Geoagiu ( hu, Algyógy, german: Gergesdorf) is a town in

Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county ('' județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian, it is known as , in German as , and in Slovak as ...

, in the historical region of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

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 ...

, located on the Mureș River at an altitude of 217 metres above sea level. The river with the same name (

Geoagiu Geoagiu ( hu, Algyógy, german: Gergesdorf) is a town in Hunedoara County, in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania, located on the Mureș River at an altitude of 217 metres above sea level. The river with the same name (Geoagiu) flows in ...

) flows in this place into the Mureș. The town has a population of 5,049. It administers ten villages: Aurel Vlaicu (until 1925 ''Binținți''; ''Bencenc''), Băcâia (''Bakonya''), Bozeș (''Bózes''), Cigmău (''Csigmó''), Gelmar (''Gyalmár''), Geoagiu-Băi (''Feredőgyógy''), Homorod (''Homoród''), Mermezeu-Văleni (''Nyírmező''), Renghet (''Renget'') and Văleni (''Valény'').

History

The first settlements in the area can be found in the time of the

Dacians The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often consid ...

, in the 1st century BC, as shown by archeological discoveries. After the Roman conquest, the Romans built the fort of Germisara in the 2nd century, however, it kept the original Dacian name. Germisara was defended by the Legio XIII Gemina. The name of ''Germisara'' meant "hot water" (''germi'' = "heat", ''sara'' = "waterfall") and it showed that the Dacians already knew of the thermal springs of the area. Another opinion that the name came from the Hungarian name of the Geoagiu River (''Gyógy''), which means "curative". But more probably, the name is coming from the Hungarian word ''dió'' (nut as fruit) with the suffix -d, so, after the first documentary citation, "villa Gyog" from 1291 appeared as Dyod és Dyog (1397), Aldyogh (1407), Algyogh (1412), Aldyod (1439), Alsodyod alio nomine Alsoffalwa (around 1444). The first documentary citation of Geoagiu (it was written as "villa Gyog") was in the year 1291, when it was used as a land in the vicinity of ''Bintinti'' (now the village ''Aurel Vlaicu''). At the 2011 census, 89.7% of inhabitants were

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

, 8.81% Roma and 0.71%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

. There are remains of the old Roman way made of plate stones from Geoagiu to Geoagiu Băi. The city days are on August 14–17.

Natives

* Ion Budai-Deleanu *

Aurel Vlaicu Aurel Vlaicu (; 19 November 1882 – 13 September 1913) was a Romanian engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot.Gheorghiu, 1960 Early years and education Aurel Vlaicu was born in the village of Binținți in Transylvania, Aust ...

References

Towns in Romania Populated places in Hunedoara County Spa towns in Romania Dacian towns Localities in Transylvania {{Hunedoara-geo-stub

History

Natives

See also

References