715.[23]

History edit

Ancient times edit

 
"Porta Principalis Dextra" of the castrum Apulum

The modern city is located near the site of the important Dacian political, economic and social centre of Apulon, which was mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy and believed by some archaeologists to be the Dacian fortifications on top of Piatra Craivii.[25] After Dacia became a province of the Roman Empire, the capital of Dacia Apulensis was established here, and the city was known as Apulum.[26] Apulum was the largest urban centre in Roman Dacia and was the seat of the XIII Gemina Legion. Apulum is the largest castrum located in Romania, occupying 37.5 hectares (93 acres) (750 x 500 m2).

Middle Ages edit

 
Defense wall of Alba Carolina citadel.

The Gesta Hungarorum mentions a Hungarian regent named Jula or Geula—the maternal grandfather of Stephen I of Hungary and lord [regent] of Transylvania—who built the capital of his dukedom there during the 10th century. Geula was baptized in the Byzantine Empire and built around 950 in Alba Iulia the first church of Transylvania. The ruins of a church were discovered in 2011. According to Ioan Aurel Pop and other historians, here lived Hierotheos the first bishop of Transylvania,[27][28] who accompanied Geula back to Hungary after Geula had been baptized in Constantinople around 950.[29]

After Stephen I adopted Catholicism, and the establishment of the Catholic Transylvanian bishopric, recent archaeological discoveries suggest that the first cathedral was built in the 11th century or possibly before. The present Catholic cathedral was built in the 12th or 13th century. In 1442, John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, used the citadel to prepare for a major battle against the Ottoman Turks. The cathedral was enlarged during his reign and he was entombed there after his death.

Ottoman and Habsburg period edit

In 1542 — after the partition of the Kingdom of Hungary — Alba Iulia became the capital of Transylvania and some of its neighboring territories to the west (later known as Partium[30]), the autonomous Principality of Transylvania, and remained so until 1690. The Treaty of Weissenburg was signed in the town in 1551. During the reign of Prince Gábor Bethlen, the city reached a high point in its cultural history with the establishment of an academy. The former Ottoman Turkish equivalent was Erdel Belgradı or Belgrad-ı Erdel ("Belgrade of Transylvania" in English) where Erdel (Erdély) was added to prevent confusion with Belgrat and Arnavut Belgradı ("Albanian Belgrade" in Turkish, early name of Berat during Ottoman rule).

In 29 November 1599, Michael the Brave, Voivode of Wallachia, entered Alba Iulia following his victory in the Battle of Șelimbăr and became Voivode of Transylvania. In 1600 he gained control of Moldavia, uniting the principalities of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania under his rule, which lasted for a year and a half until he was murdered in 1601, by General Giorgio Basta's agents.

Alba Iulia became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1690. The fortress Alba Carolina, designed by architect Giovanni Morando Visconti, was built between 1716 and 1735, at the behest of Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg. The leaders of the Transylvanian peasant rebellion were executed in Alba Iulia in January 1785. Important milestones in the city's development include the creation of the Batthyaneum Library in 1780 and the arrival of the railway in the 19th century.

20th and 21st centuries edit

At the end of World War I, representatives of the Romanian population of Transylvania, the National Assembly of Romanians of Transylvania and Hungary, gathered in Alba Iulia on 1 December 1918 during the so-called Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia to proclaim the Union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania. The representatives of the Transylvanian Saxons decided to join this declaration on 8 January 1919.

In 1922, Ferdinand I of Romania was symbolically crowned King of Romania in Alba Iulia. In October 2012, at the 90th anniversary of King Ferdinand's coronation, his great-granddaughter Princess Margarita of Romania visited Alba Iulia to commemorate the event.

Jewish history edit

 
Alba Iulia synagogue

The Jewish community, which was the first in Transylvania, was established in the mid-16th century. In the 17th century, a Sephardic community was founded. The 18th century saw an influx of Ashkenazim from Hungary and Wallachia, as well as Sephardim. From 1754 to 1868, the town rabbi was the chief rabbi of Transylvania. A synagogue was built in 1840, with a Sephardic one following in 1874. Most local Jews in the 19th century worked in viticulture and bought land for growing vines; in the 20th century, they were mainly artisans. By 1930, the 1558 Jews of Alba Iulia represented nearly 13% of the town's population.[31]

In October 1940, during the National Legionary State, the Iron Guard terrorized local Jews. The following year, the Ion Antonescu regime confiscated Jewish property and sent the men to forced labor. After World War II, the community was re-established but soon dwindled as Jews emigrated.[31]

Climate edit

Alba Iulia has a humid continental climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification).

Climate data for Alba Iulia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)
5.1
(41.2)
10.2
(50.4)
16.1
(61.0)
20.4
(68.7)
23.7
(74.7)
25.6
(78.1)
25.9
(78.6)
20.8
(69.4)
15.3
(59.5)
9.6
(49.3)
3.8
(38.8)
14.9
(58.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1
(30)
0.9
(33.6)
5.3
(41.5)
10.9
(51.6)
15.7
(60.3)
19.2
(66.6)
21.1
(70.0)
21.2
(70.2)
16.2
(61.2)
10.7
(51.3)
5.6
(42.1)
0.5
(32.9)
10.5
(50.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.2
(24.4)
−2.8
(27.0)
0.4
(32.7)
5.5
(41.9)
10.5
(50.9)
14
(57)
16
(61)
16.4
(61.5)
11.9
(53.4)
6.6
(43.9)
2.3
(36.1)
−2.4
(27.7)
6.2
(43.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 44
(1.7)
43
(1.7)
57
(2.2)
82
(3.2)
97
(3.8)
118
(4.6)
103
(4.1)
85
(3.3)
71
(2.8)
57
(2.2)
47
(1.9)
52
(2.0)
856
(33.5)
Source: https://en.climate-data.org/europe/romania/alba/alba-iulia-4543/

Landmarks edit

 
The Batthyaneum Library, former monastery of the Trinitarians
 
The Roman Catholic Cathedral. Its tower dates from the 17th century.
 
The Obelisk of Horea, Cloșca, and Crișan
 
Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, early 20th century

The main historical area of Alba Iulia is the Upper Town region, developed by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in honour of whom the Habsburgs renamed the city Karlsburg. The fortress, with seven bastions in a stellar shape, was constructed between 1716 and 1735 by two Swiss fortification architects. The first was Giovanni Morandi Visconti, who built two old Italian-style bastions. The second was Nicolaus Doxat de Demoret—nicknamed "Austrian Vauban". After 1720, the two architects radically transformed the medieval fortress shaped by the former Roman castrum into a seven-bastion baroque fortress, developing Menno van Coehorn's new Dutch system, of which the fortress of Alba Iulia is the best preserved example.

Inside the fortress are The Union Hall with the National Honour Gallery, The National History Museum of Unification, the Princely Palace (Voivodal Palace), the Orthodox cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral, the Batthyaneum Library, the Roman Catholic bishop's palace, the Apor Palace, and the University of Alba Iulia. Built in the 10th and 11th centuries, the Roman Catholic cathedral is the most representative building in the medieval Romanic style in Transylvania, and is considered to be an important monument of early Transylvanian medieval architecture. The tombs of John Hunyadi and Isabella Jagiełło—Queen of Hungary are located there.

The Batthyaneum Library is held in a former church built in Baroque style. In 1780, Ignác Batthyány, bishop of Transylvania, adapted the inside of the building for use as a library. It is famous for its series of manuscripts, incunabula and rare books—such as half of the 9th century Codex Aureus of Lorsch, the 15th century Codex Burgundus and the 13th century Biblia Sacra (13th century). The first astronomical observatory in Transylvania was founded here in 1792. The Apor Palace, situated on the same street as the Bathyaneum Library, belonged to Prince Apor and was built in the second half of the 17th century. At the beginning of the 18th century it was the residence of the Austrian army leader Prince Steinville. The palace was renovated in 2007 under the supervision of the Romanian Ministry of Culture.

The Orthodox Unification Cathedral was built between 1921 and 1923, following the plans of architect D.G. Ștefănescu and built under the supervision of eng. T. Eremia. The frescoes were painted by Constantin in a traditional iconographic style. The first monarchs of the Unified Romania, King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie were crowned in the cathedral on 15 October 1922.

The National Museum of Unification in Alba Iulia is located in the "Babylon" Building. It was built between 1851 and 1853 for military purposes and became a museum in 1887. The museum exhibits over 130,000 pieces of artworks, organized chronologically. The Unification Hall, also part of the National History Museum, retains historical significance from having hosted, on 1 December 1918, the rally of the 1228 Romanian delegations from Transylvania who determined the province's union with the Kingdom of Romania. The building was used in 1895 as a military casino.

The Princely Palace (Palatul Principilor or Palatul Voievodal) was Michael the Brave's residence during the first political unification of the Romanians in 1600. Foreign chronicles pictured it as an extremely luxurious building, richly adorned with frescos and marble stairs, which later deteriorated. During the rule of Princes Gábor Bethlen and George II Rákóczi the second palace was restored, but not to its previous condition. After 1716, the building was used as an Habsburg Imperial Army barracks.

Natives edit

Other notable residents edit

Twin towns – sister cities edit

Alba Iulia is twinned with:[33]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1850 5,408—    
1880 7,338+35.7%
1890 8,167+11.3%
1900 11,507+40.9%
1912 11,616+0.9%
1930 12,282+5.7%
1948 14,420+17.4%
1956 14,776+2.5%
1966 22,215+50.3%
1977 41,199+85.5%
1992 71,168+72.7%
2002 66,369−6.7%
2011 63,536−4.3%
2021 64,227+1.1%
Source: Census data

According to the 2021 census, there was a total population of 64,227 people living in this city. At the 2011 census, there were 63,536 inhabitants; of these, 95.3% were ethnic Romanians, 3.2% Romani, 1.9% Hungarians, and 0.2% Germans (more specifically Transylvanian Saxons).[4]

In 1850, Alba Iulia had 5,408 inhabitants, 2,530 of them being Romanians (46.78%), 1,009 Hungarians (18.67%), 748 Germans/Transylvanian Saxons (13.83%), and 1,121 (20.73%) others.[34]

In 1891, the city had 8,167 residents, of which 3,482 were Hungarians (42.63%), 3,426 Romanians (41.94%), and 867 Germans/Transylvanian Saxons (10.62%).[35] By 1910 the number of inhabitants increased to 11,616. 5,226 of them were Hungarians (45%), 5,170 Romanians (44.51%), and 792 Germans/Transylvanian Saxons (6.82%).[36] At the 1930 census, 34.7% of the population were Romanian Orthodox, 28.1% Romanian Greek Catholic, 12.9% Roman Catholic, 12.7% Jews, 7.3% Reformed Protestant, and 3.1% Lutheran.[37]

Panoramas edit

 
Panoramic view of Alba-Iulia, Transylvania, Romania
 
Panoramic view of Alba-Iulia, Transylvania, Romania
 
Panoramic view of Alba-Iulia, Transylvania, Romania

Image gallery edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica |"Alba-Iulia"
  4. ^ a b (PDF). Alba County Regional Statistics Directorate. 2 February 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b Maksym Mayorov. Metropolitan of Kiev and other Eastern Orthodox Churches before 1686 (Київська митрополія та інші православні церкви перед 1686 роком ). Likbez. 16 December 2018
  6. ^ The Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj 19 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Transylvania and Beyond.
  7. ^ a b "Alba Iulia". britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ Iaşi desemnat "Capitală istorică", iar Alba Iulia "Capitală a Marii Uniri"
  9. ^ "State Of Play Report Alba Iulila Municipality" (PDF).
  10. ^ a b c "ALBA IULIA". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  11. ^ a b Jarig Bakker (10 February 2001). "Alba Iulia (Romania, Alba)". CRW Flags. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Patrick Leigh Fermor, Between the woods and the water: on foot to Constantipole from the Hook of Holland : the middle Danube to the Iron Gates, Viking, 1986, p. 138, ISBN 9780670811496, Citations: "The Dacian Apulon became the Latin Apulum, and the place was full of traces of the old Roman colony. But both of these words were silenced when the hushed and muffling spread of the Slavs stifled the old names of Eastern Europe forever. They renamed it Bălgrad - the white town (one of many) - perhaps because of its pale walls and this white motif caught on. The Saxons called it Weissenburg and later Karlsburg, in honour of Emperor Charles VI, who built the great eighteenth-century fortress here. The Hungarians had already adopted the notion of whiteness, but another crept in too: the word 'Julius', after a mid-tenth-century (Hungarian?) prince who had visited Constantinople and been baptised there. In Hungarian, Gyulafehérvár, means "white city of Gyula". The Rumanians stuck to Bălgrad, then adopted the medieval Latin name of Alba Iulia."
  13. ^ Makkai 2001, p. 365
  14. ^ a b c d e Adrian Room, Placenames of the World: Origins And Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites, McFarland, 2006, p. 23
  15. ^ "Christianization in Early Medieval Transylvania: A Church Discovered in Alba Iulia and its Interpretations", Christianization in Early Medieval Transylvania, Brill, p. 11, 20 June 2022, ISBN 978-90-04-51586-4, retrieved 13 March 2024
  16. ^ Iván Boldizsár, NHQ; the New Hungarian Quarterly, Volume 29; Volumes 109-110, Lapkiadó Publishing House, 1988, p. 73
  17. ^ a b Kiss, Lajos (1980). Földrajzi nevek etimológiai szótára. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. p. 256. ISBN 963-05-2277-2.
  18. ^ Medieval and Early Modern for Central and Eastern Europe Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press, p. 196
  19. ^ László Bányai, Közös sors--testvéri hagyományok: történelmi vázlat, Politikai Könyvkiadó, 1973, p. 41, Citations: "A középkori latin okiratok Alba Iulia-ja csak a XVIII. századtól terjed el a román köznyelvben" Translation: " the term 'Alba Iulia', used in medieval Latin charters, started to spread in the Romanian vulgar tongue only in the 18th century"
  20. ^ Magyar történeti tanulmányok, Volumes 19-21, Acta Universitatis Debreceniensis de Ludovico Kossuth nominatae: Series historica, KLTE, 1986, p. 85 Citations: "Itt említjük meg, hogy Gyulafehérvárat akkoriban románul Belgrad-nak hívták, csak Romániához történt csatolása után lett belôle Alba Iulia." Translation: "We mention it here that Gyulafehérvár was called Belgrad in Romanian and it turned to Alba Iulia after it became part of Romania."
  21. ^ Berichte und Forschungen. Jahrbuch des Bundesinstituts für Kultur und Geschichte der Deutschen im Östlichen Europa 11/2003, p.137
  22. ^ The Transylvanian Saxons: historical highlights, Alliance of Transylvanian Saxons, 1982, p. 55, ISBN 9783853730706
  23. ^ a b Ferenc Léstyán, MEGSZENTELT KÖVEK A KÖZÉPKORI ERDÉLYI PÜSPÖKSÉG TEMPLOMAI, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia, 2000, ISBN 973-9203-56-6
  24. ^ Romania in brief, Meridiane Pub. House, 1966, p. 74
  25. ^ . Apulum.ro. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  26. ^ . Archived from the original on 26 October 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  27. ^ Ioan Aurel Pop, Jan Nicolae, Ovidiu Panaite, Sfântul Ierotei, episcop de Alba Iulia (sec. X). Edit. Reîntregirea, 2010, 335 p
  28. ^ I. Strajan, Adevărul istoric a învins la Alba Iulia, Despre prima organizare creştină din Transylvania – sec. X, "DACOROMANIA" nr.55/2011
  29. ^ Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250. Cambridge University Press. pp. 189-189. ISBN 978-0-521-89452-4.
  30. ^ Keul, István (2009). Early modern religious communities in East-Central Europe: Ethnic Diversity, Denominational Plurality, and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania (1526–1691). Leiden: Brill Publishers. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-90-04-17652-2.
  31. ^ a b Shmuel Spector, Geoffrey Wigoder (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: A—J, p. 25. New York University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8147-9376-2
  32. ^ Silber, Michael K. "Friesenhausen, David". YIVO. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Orașe înfrățite cu Alba Iulia". apulum.ro (in Romanian). Alba Iulia. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  34. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  35. ^ Gyulafehérvár. A Pallas nagy lexikona. Hungarian Electronic Library (MEK).
  36. ^ Gyulafehérvár. Révai Nagylexikona, vol. 9. p. 237. Hungarian Electronic Library.
  37. ^ Recensământul general al populației României din 29 Decemvrie 1930, vol. II, p. 522.

Secondary sources edit

  • Makkai, László (2001). "Transylvania in the medieval Hungarian kingdom (896–1526)", In: Béla Köpeczi, Historyof Transylvania Volume I: From the Beginnings to 1606, Columbia University Press, New York, 2001, ISBN 0880334797

External links edit

  • Official site
  • (in Romanian)

alba, iulia, romanian, pronunciation, ˌalba, ˈjuli, german, karlsburg, carlsburg, formerly, weißenburg, hungarian, gyulafehérvár, latin, apulum, city, that, serves, seat, alba, county, west, central, part, romania, located, river, mureș, historical, region, tr. Alba Iulia Romanian pronunciation ˌalba ˈjuli a German Karlsburg or Carlsburg formerly Weissenburg Hungarian Gyulafehervar Latin Apulum 3 is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west central part of Romania Located on the river Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania it has a population of 63 536 as of 2011 update update 4 Alba IuliaMunicipalityAlba Carolina CitadelPorta Principalis DextraDefense wall of the citadelThe Union MuseumSaint Michael Catholic CathedralFlagCoat of armsBrandmarkLocation in Alba CountyAlba IuliaLocation in RomaniaCoordinates 46 4 1 N 23 34 12 E 46 06694 N 23 57000 E 46 06694 23 57000Country RomaniaCountyAlbaGovernment MayorGabriel Pleșa 1 2020 2024 USR PLUS Area Total103 65 km2 40 02 sq mi Population 2021 12 01 2 Total64 227 Density620 km2 1 600 sq mi Time zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST Websitewww wbr apulum wbr roDuring ancient times the site was the location of the Roman camp Apulum Since the High Middle Ages the city has been the seat of Transylvania s Roman Catholic diocese Between 1526 and 1570 it was the capital of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom from which the Principality of Transylvania emerged by the Treaty of Speyer in 1570 and it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania until 1711 At one point it also was a center of the Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan of Transylvania with suffragan to Vad diocese 5 6 On 1 December 1918 the Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared in Alba Iulia and the Romania s King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie were crowned in the Alba Iulia Orthodox Cathedral in 1922 7 Alba Iulia is historically important for Romanians Hungarians and Transylvanian Saxons In December 1918 Alba Iulia was officially declared Capital of the Great Union of Romania 8 The city administers four villages Bărăbanț Borband Micești Ompolykisfalud Oarda Alsovaradja and Paclișa Poklos 9 Contents 1 Names 2 History 2 1 Ancient times 2 2 Middle Ages 2 3 Ottoman and Habsburg period 2 4 20th and 21st centuries 2 5 Jewish history 3 Climate 4 Landmarks 5 Natives 6 Other notable residents 7 Twin towns sister cities 8 Demographics 9 Panoramas 10 Image gallery 11 Citations 12 Secondary sources 13 External linksNames editDuring the Roman period the settlement was called Apulum from the Dacian Apoulon mentioned by Ptolemy 10 11 12 When the settlement with its Roman ruins became the seat of a dukedom in the 10th century the population may have been Slavic 13 From the 9th to the 11th centuries the settlement bore the Slavic name Bălgrad meaning white castle or white town 7 12 14 The old Romanian name of the town was Bălgrad 15 which originated from Slavic The Hungarian name Gyulafehervar is a translation of the earlier Slavic form 14 meaning white castle of the Gyula 16 meaning white city of Julius 14 Alba is the Romanian feminine form of the word for white and Iulia Julius refers to Gyula II a mid 10th century Hungarian warlord who was baptized in Constantinople 12 14 Under the influence of the Hungarian form Gyulafehervar the town s Latin name eventually became Alba Julia or Alba Yulia 11 17 18 Its modern Romanian name Alba Iulia is the adoption of this 12 17 that started to spread in Romanian in ordinary speech in the 18th century 19 The modern name has been officially used since the town became part of Romania 20 The 16th century German name was Weyssenburg 12 The Saxons later renamed the town to Karlsburg Carlsburg 21 in honour of Charles VI 1685 1740 12 22 In Yiddish and Hebrew Karlsburg was prevalent In Ladino Carlosburg was used 10 Alba Carolina was also a Medieval Latin form of its name 10 Among Ruthenians the city was known as Bilhorod white city 5 The city s Latin name in the 10th century was Civitatem Albam in Ereel 23 clarification needed The first part of the name Alba denotes the ruins of the Roman fort Apulum the pre feudal white citadel 14 24 Later in the Middle Ages different names were used Frank episcopus Belleggradienesis in 1071 Albae Civitatis in 1134 Belegrada in 1153 Albensis Ultrasilvanus in 1177 eccl Micahelis in 1199 Albe Transilvane in 1200 Albe Transsilvane in 1201 castrum Albens in 1206 canonicis Albensibus in 1213 Albensis eccl Transsylvane in 1219 B Michaelis arch Transsilv in 1231 Alba Civitas in 1242 Alba sedes eptus in 1245 Alba Jula in 1291 Feyrvar in 1572 Feyervar in 1574 Weissenburg in 1576 Belugrad in 1579 Gyula Feyervar in 1619 Gyula Fehervar in 1690 and Karlsburg in 1715 23 History editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ancient times edit nbsp Porta Principalis Dextra of the castrum ApulumThe modern city is located near the site of the important Dacian political economic and social centre of Apulon which was mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy and believed by some archaeologists to be the Dacian fortifications on top of Piatra Craivii 25 After Dacia became a province of the Roman Empire the capital of Dacia Apulensis was established here and the city was known as Apulum 26 Apulum was the largest urban centre in Roman Dacia and was the seat of the XIII Gemina Legion Apulum is the largest castrum located in Romania occupying 37 5 hectares 93 acres 750 x 500 m2 Middle Ages edit nbsp Defense wall of Alba Carolina citadel The Gesta Hungarorum mentions a Hungarian regent named Jula or Geula the maternal grandfather of Stephen I of Hungary and lord regent of Transylvania who built the capital of his dukedom there during the 10th century Geula was baptized in the Byzantine Empire and built around 950 in Alba Iulia the first church of Transylvania The ruins of a church were discovered in 2011 According to Ioan Aurel Pop and other historians here lived Hierotheos the first bishop of Transylvania 27 28 who accompanied Geula back to Hungary after Geula had been baptized in Constantinople around 950 29 After Stephen I adopted Catholicism and the establishment of the Catholic Transylvanian bishopric recent archaeological discoveries suggest that the first cathedral was built in the 11th century or possibly before The present Catholic cathedral was built in the 12th or 13th century In 1442 John Hunyadi Voivode of Transylvania used the citadel to prepare for a major battle against the Ottoman Turks The cathedral was enlarged during his reign and he was entombed there after his death Ottoman and Habsburg period edit In 1542 after the partition of the Kingdom of Hungary Alba Iulia became the capital of Transylvania and some of its neighboring territories to the west later known as Partium 30 the autonomous Principality of Transylvania and remained so until 1690 The Treaty of Weissenburg was signed in the town in 1551 During the reign of Prince Gabor Bethlen the city reached a high point in its cultural history with the establishment of an academy The former Ottoman Turkish equivalent was Erdel Belgradi or Belgrad i Erdel Belgrade of Transylvania in English where Erdel Erdely was added to prevent confusion with Belgrat and Arnavut Belgradi Albanian Belgrade in Turkish early name of Berat during Ottoman rule In 29 November 1599 Michael the Brave Voivode of Wallachia entered Alba Iulia following his victory in the Battle of Șelimbăr and became Voivode of Transylvania In 1600 he gained control of Moldavia uniting the principalities of Wallachia Moldavia and Transylvania under his rule which lasted for a year and a half until he was murdered in 1601 by General Giorgio Basta s agents Alba Iulia became part of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1690 The fortress Alba Carolina designed by architect Giovanni Morando Visconti was built between 1716 and 1735 at the behest of Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg The leaders of the Transylvanian peasant rebellion were executed in Alba Iulia in January 1785 Important milestones in the city s development include the creation of the Batthyaneum Library in 1780 and the arrival of the railway in the 19th century nbsp The Austrian Guard of the Citadel nbsp Alba Iulia on a 1556 map nbsp The Union Museum20th and 21st centuries edit At the end of World War I representatives of the Romanian population of Transylvania the National Assembly of Romanians of Transylvania and Hungary gathered in Alba Iulia on 1 December 1918 during the so called Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia to proclaim the Union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania The representatives of the Transylvanian Saxons decided to join this declaration on 8 January 1919 In 1922 Ferdinand I of Romania was symbolically crowned King of Romania in Alba Iulia In October 2012 at the 90th anniversary of King Ferdinand s coronation his great granddaughter Princess Margarita of Romania visited Alba Iulia to commemorate the event Jewish history edit nbsp Alba Iulia synagogueThe Jewish community which was the first in Transylvania was established in the mid 16th century In the 17th century a Sephardic community was founded The 18th century saw an influx of Ashkenazim from Hungary and Wallachia as well as Sephardim From 1754 to 1868 the town rabbi was the chief rabbi of Transylvania A synagogue was built in 1840 with a Sephardic one following in 1874 Most local Jews in the 19th century worked in viticulture and bought land for growing vines in the 20th century they were mainly artisans By 1930 the 1558 Jews of Alba Iulia represented nearly 13 of the town s population 31 In October 1940 during the National Legionary State the Iron Guard terrorized local Jews The following year the Ion Antonescu regime confiscated Jewish property and sent the men to forced labor After World War II the community was re established but soon dwindled as Jews emigrated 31 Climate editAlba Iulia has a humid continental climate Cfb in the Koppen climate classification Climate data for Alba IuliaMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearMean daily maximum C F 2 5 36 5 5 1 41 2 10 2 50 4 16 1 61 0 20 4 68 7 23 7 74 7 25 6 78 1 25 9 78 6 20 8 69 4 15 3 59 5 9 6 49 3 3 8 38 8 14 9 58 9 Daily mean C F 1 30 0 9 33 6 5 3 41 5 10 9 51 6 15 7 60 3 19 2 66 6 21 1 70 0 21 2 70 2 16 2 61 2 10 7 51 3 5 6 42 1 0 5 32 9 10 5 50 9 Mean daily minimum C F 4 2 24 4 2 8 27 0 0 4 32 7 5 5 41 9 10 5 50 9 14 57 16 61 16 4 61 5 11 9 53 4 6 6 43 9 2 3 36 1 2 4 27 7 6 2 43 1 Average precipitation mm inches 44 1 7 43 1 7 57 2 2 82 3 2 97 3 8 118 4 6 103 4 1 85 3 3 71 2 8 57 2 2 47 1 9 52 2 0 856 33 5 Source https en climate data org europe romania alba alba iulia 4543 Landmarks editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp The Batthyaneum Library former monastery of the Trinitarians nbsp The Roman Catholic Cathedral Its tower dates from the 17th century nbsp The Obelisk of Horea Cloșca and Crișan nbsp Romanian Orthodox Cathedral early 20th centuryThe main historical area of Alba Iulia is the Upper Town region developed by Charles VI Holy Roman Emperor in honour of whom the Habsburgs renamed the city Karlsburg The fortress with seven bastions in a stellar shape was constructed between 1716 and 1735 by two Swiss fortification architects The first was Giovanni Morandi Visconti who built two old Italian style bastions The second was Nicolaus Doxat de Demoret nicknamed Austrian Vauban After 1720 the two architects radically transformed the medieval fortress shaped by the former Roman castrum into a seven bastion baroque fortress developing Menno van Coehorn s new Dutch system of which the fortress of Alba Iulia is the best preserved example Inside the fortress are The Union Hall with the National Honour Gallery The National History Museum of Unification the Princely Palace Voivodal Palace the Orthodox cathedral the Roman Catholic cathedral the Batthyaneum Library the Roman Catholic bishop s palace the Apor Palace and the University of Alba Iulia Built in the 10th and 11th centuries the Roman Catholic cathedral is the most representative building in the medieval Romanic style in Transylvania and is considered to be an important monument of early Transylvanian medieval architecture The tombs of John Hunyadi and Isabella Jagiello Queen of Hungary are located there The Batthyaneum Library is held in a former church built in Baroque style In 1780 Ignac Batthyany bishop of Transylvania adapted the inside of the building for use as a library It is famous for its series of manuscripts incunabula and rare books such as half of the 9th century Codex Aureus of Lorsch the 15th century Codex Burgundus and the 13th century Biblia Sacra 13th century The first astronomical observatory in Transylvania was founded here in 1792 The Apor Palace situated on the same street as the Bathyaneum Library belonged to Prince Apor and was built in the second half of the 17th century At the beginning of the 18th century it was the residence of the Austrian army leader Prince Steinville The palace was renovated in 2007 under the supervision of the Romanian Ministry of Culture The Orthodox Unification Cathedral was built between 1921 and 1923 following the plans of architect D G Ștefănescu and built under the supervision of eng T Eremia The frescoes were painted by Constantin in a traditional iconographic style The first monarchs of the Unified Romania King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie were crowned in the cathedral on 15 October 1922 The National Museum of Unification in Alba Iulia is located in the Babylon Building It was built between 1851 and 1853 for military purposes and became a museum in 1887 The museum exhibits over 130 000 pieces of artworks organized chronologically The Unification Hall also part of the National History Museum retains historical significance from having hosted on 1 December 1918 the rally of the 1228 Romanian delegations from Transylvania who determined the province s union with the Kingdom of Romania The building was used in 1895 as a military casino The Princely Palace Palatul Principilor or Palatul Voievodal was Michael the Brave s residence during the first political unification of the Romanians in 1600 Foreign chronicles pictured it as an extremely luxurious building richly adorned with frescos and marble stairs which later deteriorated During the rule of Princes Gabor Bethlen and George II Rakoczi the second palace was restored but not to its previous condition After 1716 the building was used as an Habsburg Imperial Army barracks Natives editFrancis I Rakoczi 1645 1676 elected prince of Transylvania Michael II Apafi 1676 1713 Prince of Transylvania 1690 to 1699 Ernst Michael Mangel 1800 1887 musician and Philhellene Rudolf Zullich 1813 1890 sculptor Alexandru Borza 1887 1971 botanist and monk Ernest Krausz 1931 2018 Israeli professor of sociology and President at Bar Ilan University Dan Eugen Demco 1942 physicist and member of the Romanian Academy Ion Mărgineanu 1949 writer and poet Marius Moga 1981 producer composer and singerOther notable residents editJohann Heinrich Alsted 1588 1638 German Calvinist minister and academic Spent his last years and died there David Friesenhausen 1756 1828 Jewish writer mathematician and rabbi Retired and died there 32 Twin towns sister cities editSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania Alba Iulia is twinned with 33 nbsp Aigio Greece nbsp Alcala de Henares Spain nbsp Alessandria Italy nbsp Arnsberg Germany nbsp Biograd na Moru Croatia nbsp Cetinje Montenegro nbsp Chișinău Moldova nbsp Duzce Turkey nbsp Lanzhou China nbsp Nof HaGalil Israel nbsp Sliven Bulgaria nbsp Szekesfehervar Hungary nbsp Varese Italy nbsp Viadana ItalyDemographics editHistorical populationYearPop 18505 408 18807 338 35 7 18908 167 11 3 190011 507 40 9 191211 616 0 9 193012 282 5 7 194814 420 17 4 195614 776 2 5 196622 215 50 3 197741 199 85 5 199271 168 72 7 200266 369 6 7 201163 536 4 3 202164 227 1 1 Source Census dataAccording to the 2021 census there was a total population of 64 227 people living in this city At the 2011 census there were 63 536 inhabitants of these 95 3 were ethnic Romanians 3 2 Romani 1 9 Hungarians and 0 2 Germans more specifically Transylvanian Saxons 4 In 1850 Alba Iulia had 5 408 inhabitants 2 530 of them being Romanians 46 78 1 009 Hungarians 18 67 748 Germans Transylvanian Saxons 13 83 and 1 121 20 73 others 34 In 1891 the city had 8 167 residents of which 3 482 were Hungarians 42 63 3 426 Romanians 41 94 and 867 Germans Transylvanian Saxons 10 62 35 By 1910 the number of inhabitants increased to 11 616 5 226 of them were Hungarians 45 5 170 Romanians 44 51 and 792 Germans Transylvanian Saxons 6 82 36 At the 1930 census 34 7 of the population were Romanian Orthodox 28 1 Romanian Greek Catholic 12 9 Roman Catholic 12 7 Jews 7 3 Reformed Protestant and 3 1 Lutheran 37 Panoramas edit nbsp Panoramic view of Alba Iulia Transylvania Romania nbsp Panoramic view of Alba Iulia Transylvania Romania nbsp Panoramic view of Alba Iulia Transylvania RomaniaImage gallery edit nbsp Unirii Museum nbsp Obelisk of Horea Cloșca and Crișan nbsp Gate I nbsp Gate III nbsp Unirii Hall view from Custozza Park nbsp Cannon fire by the citadel s Austrian guard nbsp Michael the Brave Statue nbsp Piața Unirii Union Square Citations edit Results of the 2020 local elections Central Electoral Bureau Retrieved 6 June 2021 Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de varstă pe județe și municipii orașe comune la 1 decembrie 2021 XLS National Institute of Statistics Encyclopaedia Britannica Alba Iulia a b Comunicat de presă privind rezultatele provizorii ale Recensămantului Populaţiei si Locuinţelor 2011 PDF Alba County Regional Statistics Directorate 2 February 2012 Archived from the original PDF on 18 April 2013 Retrieved 14 February 2012 a b Maksym Mayorov Metropolitan of Kiev and other Eastern Orthodox Churches before 1686 Kiyivska mitropoliya ta inshi pravoslavni cerkvi pered 1686 rokom Likbez 16 December 2018 The Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj Archived 19 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Transylvania and Beyond a b Alba Iulia britannica com Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 22 June 2022 Iasi desemnat Capitală istorică iar Alba Iulia Capitală a Marii Uniri State Of Play Report Alba Iulila Municipality PDF a b c ALBA IULIA Jewish Virtual Library Retrieved 26 December 2012 a b Jarig Bakker 10 February 2001 Alba Iulia Romania Alba CRW Flags Retrieved 18 October 2013 a b c d e f Patrick Leigh Fermor Between the woods and the water on foot to Constantipole from the Hook of Holland the middle Danube to the Iron Gates Viking 1986 p 138 ISBN 9780670811496 Citations The Dacian Apulon became the Latin Apulum and the place was full of traces of the old Roman colony But both of these words were silenced when the hushed and muffling spread of the Slavs stifled the old names of Eastern Europe forever They renamed it Bălgrad the white town one of many perhaps because of its pale walls and this white motif caught on The Saxons called it Weissenburg and later Karlsburg in honour of Emperor Charles VI who built the great eighteenth century fortress here The Hungarians had already adopted the notion of whiteness but another crept in too the word Julius after a mid tenth century Hungarian prince who had visited Constantinople and been baptised there In Hungarian Gyulafehervar means white city of Gyula The Rumanians stuck to Bălgrad then adopted the medieval Latin name of Alba Iulia Makkai 2001 p 365 a b c d e Adrian Room Placenames of the World Origins And Meanings of the Names for 6 600 Countries Cities Territories Natural Features and Historic Sites McFarland 2006 p 23 Christianization in Early Medieval Transylvania A Church Discovered in Alba Iulia and its Interpretations Christianization in Early Medieval Transylvania Brill p 11 20 June 2022 ISBN 978 90 04 51586 4 retrieved 13 March 2024 Ivan Boldizsar NHQ the New Hungarian Quarterly Volume 29 Volumes 109 110 Lapkiado Publishing House 1988 p 73 a b Kiss Lajos 1980 Foldrajzi nevek etimologiai szotara Budapest Akademiai Kiado p 256 ISBN 963 05 2277 2 Medieval and Early Modern for Central and Eastern Europe Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press p 196 Laszlo Banyai Kozos sors testveri hagyomanyok tortenelmi vazlat Politikai Konyvkiado 1973 p 41 Citations A kozepkori latin okiratok Alba Iulia ja csak a XVIII szazadtol terjed el a roman koznyelvben Translation the term Alba Iulia used in medieval Latin charters started to spread in the Romanian vulgar tongue only in the 18th century Magyar torteneti tanulmanyok Volumes 19 21 Acta Universitatis Debreceniensis de Ludovico Kossuth nominatae Series historica KLTE 1986 p 85 Citations Itt emlitjuk meg hogy Gyulafehervarat akkoriban romanul Belgrad nak hivtak csak Romaniahoz tortent csatolasa utan lett belole Alba Iulia Translation We mention it here that Gyulafehervar was called Belgrad in Romanian and it turned to Alba Iulia after it became part of Romania Berichte und Forschungen Jahrbuch des Bundesinstituts fur Kultur und Geschichte der Deutschen im Ostlichen Europa 11 2003 p 137 The Transylvanian Saxons historical highlights Alliance of Transylvanian Saxons 1982 p 55 ISBN 9783853730706 a b Ferenc Lestyan MEGSZENTELT KOVEK A KOZEPKORI ERDELYI PUSPOKSEG TEMPLOMAI Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia 2000 ISBN 973 9203 56 6 Romania in brief Meridiane Pub House 1966 p 74 Alba Iulia Online Apulum ro Archived from the original on 11 February 2012 Retrieved 25 March 2013 Apulum Livius orgl Archived from the original on 26 October 2006 Retrieved 26 March 2020 Ioan Aurel Pop Jan Nicolae Ovidiu Panaite Sfantul Ierotei episcop de Alba Iulia sec X Edit Reintregirea 2010 335 p I Strajan Adevărul istoric a invins la Alba Iulia Despre prima organizare crestină din Transylvania sec X DACOROMANIA nr 55 2011 Curta Florin 2006 Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500 1250 Cambridge University Press pp 189 189 ISBN 978 0 521 89452 4 Keul Istvan 2009 Early modern religious communities in East Central Europe Ethnic Diversity Denominational Plurality and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania 1526 1691 Leiden Brill Publishers pp 40 41 ISBN 978 90 04 17652 2 a b Shmuel Spector Geoffrey Wigoder eds The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust A J p 25 New York University Press 2001 ISBN 0 8147 9376 2 Silber Michael K Friesenhausen David YIVO Retrieved 9 August 2014 Orașe infrățite cu Alba Iulia apulum ro in Romanian Alba Iulia Retrieved 18 October 2022 ERDELY ETNIKAI ES FELEKEZETI STATISZTIKAJA PDF Archived from the original PDF on 22 May 2011 Retrieved 8 April 2019 Gyulafehervar A Pallas nagy lexikona Hungarian Electronic Library MEK Gyulafehervar Revai Nagylexikona vol 9 p 237 Hungarian Electronic Library Recensămantul general al populației Romaniei din 29 Decemvrie 1930 vol II p 522 Secondary sources editMakkai Laszlo 2001 Transylvania in the medieval Hungarian kingdom 896 1526 In Bela Kopeczi Historyof Transylvania Volume I From the Beginnings to 1606 Columbia University Press New York 2001 ISBN 0880334797External links edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Alba Iulia nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alba Iulia nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article Gyula Fehervar Official site Alba Iulia photo gallery in Romanian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alba Iulia amp oldid 1214489489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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