The
Banat lies in the Southwest of Romania and includes the Timis and Caras Severin counties and parts of
the Arad and Mehedinti counties. Its northern part is a fruitful
plain, the so-called west plain, an part extension of the Hungarian
plain with important vineyards and orchards. The southern region
of the Banat Plateau has forested hills and ranges of rocky low
mountains ranges prevail, with large areas of leafy and mixed
woods, caves and carstic formations, as well as narrow ravines
and unique waterfalls. The second longest river of Romania –the Mures forms the northern boundary of the Banat; in the south
there are the “Iron Gates”, the Danube canyon, which is at the
same time the border with Yugoslavia. The name Banat comes from
“Ban”, the military leader of a region.
This
area, which was inhabited in Antiquity by the Dacians, the ancestors
of the Romanians, became a Roman province under emperor Trajan
in 106 A.D. Marks of the Romans and Dacians are still presents,
for example the ruins of the Dacian fortress Divici or the Roman
discoveries from Baile Herculane/Hercules Bath, the oldest and
most famous spa in Romania.
The
ruins of the old Dacian fortress Drobeta and the remainders of
the Danube bridge built by the architect Apolodorus of Damascus
between 102-105 A.D. at the order of the emperor Trajan, stand
alongside the modern city of Drobeta Turnu Severin and the huge
hydro-electric power plant.
Off
all the migratory peoples, the Hungarians had the longest strongest
influence over this area.
The
Hungarian rule lasted until 1526, when the Turks defeated the
Hungarians at Mohacs and the Banat became a Turkish pashalyk.
In
1718 the Hapsburgs defeated the Turks and for the following 200
years the Banat belonged to the Danube monarchy. The Banat is
today a genuine mix of no less then eleven ethnical groups: Romanians,
Hungarians, Germans, Serbians, Croatians, Ukrainians, Czechs,
Slovakians, Bulgarians, Jews, Gypsies, “a miniature Europe”. After
the Austrian-Hungarian Treaty of 1867 a strong Hungarian conversion
policy started and, as a result, the people of Banat did no want
to belong to Hungary, after the First WW. Following the Treaty
of Trianon, the Banat as and Transylvania joined Romania in 1919.
Particularly
beautiful are the plentifully decorated folk costumes from this
area as well as the lovely, very vivid folk songs and dances.
Some
of the importants towns in Banat are Timisoara,
Arad, Lugoj, and Jimbolia.
Another
historical province is Crisana, with several towns such as Oradea
- with the second astronomical observatory from all times on Romanian
territory since the half of the 15th century, Beius,
Simleul Silvaniei, Carei
Its relief from east to west is represented by the Bihor Mountains
(with peaks over 1880 m), the so-called group of low mountains
(Padurea Craiului, Codru-Moma and Zarand), the "piedmont"
hills and the Cris Plain.
The climate is milder than in the rest of the country, varying
from the plain climate (with warm summers and mild winters) to
the climate of depressions (mild, rich in rainfalls).
Underground, there are various riches (bauxite, lignite, colored
soils, bitumen, high quality clay etc.).
More than 3/4 from the arable surface is cultivated with cereals,
great surfaces being occupied with fodder plants.
In depressions fruit-tree growing is developed.
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