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Fabrica de Bere

With a history dating back to 1717, the Timișoreana Brewery became the first brewery in Romania, leaving a strong mark on our city. Founded in the Fabric district of Timișoara, in 1718, this factory has suffered evolutions and transformations over time. The oldest of the current constructions is the so-called “Turkish church”. The legend states that the edifice was built during the time of the Turks, but, in reality, before 1744 there were no buildings in this area. The building appears on the city plans since 1806 and presents a resistance structure made of massive wooden pillars and beams, typical of industrial architecture from the beginning of the century. the nineteenth.
 

Johnny Weissmüller

Johnny Weissmüller, one of the greatest swimmers of all time, the famous “Monkey Man”, with 12 active films in the role of Tarzan, was born near Bega, in Freidorf, currently a district of Timisoara. He went to the USA, won five Olympic gold medals, broke world records, kept five wives and died at 79 after being inducted into the Hall of Fame and given a Hollywood star. Present at two Olympics, Tarzan was one of the greatest swimmers of all time. It is said that he would have dropped, per cent, under 50 seconds, but that the record was not homologated. As for the last wish of the famous actor, he wanted that when his coffin was lowered, the cry of Tarzan could be heard in the background. He died at the age of 80, on January 20, 1984. One of the streets in the Freidorf neighborhood now bears his name.

 

Francesco Illy

Francesco Illy or Ferencz Illy, as it appears recorded in the 19th century scripts, was born on October 7, 1892 in the Iosefin neighborhood of Timișoara, which was then part of Hungary. His father was a Hungarian carpenter named Janos, and his mother was Aloisia Rössler, a Swabian from Banat.
Settled in Trieste after the war, Francesco Illy remained in Italy, where he was employed by Hausbrandt. This company, founded coincidentally in the year Francesco was born, dealt with the preparation and marketing of coffee. Staying in Trieste, Illy became Italian also because the status of belonging of the city of Trieste passed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Italy, just as Timișoara passed to the state of Romania.
In 1933, what is now Illycaffe was born, founded by Francesco Illy, with Roberto Hausbrandt as an associate.
After two years, Francesco Illy patented his invention: the modern coffee maker. Since 1935, the way coffee is made has changed forever, with Illy replacing the system based on compressed air with one based on steam. It was called “Illetta”.

 

HERTA MÜLLER

HERTA MÜLLER was born on August 17, 1953 in the village of Niţchidorf in the Swabian Banat. She studied German and Romanian at the University of Timisoara, then worked as a translator in a factory and as a teacher. She came into the sights of the Security and began to be persecuted after her refusal to collaborate and following her friendship with the members of the Aktionsgruppe Banat society. In 1982, she made her debut with the volume of stories Lowlands (Niederungen, Kriterion; Humanitas Fiction, 2012), massively censored, which will appear in 1984 in the FRG. Since 1985, Herta Müller’s works have been banned in Romania. Increasing pressure from the Security forces forced her to emigrate to Germany in 1987, and since then she has been living in Berlin. She is the laureate of numerous important prizes, including the Kleist Prize (1994), the Aristeion European Prize for Literature (1995), the IMPAC Dublin Prize (1998), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Prize for Literature (2004). In 2009, the Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize for literature. 

1989 și 1990

On December 15, a protest broke out in Timișoara in response to the government’s attempt to evict reformed pastor László Tőkés. The following day, on December 16, “Down with Ceaușescu” was shouted for the first time. On December 20, massive columns of workers from the factories and industrial platforms of the city were headed towards the center. 100,000 protesters occupied Piața Operei, and Timișoara was declared the first city in Romania that was free from communism. On December 21, trains loaded with workers from factories in Oltenia arrived in Timisoara. The regime tried to use them to suppress the protest, but in the end they joined the people of Timisoara. After the end of these tragic events, Romania began a long transition towards a democratic system and a market economy, beginning the so-called transition period or post-December period. On March 11, 1990, the Marea Adunare Populară took place in Piaţa Victoriei (Operei), on the occasion of which the Timisoara Proclamation was launched. This was read from the balcony of the opera house by George Şerban and was enthusiastically received by over 15,000 people from Timisoara present in the square. The most important claim in the text of the Proclamation was point 8, which prohibited, by electoral law, the right to run for positions in the state to all former activists and securiști, for three legislatures. In particular, “the president of Romania must be one of the symbols of our separation from communism”. However, point 8 of the Proclamation was not respected, many people from the Romanian Communist Party and from the Security ended up in state positions.
 

1266

Over time, the city of Timișoara changed its name depending on the administration. The first attestation of the locality, accepted by most historians, took place in 1266, when the document of King Stephen of Hungary was issued, which mentions the „Tymes” Fortress alongside other settlements and feudal domains in the Banat region. According to historical data, King Stefan of Hungary donated the land called ”Rety” of the Timiş citadel to the Parabuch committees.

 

1316

Carol Robert of Anjou, the king of Hungary, arrived in Timișoara în 1307, where he decided to stay for a while. To meet his residential needs, it was necessary to have a proper castle. Thus, a castle was built, which was placed on the site where the Huniade Castle can be found today. The king lived in his castle for 8 years, starting in 1316, having access to the city with the help of a drawbridge, the castle being on a small island. After he left Timişoara, the castle was left in disrepair, especially because it had suffered great damage following an earthquake. The situation changed when Iancu of Hunedoara became ”Comite” of Timiş in 1441. He established his residence here and ordered the construction of a new castle, on the ruins of the old palace.

1552

 

After several attacks from the Ottoman Empire led by Ahmed Pasha, the Citadel of Timișoara was conquered (1552) and became the capital of the Ottoman pashalac. A „beilerbei” was installed in the castle of the fortress, with the rank of pasha or even vizier. For 164 years, Timișoara was under Ottoman domination, being under the direct control of the sultan and for a period of time it had the same status as Belgrade and Buda. Under Turkish rule (1552-1716), Timisoara enjoyed special attention from the sultan and became one of the most important centers of Ottoman occupation in this part of the Empire. The Ottoman administration organized the city into four districts and the suburbs into ten slums, each of which was fortified to ensure control and security.

 

1617

The attempt to recapture Timisoara by the Christians takes place several times, but without result, until 1716. At the head of the army of the Habsburg Empire they had Prince Eugene of Savoy, who, after winning the battle of Petrovaradin (on August 5, 1716), began the siege of Timișoara. In October 1716, his army won the victory against the Ottoman Empire and entered the Timisoara Citadel, opening the way to civilization and development. The Citadel of Timisoara was under Ottoman occupation for 164 years, starting in 1552. In this state, the central area of the city, known as the Citadel, went under major transformations, and its almost complete restoration was completed around 1765, when Timișoara became one of the four main cities of the Habsburg monarchy.

 

1781

 

An important moment in Timișoara’s existence occurred in 1781. Through the Diploma of December 21, 1781, issued by Emperor Joseph II, Timișoara acquired the privileged status of „Free Royal City”. It was renewed in 1790 by Emperor Leopold II. The city now benefits from a series of important advantages that will allow a more accelerated development of urban activities. It was removed from county jurisdiction (re-established in 1780); it sent its own representatives to the Dietă; chose his own governors and jurors; collect customs duties on the entry and exit of goods; had the right to organize annual and weekly fairs to establish its own budget of annual revenues and expenses; was exempt from certain tax obligations; had the right to his own coat of arms, etc.

1884

 

Following the construction of the alternating current power plant, one of the first of its kind in Europe, the city on the Bega became the first city in continental Europe with electrically lit streets. On November 12, 1884, 731 electric lighting lamps were put into operation on the streets of the city. On that day, incandescent coal filament lamps illuminated a street, 59 km long, an achievement obtained in less than two years by the Anglo-Austrian “Bruch Electrical Company Ltd.”, based in Vienna . The power plant was used until 1887 exclusively for public lighting, so that after that it was also used to supply electricity to private individuals.

1869

 

A group of businessmen, together with the mayor of Timișoara, Carol Kuttel, are discussing the development of a tram line. In 1868 he established a new company and registered it at the court. It was called the Timișoara Tram and Railway Company. On April 30, 1869, the first 5 passenger carriages were purchased from the Vienna Carriage Factory, for horse transport, each carriage costing 1755 guilders. The process lasted a year, and on July 8, 1869, the first horse-drawn tram line in today’s Romania was inaugurated. The tram line started from the Central Station and had its terminus in the Fabric district, in Piata Împaratul Turcesc. The tram covered a distance of 7,584 meters. Horse trams operated until July 26, 1899, when electric traction trams were introduced.

2023

In 2023, together with Elefsina (Greece) and Veszprém (Hungary), Timișoara took over the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture.

Although the city of Sibiu has held this title in the past, Timișoara is the first city in Romania to acquire it through competition. To be selected, the cities had to develop a cultural program with a strong European dimension, promoting the active involvement of the inhabitants and their communities. The title of European Capital of Culture demonstrates cultural richness and diversity, stimulates sustainable tourism and promotes the development of cities through culture. The title also has a long-term positive social and economic impact for both cities and neighboring regions.