Pecica (; hu, Pécska; german: Petschka; sr, Печка/''Pečka'') is a town in

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( judeţ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

, Romania. In ancient times it was a Dacian fortress called

Ziridava Ziridava (''Ziridaua'', grc, italic=yes, Ζιρίδαυα) was a Dacian town located between Apulon and Tibiscum, mentioned by Ptolemy in the area of the Dacian tribe of Biephi (today's Romania, Banat region). Ancient sources Ptolemy's '' ...

and today it is an important archeological site.Barbara Ann Kipfer, ''Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology'', p.428. Springer, 2000, Situated at from Arad, it was declared a town in 2004. Its administrative territory extends into the Arad Plateau. The town administers three villages: Bodrogu Vechi (''Óbodrog''), Sederhat (''Szederhát'') and Turnu (''Tornya'').

Population

According to the census of 2011 the population of the town counts 12,762 inhabitants. The ethnic composition is as follows: 62.2% Romanians, 28% Hungarians, 8.4% Roma, 0.33% Slovaks, 0.36% Serbs and 0.7% are of other or undeclared nationalities.

History

Due to the abundance of archaeological finds of the zone an important historic period known as the Periam-Pecica culture was named after the settlement. The history of the localities Pecica, Bodrogu Vechi, Sederhat and Turnu is closely connected with the events making highly memorable the entire zone of the Arad Plateau. PecicaCulCntr

The first mention in documents of the locality dates back to 1335 when it was known as Petk. Sederhat was registered only in 1913, Turnu in 1333 under the name of Mok, while Bodrogu Vechi in 1422 under the name of Bodruch. It has a complex political history with periods of Ottoman rule, periods of Habsburg monarchy, Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Romania. After the

Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

, it became part of the Kingdom of Hungary within

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 1 ...

up until the Treaty of Trianon. Since then the town has been part of Romania.

Economy

Although the economy of the town is prevalent agricultural, the secondary and tertiary economic sectors have also developed recently. Besides agriculture, the industry of petrol and rock-gas is also well represented. The initiation of the frontier crossing point at Turnu and the trimming of the thermal water springs should be the most important chances for the economic development of the town.

Tourism

Tourist attractions include the Roman Catholic Church, the Pecica Cultural Center and the "Lunca Mureșului" park.

Notable residents

* Kuno von Klebelsberg (1875–1932), Hungarian politician, minister of interior and minister of culture * Roman Ciorogariu (1852–1936), Romanian Romanian Orthodox bishop, journalist and educator * Marius Cihărean (born 1975), Romanian weightlifter * Mircea Petescu (1943–2018), Romanian footballer and coach

Sister cities

* Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium * Battonya, Hungary

References

External links

Official Portal of Pecica - Overview, including history

Pecica Historical Data at Arad County Council

Pecica Tourism and Historical Data at Arad County Council
{{LocalitiesArad Populated places in Arad County Towns in Romania Archaeological sites in Romania Hungary–Romania border crossings Localities in Crișana