Curtea (; ) is a
commune in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. It is composed of three villages: Coșava, Curtea (commune seat) and Homojdia.
Geography
Curtea is located in the northeast of
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
, close to the border of
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva, Romania, Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion.
Name
In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as , ...
, from
Timișoara
Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
, from
Lugoj
Lugoj (; ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș, Timiș River divides the city into two halves: the "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank, and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. Th ...
and from
Făget, the nearest town. Curtea lies at the foothills of
Poiana Ruscă Mountains, at the confluence of Valea Izvorașului with Valea Stâlpului, which, in fact, form the upper course of
Bega River.
History
The first recorded mention of Curtea dates from 1597 (''Kurthe''), when it belonged to
Marzsina District,
Hunyad County
Hunyad (today mainly Hunedoara (county), Hunedoara) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom and of the Principality of Transylvania (disambiguation), P ...
. Legend has it that Curtea was once the summer residence of Romanian duke
Glad, and Curtea took this name because Glad kept his entire court here (in
Romanian ''curte'' means "court").
A Turkish possession by 1658, Curtea was a place of refuge for Transylvanian ''
nemes'' (small and medium nobles) in conflict with the Hungarian royal house.
In
Marsigli's notes from 1690–1700 it was called ''Kortya'' and belonged to
Facset District, and in the 1717 census it appears as inhabited, with 50 houses.
The first Romanian school was established here in 1776.
The wooden church, which can still be seen today, dates from 1794.
Demographics
Curtea had a population of 1,193 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 10% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are
Romanians
Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(94.05%), with a minority of
Roma (2.1%). For 2.68% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox (80.64%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
s (12.07%),
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
s (2.1%) and
Adventists (1.59%). For 2.68% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat