Dimitrie Leonida (May 23, 1883–March 14, 1965) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n energy engineer. Born in

Fălticeni Fălticeni (; ''german: Foltischeni; hu, Falticsén;'' he, פלטיצ'ן yi, פאלטישאן) is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Western Moldavia. Fălticeni is the second largest urba ...

, his father Atanase was a cavalry officer, while his mother (née Gill) was the daughter of a French building engineer. He had seven surviving siblings, and despite the family’s financial difficulties, all had distinguished careers, including

Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu (10 November 1887 – 25 November 1973) was a Romanian engineer who was one of the first women to obtain a degree in engineering.Michallon, Clémence (10 November 2018Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu: 5 things you need to know a ...

and

Gheorghe Leonida Gheorghe Leonida (1892/93–1942) was a Romanian sculptor known for creating the head of '' Christ the Redeemer'', the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biography Gheorghe Leonida was born in Galați, in 1892 (1893 according t ...

. Frequently moving due to Atanase’s profession, Dimitrie ultimately graduated from Mihai Viteazul National College in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. He then entered the

Technical University of Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

, graduating with distinction in 1908. While a student, he proposed a subway system for Bucharest.Biography
at the Hidroelectrica site His thesis proposed what would become the Bicaz-Stejaru Hydroelectric Power Station late in his life, and he spent years advocating for the project. Meanwhile, after returning to Romania, Leonida was hired to direct electrification at ''

Căile Ferate Române Căile Ferate Române (; abbreviated as the CFR) is the state railway carrier of Romania. As of 2014, the railway network of Romania consists of , of which (37.4%) are electrified. The total track length is , of which (38.5%) are electrifie ...

'' railway carrier. For decades, he promoted the electrification of Romania. In 1908, he founded the country’s first school for electricians and mechanics, teaching there without pay for 44 years. He also taught at

Politehnica University of Timișoara Politehnica University of Timișoara ( ro, Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara; abbreviated UPT) is a public university in Timișoara. Founded in 1920, it is one of the largest technical universities in Central and Eastern Europe. The 10 facul ...

(1924-1941) and at

Politehnica University of Bucharest Politehnica University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea Politehnica din București) is a technical university in Bucharest, Romania. 200 years of activity have been celebrated lately, as the university was founded in 1818. In 1909, he founded what would become the

Dimitrie Leonida Technical Museum The Dimitrie Leonida Technical Museum was founded in 1909 by Dimitrie Leonida, inspired by the München Technical Museum, he had visited during his studies in Charlottenburg Polytechnic Institute. In 1908, with the help of the first promotions ...

. The

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

awarded him the State Prize in 1954 and the Order of Labor in 1961. The Dimitrie Leonida station of the

Bucharest Metro The Bucharest Metro ( ro, Metroul din București) is an underground rapid transit system that serves Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It first opened for service on 16 November 1979. The network is run by Metrorex. One of two parts of the large ...

is named after him.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonida, Dimitrie 1883 births 1965 deaths People from Fălticeni Romanian people of French descent Technical University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the Politehnica University of Timișoara Academic staff of the Politehnica University of Bucharest Căile Ferate Române people Romanian electrical engineers