Satu Mare (; hu, Szatmárnémeti ; german: Sathmar; yi, סאטמאר or ) is a city with a population of 102,400 (2011). It is the capital of

Satu Mare County Satu Mare County ( ro, Județul Satu Mare, ) is a county (județ) of Romania, on the border with Hungary and Ukraine. The capital city is Satu Mare. Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szatmár megye'', in German as ''Kreis Sathmar'', in Ukrain ...

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

, as well as the centre of the Satu Mare metropolitan area. It lies in the region of

Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpathians, alon ...

, broadly part 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 ...

. Mentioned in the ''

Gesta Hungarorum ''Gesta Hungarorum'', or ''The Deeds of the Hungarians'', is the earliest book about Hungarian history which has survived for posterity. Its genre is not chronicle, but ''gesta'', meaning "deeds" or "acts", which is a medieval entertaining li ...

'' as ("Zotmar's fort"), the city has a history going back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Today, it is an academic, cultural, industrial, and business centre in the

Nord-Vest Nord-Vest () is a development region in Romania, created in 1998. As other development regions, it does not have any administrative powers, its main function being to co-ordinate regional development projects and manage funds from the European Uni ...

development region.

Geography

Satu Mare is situated in

, in northwest Romania, on the river

Someș The Someș (; hu, Szamos; german: Somesch or ''Samosch'') is a left tributary of the Tisza in Hungary and Romania. It has a length of (including its source river Someșul Mare), of which 50 km are in Hungary.Lower Someș alluvial plain, spreading out from the Administrative Palace at 25 October Square. The boundaries of the municipality contain an area of . From a geomorphologic point of view, the city is located on the Someș Meadow on both sides of the river, which narrows in the vicinity of the city and widens upstream and

downstream Downstream may refer to: * Downstream (bioprocess) * Downstream (manufacturing) * Downstream (networking) * Downstream (software development) * Downstream (petroleum industry) * Upstream and downstream (DNA), determining relative positions on DNA ...

from it; flooded during heavy rainfall, the field has various geographical configurations at the edge of the city (sand banks, valleys, micro-depressions). The formation of the current terrain of the city, dating from the late

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

period, is linked to the clogging of the

Pannonian Sea The Pannonian Sea was a shallow ancient lake, where the Pannonian Basin in Central Europe is now. The Pannonian Sea existed from about 10 Ma (million years ago) until 1 Ma, during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, when marine sediments were dep ...

. Layers of soil were created from deposits of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

, loess and gravel, and generally have a thickness of –. Over this base, decaying vegetation gave rise to

podsol In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of hum ...

ic soils, which led to favorable conditions for crops ( cereals,

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

fruit tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, t ...

s). The water network around Satu Mare is composed of the Someș River, Pârâul Sar in the north and the Homorod River in the south. The formation and evolution of the city was closely related to the Someș River, which, in addition to allowing for the settlement of a human community around it, has offered, since the early

, the possibility of international trade with coastal regions, a practice that favored milling,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and other economic activities. Because the land slopes gently around the city, the Someș River has created numerous branches and

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ba ...

s (before 1777, in the perimeter of the city there were 25 meanders

and 14 upstream). After systematisation works in 1777, the number of meanders in the city dropped to 9

and 5 upstream, the total length of the river now being at within the city. Systematisation performed up to the mid-19th century configured the existing Someș riverbed; embankments were built long on the right bank and on the left. In 1970, the embankments were raised by –, protecting 52,000 hectares within the city limits and restoring nearly 800 ha of agricultural land that had previously been flooded.

Flora and fauna

The flora associated with the town of Satu Mare is characteristic for the meadow area with trees of soft essence like wicker, indigenous poplar,

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

and hazelnut. Grassland vegetation is represented by ''

Agrostis stolonifera ''Agrostis stolonifera'' (creeping bentgrass, creeping bent, fiorin, spreading bent or carpet bentgrass) is a perennial grass species in the family Poaceae. Description ''Agrostis stolonifera'' is stoloniferous and may form mats or tufts. The ...

'', ''

Poa trivialis ''Poa trivialis'' (rough bluegrass; ''UK:'' rough-stalked meadow-grass or rough meadow-grass), is a perennial plant regarded in the US as an ornamental plant. It is part of the grass family. Description It is very common in meadows and pastur ...

'', ''

Alopecurus pratensis ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

'' and other types of vegetation. The city's largest park, the Garden of Rome, features some rare trees that are uncommon to the area, including the

pagoda tree ''Styphnolobium japonicum'', the Japanese pagoda tree (also known as the Chinese scholar tree and pagoda tree; syn. ''Sophora japonica'') is a species of tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It was formerly included with ...

, native to East Asia (especially China); ''

Pterocarya ''Pterocarya'', often called wingnuts in English, are trees in the walnut family Juglandaceae. They are native to Asia. The botanic name is from Ancient Greek (''pteron'') "wing" + (''karyon'') " nut". Description ''Pterocarya'' are deciduous ...

'', also native to Asia; and ''

Paulownia tomentosa ''Paulownia tomentosa'', common names princess tree, empress tree, or foxglove-tree, is a deciduous hardwood tree in the family Paulowniaceae, native to central and western China. It is an extremely fast-growing tree with seeds that disperse rea ...

'', native to central and western China. Fauna is represented by species of rodents (

hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The ...

and

european ground squirrel The European ground squirrel (''Spermophilus citellus''), also known as the European souslik, is a species from the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It is among the few European species in the genus '' Spermophilus''. Like all squirrels, it is a memb ...

), reptiles, including ''

Vipera berus ''Vipera berus'', the common European adderMallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . or common European viper,Stidworthy J. (1974). ...

'' in the Noroieni forest, and as avifauna species of

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

s, during passages and systematic occasional wanderings.

Climate

Satu Mare has a continental climate, characterised by hot dry summers and cold winters. As the city is in the far north of the country, winter is much colder than the national average, with minimum temperatures reaching , lower than values recorded in other cities in western Romania like Oradea () or

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

(). The average annual temperature is , or broken down by seasons:

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

, summer , autumn and

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

. Atmospheric humidity is quite high. Prevailing wind currents blow in from the northwest, bringing spring and summer rainfall. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate).

Name

The Hungarian name of the town ''Szatmár'' is believed to come from the personal name ''Zotmar'', as the 13th-century ''

'' gives the name of the 10th-century fortified settlement at the site of today's Satu Mare as ("Zotmar's fort"). The name ''Satu Mare'', which means "great village" in Romanian, was used for the first time by the priest Moise Sora Novac in the 19th century. An older Romanian name, ''Sătmar'', was formally replaced by the current one in 1925.

History

Archaeological evidence from

Țara Oașului ''Ţara'' ( en, The Country) was a magazine from the Republic of Moldova founded on August 15, 1990 as a newspaper of the Popular Front of Moldova The Popular Front of Moldova ( ro, Frontul Popular din Moldova) was a political movement in the M ...

, Ardud,

Medieșu Aurit Medieșu Aurit ( hu, Aranyosmeggyes ) is a commune of 7,299 residents in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: The commune is located on the right bank of the Someș River, in the eastern part of the county, at a distance ...

, Homoroade, etc. clearly shows settlements in the area dating to the Stone Age and the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. There is also evidence that the local Dacian population remained there after the Roman conquest in 101/106 AD. Later, these lands may have formed part of

Menumorut Menumorut or Menumorout (Modern hu, Ménmarót) was the ruler of the lands between the rivers Mureș, Someș and Tisza at the time of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin around 900, according to the ''Gesta Hungarorum'', a Hungarian ...

's holdings; one of the important defensive fortresses – , dating to the 10th century – was at Satu Mare, as mentioned in the ''

''. After

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the ...

created the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

in the year 1000, German colonists were settled at the periphery of the city (''Villa Zotmar''), brought in by Stephen's wife, the Bavarian princess

Gisela of Hungary Gisela of Hungary (or Gisele, Gizella and of Bavaria; 985 – 7 May 1065) was the first queen consort of Hungary by marriage to Stephen I of Hungary, and the sister of Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor. She has been beatified by the Catholic Church. ...

. Later, they were joined by more German colonists from beyond the

Someș River The Someș (; hu, Szamos; german: Somesch or ''Samosch'') is a left tributary of the Tisza in Hungary and Romania. It has a length of (including its source river Someșul Mare), of which 50 km are in Hungary. A

royal free city Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és városok Magy ...

since the 13th century, Satu Mare changed hands several times in the 15th century until the Báthory family took possession of the citadel in 1526, proceeding to divert the Someș's waters in order to defend the southern part of the citadel; thus, the fortress remained on an island linked to the main roads by three bridges over the Someș. In 1562 the citadel was besieged by Ottoman armies led by Pargalı İbrahim Pasha of Buda and Maleoci Pasha of

. Then the Habsburgs besieged it, leading the fleeing

n armies to set it on fire. The Austrian general Lazar Schwendi ordered the citadel to be rebuilt after the plans of Italian architect Ottavio Baldigara; using an Italian system of fortifications, the new structure would be pentagonal with five towers. After a period when it changed hands, the town came under Ottoman control in 1661. Called ''Sokmar'' by the new authorities, it was a

kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

center within the Şenköy

sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...

Varat Eyalet Varat Eyalet (also known as Pashaluk of Varat or Province of Varat; ota, ایالت وارد; Eyālet-i Vārad) was an administrative territorial entity of the Ottoman Empire formed in 1660. Varat Eyalet bordered Ottoman Budin Eyalet in the west, ...

. This status held until 1691, when the army of the Habsburgs expelled the Ottomans during the Great Turkish War. In the Middle Ages, Satu Mare and Mintiu were two distinct entities. The two settlements, then called "Szatmár" and "Németi", were united in 1715, and the resulting city was named "Szatmár-Németi". On 2 January 1721, Emperor Charles VI recognised the union, at the same time granting Satu Mare the status of

. A decade earlier, the

Treaty of Szatmár The Treaty of Szatmár (or the Peace of Szatmár) was a peace treaty concluded at Szatmár (present-day Satu Mare, Romania) on 29 April 1711 between the House of Habsburg emperor Charles VI, the Hungarian estates and the Kuruc rebels. It formal ...

was signed in the city, ending Rákóczi's War for Independence. The city's importance was linked to the transportation and commerce of salt from nearby Ocna Dejului ( hu, Désakna, german: Salzdorf), possibly already at a very early date. Due to the economic and commercial benefits it began to receive in the 13th century, Satu Mare became an important centre for craft guilds. In the 18th century, intense urbanisation began; several buildings survive from that period, including the old city hall, the inn, a barracks, the

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

church and the Reformed church. A

Roman Catholic diocese As of October 5, 2021, the Catholic Church in its entirety comprises 3,171 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including over 652 archdioceses and 2,248 dioceses, as well as apostolic vicariates, apostolic exarchates, apostolic administrations, ap ...

was established there in 1804. In 1823, the city's systematization commission was established in order to direct its local government. In 1844, paving operations begun in 1805 were stepped up. The first industrial concerns also opened, including the steam mill, the brick factory, the Neuschloss Factory for wood products, the lumber factory, the Princz Factory and the Unio Factory. Due to its location at the intersection of commercial roads, Szatmárnémeti became an important rail hub. The line to Nagykároly (

Carei Carei (; , ; /, yi, , ) is a city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești ( hu, Szentjánosmajor). History The first mention of the city under the name of "Karul ...

) was built in 1871, followed in 1872 by a line to Máramarossziget (

Sighetu Marmației Sighetu Marmației (, also spelled ''Sighetul Marmației''; german: Marmaroschsiget or ''Siget''; hu, Máramarossziget, ; uk, Сигіт, Syhit; yi, סיגעט, Siget), until 1960 Sighet, is a city (municipality) in Maramureș County near the ...

) line, an 1894 link to Nagybánya (

Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramur ...

), 1900 to Erdőd ( Ardud) and 1906 to Bikszád ( Bixad). Since the second half of the 19th century, it underwent important economic and socio-cultural changes. The city's large companies (the Unio wagon factory, the Princz Factory, the Ardeleana textile enterprise, the Freund petroleum refinery, the brick factory and the furniture factory) prospered in this period, and the city invested heavily in communication lines, schools, hospitals, public works and public parks. The banking and commerce system also developed: in 1929 the

chamber of commerce and industry A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

, as well as the commodities stock market were established, with 25 commercial enterprises and 75 industrial and production firms as members. In 1930 there were 33 banks. After the collapse of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Romanian troops captured the town during their offensive launched on April 15, 1919. By the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...

, Satu Mare officially ceased to be part of Hungary becoming part of

. In 1940, the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all o ...

gave back Northern Transylvania, including Satu Mare, to Hungary. In October 1944, the city was captured by the

Soviet Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. After 1945, the city became again part of Romania. Soon afterwards, a

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 ...

came to power, lasting until the 1989 revolution.

Jewish community

The presence of Jews in

is first mentioned in the late 16th century. In the 17th century, prince

Gabriel Bethlen Gabriel Bethlen ( hu, Bethlen Gábor; 15 November 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of th ...

permitted

Sephardi Jews Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

from Turkey to settle in the Transylvanian capital Gyulafehérvár (

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historica ...

), in 1623. In the early 18th century, Jews were allowed to settle in Sathmar. Some of them became involved in large-scale agriculture, becoming landlords or lessees, or were active in trade and industry, or distilled brandy and leased taverns on crown estates. In 1715, when Sathmar became a royal town, they were expelled, beginning to resettle in the 1820s. In 1841, several Jews obtained the permission to settle permanently in Sathmar; the first Jewish community was formally established in 1849, and in 1857, a synagogue was built. After a great number of traditional Ashkenazic Jews had settled in the town, the Jewish community split in 1898, when a supporter of the

Hasidic movement Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...

was elected chief rabbi, into an Orthodox and a Status Quo community, led by a

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

rabbi, which erected a synagogue in 1904. In the 1920s, there were several Zionist organizations in Satu Mare, and the yeshiva, one of the largest in the region, was attended by 400 students. In 1930, the city had five large synagogues and about 20

shtiebel A shtiebel ( ''shtibl'', pl. ''shtiblekh'' or shtiebels, meaning "little house" or "little room" cognate with German Stübel) is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached ...

s. In 1928, a conflict within the Orthodox community broke out over the election of a new chief rabbi, lasting six years and ending in 1934 with the appointment of the Hasidic rabbi

Joel Teitelbaum Joel Teitelbaum ( yi, יואל טייטלבוים, translit=Yoyl Teytlboym, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty. A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a ...

, a traditionalist and anti-Zionist, who later re-founded the

Satmar Satmar (Yiddish: סאַטמאַר, Hebrew: סאטמר) is a Hasidic group founded in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum, in the city of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary (now Satu Mare in Romania). The group is an offshoot of the Sighet Hasidic dynasty ...

Hasidic dynasty in Williamsburg, New York. Another Hasidic rabbi,

Aharon Roth Aharon Roth or Aaron Rote ( he, אהרן ראטה) known as Reb Arele (1894−1947), was a Hungarian Hasidic rebbe and Talmudic scholar. He first established a Hasidic community he called Shomer Emunim (Guardian of Faith) in the 1920s in Satu Mar ...

, the founder of the Shomrei Emunim and Toldot Aharon communities in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, was also active in Satu Mare. After Satu Mare became part of Hungary again in 1940, the civil rights and economic activities of the Jews were restricted, and in summer 1941, "foreign" Jews were deported to

Kamenets-Podolski Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

, where they were murdered by Hungarian and German troops. In 1944, the Jewish population was forced into the

Satu Mare ghetto The Satu Mare ghetto was one of the Nazi-era ghettos for European Jews during World War II. It was located in the city of Satu Mare ( hu, Szatmárnémeti) in Satu Mare County, Transylvania, now part of Romania, but administered as part of Szatmár ...

; the majority of men were sent to forced labor battalions, and the others were deported to the extermination camps in Poland, where the majority of them were murdered by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

. Six trains left Satu Mare for Auschwitz-Birkenau, starting on May 19, 1944, each carrying approximately 3300 persons. The trains passed through Kassa ( Košice) on May 19, 22, 26, 29, 30, and June 1. In total, 18,863 Jews were deported from Satu Mare,

and the surrounding localities. Of these, 14,440 were killed. Only a small number of the survivors returned to Satu Mare after the war, but a number of Jews belonging to linguistically and culturally different groups from all parts of Romania settled in the city. The majority of them later

emigrated to Israel Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

. By 1970, the town's Jewish population numbered 500, and in 2011, only 34 Jews remained. In 2004, a Holocaust memorial was dedicated in the Decebal Street Synagogue's courtyard. Aside from the synagogues, two Jewish cemeteries also remain. Among the notable members of the local Jewish community have been historian

Ignác Acsády Ignác Acsády (September 9, 1845 – December 17, 1906) was a Jewish-Hungarian historian, journalist, and fiction writer. Life Acsády was born on September 9, 1845 in Nagykároly, Hungary. His last name was originally Adler until he changed it ...

, parliamentary deputies Ferenc Chorin and Kelemen Samu, politician

Oszkár Jászi Oszkár Jászi (born Oszkár Jakobuvits; 2 March 1875 – 13 February 1957), also known in English as Oscar Jászi, was a Hungarian social scientist, historian, and politician. Early life Oszkár Jászi was born in Nagykároly on March 2, 187 ...

, writers Gyula Csehi,

Rodion Markovits Rodion Markovits (; or Markovitz, born Markovits Jakab ;"Markovits Rodion"

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Sándor Dénes Sándor is a Hungarian given name and surname. It is the Hungarian form of Alexander. It may refer to: People Given name * Sándor Apponyi (1844–1925) was a Hungarian diplomat, bibliophile, bibliographer and great book collector * Sándor B ...
, and
Ernő Szép Ernő or Erno is a Finnish and Hungarian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernő Balogh (1897-1989), Hungarian pianist, composer, editor, and educator * Ernő Bánk (1883-1962), Hungarian painter and teacher * Ernő B� ...
, painter Pál Erdös (painter), Pál Erdös, Jacob Reinitz and director György Harag.

Demographics
The population of Satu Mare is decreasing by an average of 0.78% per year due to migration. According to the 2011 Romanian census, Satu Mare had a population of 102,441, making it the 20th largest city in Romania. , the ethnic makeup was as follows: * Romanians: 55,904 (58.9%) * Hungarians: 35,723 (37.6%) * Romani people, Roma: 1,278 (1.3%) * Germans of Romania, Germans (Satu Mare Swabians, Swabians): 1,002 (1.1%) * Ukrainians: 164 (0.2%) * Others or undeclared: 877 (0.9%) No religious group can claim a majority in Satu Mare, but , there was a plurality of Romanian Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox believers (48.9%). Other important communities are Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic (19.8%), Reformed (19.3%), Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic, Greek-Catholic (8.0%), and Pentecostal Union of Romania, Pentecostal (1.5%).

Politics

Administration
The city government is headed by a mayor. 2016 Romanian local elections, Since 2016, the office is held by Gábor Kereskényi. Decisions are approved and discussed by the Local government, local council made up of 23 elected councillors. The city is divided into List of Satu Mare districts, 12 districts laid out radially. One of these, Sătmărel (''Szatmárzsadány''), is a separate village administered by the city. Additionally, as Satu Mare is the capital of
Satu Mare County Satu Mare County ( ro, Județul Satu Mare, ) is a county (județ) of Romania, on the border with Hungary and Ukraine. The capital city is Satu Mare. Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szatmár megye'', in German as ''Kreis Sathmar'', in Ukrain ...
, the city hosts the palace of the prefecture, the headquarters of the county council and the Prefect (Romania), prefect, who is appointed by Romania's central government. Like all other local councils in Romania, the Satu Mare local council, the county council and the city's mayor are elected every four years by the population. The city is at the center of the Satu Mare metropolitan area, Metropolitan areas in Romania, a metropolitan area established in 2013, with a population of 243,600, and which includes 26 cities, towns and communes. The Satu Mare City Council, elected at the 2020 Romanian local elections, 2020 local elections, is composed of the following parties: The city day is 14 May, which commemorates the 1970 floods in Romania, devastating floods that affected the city in 1970, although it is also a day of rebirth.

Justice system
Satu Mare has a complex judicial organisation, as a consequence of its status of Satu Mare County, county capital. The Satu Mare Court of Justice is the local judicial institution and is under the purview of the Satu Mare County Tribunal, which also exerts its jurisdiction over the courts of
Carei Carei (; , ; /, yi, , ) is a city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești ( hu, Szentjánosmajor). History The first mention of the city under the name of "Karul ...
, Ardud, Negrești-Oaș, Tășnad and Livada, Satu Mare, Livada. Appeals from these tribunals' verdicts, and more serious cases, are directed to the Oradea Court of Appeals. Satu Mare also hosts the county's commercial and military tribunals. Satu Mare has its own municipal police force, ''Poliția Municipiului Satu Mare'', which is responsible for policing of crime within the whole city, and operates a number of special divisions. The Satu Mare Police are headquartered on Mihai Viteazul Street in the city centre (with a number of precincts throughout the city) and is subordinated to the county's Romanian Police, police inspectorate on Alexandru Iioan Cuza Street. City Hall has its own community police force, ''Poliția Comunitară'' located on Universului Alley, dealing with local community issues. Satu Mare also houses the county's Jandarmeria Română, gendarmerie inspectorate.

Transport

Road
Satu Mare has a complex system of transportation, providing road, air and rail connections to major cities in Romania and Europe. The city is an important road and rail hub located near the borders with Hungary and Ukraine. The city is connected to other major Romanian cities by road ( European route E81, European route E671 and European route E58) and by rail (Căile Ferate Române Line 400, CFR Main Line 400). The total number of automobiles registered in Satu Mare was 82,000 in 2008. The city has around 400 streets with a total length of and cover an area of .

Railway
Satu Mare railway station, Satu Mare Rail Station, located about north of the city centre, is situated on the Căile Ferate Române Line 400 (Brașov – Siculeni – Deda, Mureș, Deda – Dej –
Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramur ...
), on Line 402 ( Oradea – Săcueni –
Carei Carei (; , ; /, yi, , ) is a city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești ( hu, Szentjánosmajor). History The first mention of the city under the name of "Karul ...
– Satu Mare – Halmeu) and on Line 417 (Satu Mare – Bixad). CFR provides direct rail connections to all the major Romanian cities and to Budapest. The city is also served by another secondary rail station, the ''Saw Station'' (''Gara Ferăstrău'').

Public transport
The main public transportation system in Satu Mare consists of bus lines. There are twenty-three urban and suburban lines with a total length of , the main operator being Transurban S.A. In addition, there are various taxi companies serving the city. It is worth mentioning that Satu Mare had a trolleybus system in the past, created on the 15th of November 1994 but has bee
closed in 2005

Airport
The city is served by the Satu Mare International Airport , located south of the city, with a concrete runway, one of the longest in Romania, with TAROM and Wizz Air operating regular flights to Bucharest, London and Antalya (seasonal only).

Sports
Association football, Football (soccer) is the most popular recreational sport in Satu Mare. There are two major football clubs in Satu Mare: FC Olimpia Satu Mare, Olimpia and Someșul Satu Mare, Someșul Oar. There are two football stadiums in Satu Mare: Stadionul Olimpia with 18,000 seats and Someșul Stadium with 3,000 seats. Other popular recreational activities include fencing, Team handball, handball, bowling, women's basketball, karate and chess. The local women's basketball team CSM Satu Mare (basketball), CSM Satu Mare is one of the best in the Romanian league; it finished third in the 2008/2009 season playoffs. The team plays its home matches in the largest Arena, indoor arena in the city, the LPS Arena, which has a capacity of 400 seats. The Cyprus, Cypriot professional tennis player Marcos Baghdatis was brought to Satu Mare in 1998 for a month and a half by his former coach Jean Dobrescu to train and to participate in local tennis competitions alongside his fellow Cyprus Davis Cup team, Davis Cup team member, Rareș Cuzdriorean, who is also a Satu Mare native with Cypriot citizenship.

Fencing
Satu Mare has a tradition in fencing dating to 1885, and is the city that has supplied the most world and Olympic champions in Europe. Names like Ecaterina Stahl, Marcela Moldovan, Suzana Ardeleanu, Suzana and Ștefan Ardeleanu, Petru Kuki, Rudolf Luczki, Samuilă Melczhner, Geza Tere and in particular Alexandru Csipler figure prominently in the annals of Romanian fencing. The last four also formed the core of the city's fencing school, winning major local and international tournaments. Top results for which there is evidence date to 1935, when the local Foil (fencing), foil team, Olimpia Satu Mare, lost against CFR Timișoara by a score of 15–10 in the national final, while Rudolf Luczki won the Sabre (fencing), sabre finals held in Cluj-Napoca. In 1973, the first signaling device in Romania was used in Satu Mare; this has been characterised as "a veritable revolution" for Romanian fencing.

Economy
Satu Mare benefits from its proximity to the borders with Hungary and Ukraine, which makes it a prime location for logistical and industrial parks. Companies that have established production facilities in Satu Mare are Voestalpine, Dräxlmaier Group, Gotec Group, Anvis Group, Schlemmer Group, Schlemmer, Casco Schützhelme and Zollner, Zollner Elektronik in the industrial sector; FrieslandCampina in the food sector; Radici Group in the textile sector; and Saint-Gobain and Boissigny in the wood industry. Currently the largest private employer in Satu Mare is the German automotive company Dräxlmaier Group which owns since 1998 an electric engine components factory in the city and has around 3,600 employees. The factory supplies automotive wiring especially to the German car manufacturer Daimler AG but it also supplied wiring to another car manufacturer Porsche for its Porsche Panamera model. The Sweden, Swedish company Electrolux owns a kitchen stove factory in the city acquired in 1997, that has a surface area of and 1,800 employees. The facility has an annual production capacity of around 1.2 million units and the majority of the Zanussi brand kitchen stoves in Europe are manufactured there. The Austrian company Voestalpine owns, since 2004, a steel tubes production facility with an annual capacity of 50 million units per year. The German company Arcandor has its main Romanian office established in Satu Mare. The subsidiary, accounting for the region formed by Romania and Hungary, is the most important among the 16 subsidiaries in Europe in terms of the percentage of sales through online orders having in 2008 total orders of €19.3 million. The company also owns a logistic facility and a call center in the city. Satu Mare's retail sector is fairly well-developed; a number of international companies such as Carrefour, Auchan, Kaufland, Metro Cash and Carry, Metro Point, Lidl and Penny Market have supermarkets or hypermarkets in the city. There is also a regional mall, Shopping City Satu Mare, with a gross leasable area (GLA) of , DIY stores (Dedeman, Brico Dépôt), and several other shopping centers: Grand Mall, Satu Mare, Grand Mall of , Plaza Europa of and Someșul Mall, of . There is also an industrial park called Satu Mare Industrial Park located at the edge of the city on a 70 Hectare, ha surface.

Education

Universities
Satu Mare is home to the Commercial Academy of Satu Mare and several other branches of important Romanian universities: * Babeș-Bolyai University * Spiru Haret University * Technical University of Cluj-Napoca * University of Oradea * Vasile Goldiș West University of Arad

High schools
Satu Mare has 16 high schools, of which four are national colleges: * Doamna Stanca National College (Satu Mare), Doamna Stanca National College * Ioan Slavici National College * Kölcsey Ferenc National College * Mihai Eminescu National College (Satu Mare), Mihai Eminescu National College

Gymnasiums
The city has 16 Gymnasium (school), gymnasiums, with the most important being: * The Grigore Moisil Gymnasium (), founded in 1903 and named after the mathematician Grigore Moisil. * The Ion Creangă Gymnasium (), founded in 1990 and named after the writer Ion Creangă. * The Lucian Blaga Gymnasium (), founded in 1996 by Ioan Viman and named after the philosopher and writer Lucian Blaga.

Culture
Satu Mare has a county museum, an art museum, and a theatre, the North Theatre (Satu Mare), North Theatre, built in 1889 which has both a Hungarian and a Romanian section. Concerts are given by the “Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic”, formerly the state symphonic orchestra of Satu Mare, in a concert hall in a wing of the Dacia Hotel. The county library had 320.000 books in 1997, including a special bibliophile collections of over 70.000 volumes.

Tourism
Major tourists attractions are: * the Administrative Palace, at , one of the List of tallest buildings in Romania, tallest buildings in Romania * the Capitoline Wolf statue * the Satu Mare Chain Church, Chain Church * the Dacia Hotel * the Satu Mare Synagogue, Decebal Street Synagogue * the Firemen's Tower (Satu Mare), Firemen's Tower, a tall tower * the Garden of Rome * the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Cathedral There are several hotels in the city: four 4-star hotels – Hotel Poesis, Villa Bodi, Satu-Mare City and Villa Class; eleven 3-star hotels – Astoria Hotel, Satu Mare, Astoria, Leon, Villa Lux, Dacia Hotel, Dacia, Aurora, Dana I, Dana II, Select, Rania, Melody and Belvedere; and one 2-star hotel – Sport.

Media

Newspapers
* ''Informația Zilei'' – daily local newspaper * ''Gazeta de Nord-Vest'' – daily local newspaper * ''Cronica Sătmăreană'' – daily local newspaper * ''Friss Újság'' – daily local newspaper in Hungarian language * ''Szatmári Magyar Hírlap'' – daily local newspaper in Hungarian language

TV stations
* TV1 Satu Mare * Nord Vest TV * Pro TV, Pro TV Satu Mare * Informația TV

Radio stations
* Radio City Satu Mare * Radio Unu * Radio Transilvania * Radio ZU * Kiss FM (Romania), Kiss FM Satu Mare

Online portal
* ''Satu Mare Online'' * ''Sătmăreanul''

Consulates
* Honorary Consulate of Ukraine

Natives
;Romania * Ioana Boitor * Gavril Both * Ciprian Brata * Vlad Bujor * Corina (Romanian singer), Corina Ciorbă * Cosmin Costinaș * Daniel David * Mircea Florian (musician), Mircea Florian * Florin Gardoș * Gábor Gerstenmájer * Emanuel Gyenes * Alexandru Karikaș * Simona Miculescu * Dorel Moiș * Ioan Mircea Pașcu * Vasile Paulovics * Ciprian Prodan * Daniel Prodan * Zoltan Ritli * Ovidiu Ioan Silaghi * Sergiu Suciu * Josef Szepeschy * Dan Zaviceanu * Ervin Zsiga ;Hungary * Dániel Antal * Árpád Árvay * Antal Bánhidi * László Bánhidi * László Botka * Gábor Darvas * Arányi Dezső * András Domahidy * Jenő Dsida * Mónika Esztán * Zoltán Horváth (basketball), Zoltán Horváth * József Kürthy * Gyula Lengyel * Noémi Matsutani * Vince Nagy * György Nyisztor * Richárd Osváth * Zoltán Pánczél * Moshe Dovid Winternitz ;Germany * Zita-Eva Funkenhauser * Monika Weber-Koszto * Rita König * Susanne König ;Canada * Corneliu Chisu * Ernest Klein ;USA * Ernie Grunfeld * Yoel Levi ;Cyprus * Rareș Cuzdriorean ;Israel * Miriam Fried

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities
Satu Mare is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Zutphen, Netherlands, since 1970 * Wolfenbüttel, Germany, since 1974 * Nyíregyháza, Hungary, since 2000 * Berehove, Ukraine, since 2007 * Rzeszów, Poland, since 2007

Gallery
File:Cladire Strada Stefan cel Mare nr. 1 Satu Mare.JPG, Stephen the Great street File:Biserica SM.jpg, Catholic Church, Roman Catholic cathedral File:Satu Mare Chains Church.JPG, Satu Mare Chain Church, Chain Church File:Satu Mare Greek Catholic Cathedral 5.JPG, SS. Michael and Gabriel Cathedral, Satu Mare, SS. Michael and Gabriel Cathedral File:SM8.jpg, Satu Mare Synagogue File:Hotel Dacia, Satu Mare Romania detail 1.JPG, Hotel Dacia, detail

See also
* Satmar (Hasidic dynasty), a Jewish religious group named after this city * List of companies based in Satu Mare * List of natives and inhabitants of Satu Mare

References

External links

Official websites

Satu Mare administration official site

Satu Mare County Prefecture

Satu Mare Municipal Council

Transurban (Public Transport Company) official site

Satu Mare International Airport

Unofficial websites

Satu Mare Online

Satu-Mare.com

Szatmar.ro

Other
* {{Authority control Satu Mare, Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Satmar (Hasidic dynasty) Populated places in Satu Mare County Historic Jewish communities

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