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 ...

Satu Mare metropolitan area The Satu Mare Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area of Romania founded on April 26, 2013 around Satu Mare, the capital city of Satu Mare County. It has a population of 233,306 and, besides Satu Mare, it includes four cities and towns (Carei, ...

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 ...

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 a ...

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 Upstream may refer to: * Upstream (bioprocess) * ''Upstream'' (film), a 1927 film by John Ford * Upstream (networking) * ''Upstream'' (newspaper), a newspaper covering the oil and gas industry * Upstream (petroleum industry) * Upstream (software ...

and downstream 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 of s ...

,

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

, 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 huma ...

ic soils, which led to favorable conditions for crops (

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

s,

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, ...

s, fruit trees). 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

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 a ...

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

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using rota ...

,

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 bank ...

s (before 1777, in the perimeter of the city there were 25 meanders downstream and 14

upstream Upstream may refer to: * Upstream (bioprocess) * ''Upstream'' (film), a 1927 film by John Ford * Upstream (networking) * ''Upstream'' (newspaper), a newspaper covering the oil and gas industry * Upstream (petroleum industry) * Upstream (software ...

). After systematisation works in 1777, the number of meanders in the city dropped to 9 downstream and 5

upstream Upstream may refer to: * Upstream (bioprocess) * ''Upstream'' (film), a 1927 film by John Ford * Upstream (networking) * ''Upstream'' (newspaper), a newspaper covering the oil and gas industry * Upstream (petroleum industry) * Upstream (software ...

, 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 Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

, 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 The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according t ...

. 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'', ''

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

'' and other types of vegetation. The city's largest park, the

Garden of Rome A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

, 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 withi ...

, native to East Asia (especially China); '' Pterocarya'', also native to Asia; and '' Paulownia tomentosa'', native to central and western China. Fauna is represented by species of rodents ( hamster and european ground squirrel), 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 t ...

s, geese,

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 Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

, 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 Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...

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

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

,

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

,

autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

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 cultures ...

. 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 An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

).

Name

The Hungarian name of the town ''Szatmár'' is believed to come from the personal name ''Zotmar'', as the 13th-century '' Gesta Hungarorum'' 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. Ţara was the successor of Deşteptarea. Ştefan Secăreanu was the editor in chief and Sergiu Bu ...

,

Ardud Ardud ( hu, Erdőd, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Erdeed) is a town situated in Satu Mare County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers five villages: Ardud-Vii (), Baba Novac (), Gerăușa (), Mădăras () and Sărătura (). History It has ...

, Medieșu Aurit,

Homoroade Homoroade ( hu, Középhomoród, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune of 2,600 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Eu ...

, etc. clearly shows settlements in the area dating to the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

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 pri ...

. 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's holdings; one of the important defensive fortresses – , dating to the 10th century – was at Satu Mare, as mentioned in the '' Gesta Hungarorum''. After Stephen I of Hungary 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. Later, they were joined by more German colonists from beyond the Someș River, in Mintiu. 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 Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

and Maleoci Pasha of Timișoara. Then the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

besieged it, leading the fleeing

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 ...

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 language, Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησι� ...

of Varat Eyalet. This status held until 1691, when the army of the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

expelled the Ottomans during the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...

. 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

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 ...

. 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 Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

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) 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 (Municipalities of Romania, municipality) in ...

) line, an 1894 link to Nagybánya ( Baia Mare), 1900 to Erdőd (

Ardud Ardud ( hu, Erdőd, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Erdeed) is a town situated in Satu Mare County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers five villages: Ardud-Vii (), Baba Novac (), Gerăușa (), Mădăras () and Sărătura (). History It has ...

) 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, 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...

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

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 ...

. In 1940, the Second Vienna Award gave back

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

, including Satu Mare, to Hungary. In October 1944, the city was captured by the Soviet Red Army. After 1945, the city became again part of Romania. Soon afterwards, a Communist regime came to power, lasting until the

1989 revolution The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...

.

Jewish community

The presence of Jews in

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 ...

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

from Turkey to settle in the Transylvanian capital Gyulafehérvár ( Alba Iulia), 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 A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

was built. After a great number of traditional

Ashkenazic Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

had settled in the town, the Jewish community split in 1898, when a supporter of the Hasidic movement 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 shtiebels. 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, a traditionalist and

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...

, 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 dynast ...

Hasidic dynasty A Hasidic dynasty is a dynasty led by Hasidic Jewish spiritual leaders known as rebbes, and usually has some or all of the following characteristics: * Each leader of the dynasty is often known as an ''ADMOR'' (abbreviation for '' ADoneinu MOreinu ...

in

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Another Hasidic rabbi, Aharon Roth, the founder of the Shomrei Emunim and

Toldot Aharon Toldos Aharon is a devout, insular, fervently anti-Zionism, anti-Zionist Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic group. The group is characterized by extreme conservatism and a desire to preserve the life of the old Yishuv in Jerusalem, in sharp opposition to Zi ...

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 Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...

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 Na ...

. Six trains left Satu Mare for

Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, starting on May 19, 1944, each carrying approximately 3300 persons. The trains passed through Kassa (

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...

) on May 19, 22, 26, 29, 30, and June 1. In total, 18,863 Jews were deported from Satu Mare, Carei 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. 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 Ferenc Chorin ( Arad 11 May 1842 – Budapest, 20 January 1925) was a Hungarian politician and a member of the National Assembly of Hungary. He was born in Arad, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (today in Romania) and descended from a ra ...

and

Kelemen Samu Kelemen may refer to: People *Attila Kelemen (1948–2022), ethnic Hungarian politician in Romania and Member of the European Parliament *Barnabás Kelemen (born 1978), Hungarian violinist * Dávid Kelemen (born 1992), Hungarian football player * ...

, 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, 1875 ...

, writers

Gyula Csehi Gyula may refer to: * Gyula (title), Hungarian title of the 9th–10th century * Gyula (name), Hungarian male given name, derived from the title ; People * Gyula II, the ''gyula'' who was baptized in Constantinople around 950 * Gyula III, the ''g ...

, Rodion Markovits,

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 Bol ...

, and Ernő Szép, painter Pál Erdös,

Jacob Reinitz Jacob Reinitz was a Jewish smuggler from Satu Mare who gained notoriety for murdering his Jewish business partners. Murders Reinitz was a Chassidic Jew from Satu Mare who lured multiple business partners including his neighbor Herman Gross to the ...

and director

György Harag György Harag (June 4, 1925, Marghita, Kingdom of Romania – July 7, 1985, Târgu Mureș, Socialist Republic of Romania) was a Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian Stage director, director and actor from Transylvania, Romania. Life Source: Ea ...

.

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 The 2011 Romanian census was a census held in Romania between 20 and 31 October 2011. It was performed by some 120,000 census takers in around 101,000 statistic sectors throughout the country established by the National Institute of Statistics (IN ...

, Satu Mare had a population of 102,441, making it the 20th largest city in Romania. , the ethnic makeup was as follows: *

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 ...

: 55,904 (58.9%) *

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 ...

: 35,723 (37.6%) *

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

: 1,278 (1.3%) *

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

(

Swabians Swabians (german: Schwaben, singular ''Schwabe'') are a Germanic people who are native to the ethnocultural and linguistic region of Swabia, which is now mostly divided between the modern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, in southwestern ...

): 1,002 (1.1%) *

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...

: 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 believers (48.9%). Other important communities are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

(19.8%),

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

(19.3%), Greek-Catholic (8.0%), and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

(1.5%).

Politics

Administration

The city government is headed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. Since 2016, the office is held by Gábor Kereskényi. Decisions are approved and discussed by the local council made up of 23 elected councillors. The city is divided into 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, the city hosts the palace of the prefecture, the headquarters of the

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

and the

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

, 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 The Satu Mare Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area of Romania founded on April 26, 2013 around Satu Mare, the capital city of Satu Mare County. It has a population of 233,306 and, besides Satu Mare, it includes four cities and towns (Carei, ...

, 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 local elections, is composed of the following parties: The city day is 14 May, which commemorates the 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

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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,

Ardud Ardud ( hu, Erdőd, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Erdeed) is a town situated in Satu Mare County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers five villages: Ardud-Vii (), Baba Novac (), Gerăușa (), Mădăras () and Sărătura (). History It has ...

,

Negrești-Oaș Negrești-Oaș (; hu, Avasfelsőfalu, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a town in northwestern Romania, in the county of Satu Mare. Two villages, Luna (''Lunaforrás'') and Tur (''Túrvékonya''), are administered by the town. The name ''Negrești' ...

, Tășnad and 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

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

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

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

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 ( Tabliczka E81

European route E81 European route E 81 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Constanța, Romania and ends in Mukachevo, Ukraine. The road is long. The road follows the route: Mukachevo – Halmeu – Satu Mare – Zalău – Cluj- ...

,

European route E671 European route E 671 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Timișoara, Timiș County, Romania and ends in Satu Mare. It is long. Route * ** : Timișoara–Arad, Romania, Arad ** : Arad–Oradea ** : Oradea–Sa ...

and

European route E58) and by rail ( 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 Rail Station, located about north of the city centre, is situated on the Căile Ferate Române Line 400 ( Brașov – Siculeni – Deda –

Dej Dej (; hu, Dés; german: Desch, Burglos; yi, דעעש ''Desh'') is a municipality in Transylvania, Romania, north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the river Someșul Mic meets the river Someșul Mare. The city administers four vill ...

– Baia Mare), on Line 402 (

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...

–

Săcueni Săcueni (; ; ; yi, סעקלהיד ''Seklhid''; ), often spelled ''Săcuieni'', is a town in Bihor County, Romania. It administers five villages: Cadea (''Kágya''), Ciocaia (''Csokaly''), Cubulcut (''Érköbölkút''), Olosig (''Érolaszi'') ...

– Carei – Satu Mare –

Halmeu Halmeu ( hu, Halmi, ; yi, האַַלמין) is a commune of 4,845 inhabitants situated in Satu Mare County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Until World War II, the village was home to a Jewish community, which numbered 479 souls in 18 ...

) and on Line 417 (Satu Mare – Bixad). CFR provides direct rail connections to all the major Romanian cities and to

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. 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 Satu Mare Airport is an international airport located in northwest Romania, south of Satu Mare municipality, the capital of Satu Mare County. History Satu Mare Airport is one of the first airports in Romania, founded on 15 October 1936. In 193 ...

, located south of the city, with a concrete runway, one of the longest in Romania, with TAROM and

Wizz Air Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...

operating regular flights to

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 ...

,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Antalya Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...

(seasonal only).

Sports

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

(soccer) is the most popular recreational sport in Satu Mare. There are two major football clubs in Satu Mare: Olimpia and Someșul Oar. There are two football stadiums in Satu Mare:

Stadionul Olimpia The Daniel Prodan Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Satu Mare, Romania. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches and is the home ground of CSM Satu Mare (football), CSM Satu Mare. For almost all its existence, ...

with 18,000 seats and Someșul Stadium with 3,000 seats. Other popular recreational activities include

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

,

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

,

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...

,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

and

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

. The local women's basketball team 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

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

in the city, the LPS Arena, which has a capacity of 400 seats. The

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

professional

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

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 Davis Cup team member,

Rareș Cuzdriorean Rareș Cuzdriorean (Greek language, Greek: Ράρες Κουζδριόρεαν, born 31 July 1986) is a Romanians, Romanian professional tennis player with Cyprus, Cypriot citizenship. He qualified to play for the Cyprus Davis Cup team after def ...

, who is also a Satu Mare native with Cypriot citizenship.

Fencing

Satu Mare has a tradition in

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

dating to 1885, and is the city that has supplied the most world and Olympic champions in Europe. Names like

Ecaterina Stahl Ecaterina Stahl-Iencic (31 July 1946 – 26 November 2009) was a Romanian foil fencer, world champion in 1975. She competed at five Olympics from 1964 to 1980, winning team bronze medals in 1968 and 1972.

, Marcela Moldovan, Suzana and

Ștefan Ardeleanu Ștefan Ardeleanu (born 1940) is a Romanian fencer and coach. Career Ardeleanu took up fencing with coach Alexandru Csipler at local clubs Unio, then Olimpia Satu Mare, before transferring to CSA Steaua București under coach Vasile Chelaru. ...

,

Petru Kuki Petru Kuki (born 22 May 1955) is a Romanian épée and foil fencer. He competed at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an inte ...

, Rudolf Luczki, Samuilă Melczhner, Geza Tere and in particular

Alexandru Csipler Alexandru is the Romanian language, Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex (disambiguation), Alex, and Sandu (disambiguation), Sandu. Origin Etymology, Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek language, ...

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 team, Olimpia Satu Mare, lost against CFR Timișoara by a score of 15–10 in the national final, while Rudolf Luczki won the

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

finals held in

Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

. 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 The Dräxlmaier Group is a globally operating automotive supplier with its headquarters in the Lower Bavarian city of Vilsbiburg, Germany. Founded in 1958, the family-owned company specializes in the production of wiring harness systems, central e ...

,

Gotec Group Gotec Group based in Wülfrath, Germany, is an automotive corporation from Germany which has production and sales locations in 7 different countries including Poland, Spain, Brazil, Turkey, United States, Germany and Romania Romania ( ; ...

,

Anvis Group Anvis (Antivibrationssystems) is a global business group that specialises in antivibration systems to decouple vibrating parts in motor vehicles. The company's head office is located in Steinau an der Straße, Germany. Company Anvis Group GmbH ...

, Schlemmer,

Casco Schützhelme Casco Schutzhelme, based in Bretnig-Hauswalde, Germany, is a protection headwear producing company from Germany which has one production-center in Satu Mare, Romania and a distribution-centre in Bretnig-Hauswalde. The Company is specialised in ...

and Zollner Elektronik in the industrial sector; FrieslandCampina in the food sector;

Radici Group RadiciGroup is an Italian corporation with a network of production and sales sites located in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. RadiciGroup is one of the world’s leading producers of a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide ...

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 The Dräxlmaier Group is a globally operating automotive supplier with its headquarters in the Lower Bavarian city of Vilsbiburg, Germany. Founded in 1958, the family-owned company specializes in the production of wiring harness systems, central e ...

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 The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...

but it also supplied wiring to another car manufacturer

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

for its Porsche Panamera model. The

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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 Zanussi () is an Italian producer of home appliances that was bought by Electrolux in 1984. Zanussi has been exporting products from Italy since 1946. History The Zanussi Company began as the small workshop of Antonio Zanussi in 1916. The 26 ...

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 Arcandor AG was a holding company located in Essen, Germany, that oversaw a number of companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Kar ...

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 Auchan () is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% s ...

, Kaufland, Metro Point, Lidl and

Penny Market Penny or internationally Penny Market (in Bavaria and Austria ''Penny Markt'') is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany, which operates 3,550 stores. The market was founded by Leibbrand Gruppe in 1973; since 1989, it has been fully o ...

have

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

s or

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...

s 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 Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

of , Plaza Europa of and Someșul Mall, of . There is also an

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

called Satu Mare Industrial Park located at the edge of the city on a 70 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 The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this ha ...

* Technical University of Cluj-Napoca *

University of Oradea The University of Oradea (UO or U of O) () is an accredited public university located in Oradea in north-western Romania. With 15 faculties, the university has a total of 123 fields of study for undergraduates and 151 post-graduate specialisati ...

*

Vasile Goldiș West University of Arad The male name Vasile is of Greek origin and means "King". Vasile is a male Romanian given name or a surname. It is equivalent to the English name Basil. As a given name As a surname * Cristian Vasile (1908–1985), Romanian tango-romance s ...

High schools

Satu Mare has 16 high schools, of which four are national colleges: * Doamna Stanca National College *

Ioan Slavici National College Ioan Slavici National College (Romanian: ''Colegiul Naţional Ioan Slavici'') is a public day high school for students aged 10 to 18, established in 1812, and located in Satu Mare, Romania. The school is named after the great Romanian writer and ...

*

Kölcsey Ferenc National College Kölcsey Ferenc National College (Romanian: ''Colegiul Național Kölcsey Ferenc'', Hungarian: ''Kölcsey Ferenc Főgimnázium'') is a public day high school for students aged 10 to 18, established in 1557 as a reformed school, and located in Sat ...

* Mihai Eminescu National College

Gymnasiums

The city has 16

gymnasiums A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

, 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 Ion Creangă (; also known as Nică al lui Ștefan a Petrei, Ion Torcălău and Ioan Ștefănescu; March 1, 1837 – December 31, 1889) was a Moldavian, later Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher. A main figure in 19th-century Romania ...

. * The Lucian Blaga Gymnasium (), founded in 1996 by Ioan Viman and named after the philosopher and writer

Lucian Blaga Lucian Blaga (; 9 May 1895 – 6 May 1961) was a Romanian philosopher, poet, playwright, poetry translator and novelist. He was a commanding personality of the Romanian culture of the interbellum period. Biography Blaga was born on 9 May 1895 ...

.

Culture

Satu Mare has a county museum, an art museum, and a theatre, the 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 tallest buildings in Romania * the

Capitoline Wolf The Capitoline Wolf (Italian: ''Lupa Capitolina'') is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. According to the ...

statue * the Chain Church * the

Dacia Hotel Dacia Hotel, originally Pannonia Hotel (in hu, Pannónia Szálló) located in Satu Mare (in hu, Szatmárnémeti), present-day Romania, was built at the beginning of the 20th century, on the site of the previous town hall. The façade, generousl ...

* the Decebal Street Synagogue * the Firemen's Tower, a tall tower * the

Garden of Rome A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

* the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

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, Leon, Villa Lux,

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus r ...

, 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 The ''Nuova Cronica'' (also: ''Nova Cronica'') or '' New Chronicles'' is a 14th-century history of Florence created in a year-by-year linear format and written by the Italian banker and official Giovanni Villani (c. 1276 or 1280–1348). T ...

'' – daily local newspaper * '' Friss Újság'' – daily local newspaper in

Hungarian language Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungarian ...

* '' Szatmári Magyar Hírlap'' – daily local newspaper in

Hungarian language Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungarian ...

TV stations

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

Radio stations

* Radio City Satu Mare * Radio Unu * Radio Transilvania * Radio ZU * 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 Vlad Alin Bujor (born 3 February 1989 in Satu Mare) is a Romanian footballer who plays as a forward for Avântul Reghin.Corina Ciorbă *

Cosmin Costinaș Cosmin is a masculine Romanian given name of Greek origin. Notable people with the name include: * Cosmin Băcilă (born 1983), Romanian footballer *Cosmin Bărcăuan (born 1978), Romanian footballer * Cosmin Bodea (born 1973), Romanian footballer ...

*

Daniel David Daniel David (born 23 November 1972) is a Romanian academic. He is "Aaron T. Beck" professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca. He was the head of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psyc ...

* Mircea Florian *

Florin Gardoș Florin Gardoș (; born 29 October 1988) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Early life Gardoș was born in the city of Satu Mare in Romania. Club career Gardoș started his senior career with Concord ...

* Gábor Gerstenmájer *

Emanuel Gyenes Emanuel Gyenes (born March 3, 1984 in Satu Mare, Romania) is a Romanian rally racing motorcycle rider of Hungarian ethnicity. He won the Malle Moto class in the 2020 Dakar Rally for bike competitors competing without any kind of assistance. Daka ...

*

Alexandru Karikaș Alexandru Karikaş (10 May 1931 – 14 April 2007) was a Romanian footballer who played for CA Câmpulung Moldovenesc, CCA București, Progresul Oradea and Progresul București between 1953 and 1964. Honours Club ;CCA București *Romania ...

*

Simona Miculescu Simona-Mirela Miculescu (born 4 July 1959) is a senior Romanian diplomat, currently serving as Permanent Delegate of Romania to UNESCO, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Prior to this she was Representative of the UN ...

* Dorel Moiș *

Ioan Mircea Pașcu Ioan Mircea Pașcu (born 17 February 1949) is a Romanian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Romania. He previously served Minister of Defense from 2000 to 2004. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PDSR/PSD), ...

*

Vasile Paulovics The male name Vasile is of Greek origin and means "King". Vasile is a male Romanian given name or a surname. It is equivalent to the English name Basil. As a given name As a surname *Cristian Vasile (1908–1985), Romanian tango-romance sing ...

*

Ciprian Prodan Ciprian Cornel Prodan (born 28 April 1979 in Satu Mare, Satu Mare County) is a Romanian former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are ...

*

Daniel Prodan Daniel Claudiu Prodan (23 March 1972 – 16 November 2016) was a Romanian footballer who played mainly as a central defender. In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for Steaua București and represented the Romania national team in o ...

*

Zoltan Ritli Zoltan Ritli (born 13 July 1968) is a retired Romanian footballer who played for Inter Sibiu, Steaua București, U Cluj and Rocar București Rocar (also T.V. or Autobuzul) was a van, light truck, bus and trolleybus manufacturer based in Buch ...

*

Ovidiu Ioan Silaghi Ovidiu Ioan Silaghi (; born 12 December 1962) is a Romanian politician. A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), he became Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises in the second Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet (April 5, 2007). Biogra ...

*

Sergiu Suciu Sergiu Suciu (born 8 May 1990) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Trento. Club career Sergiu moved to Italy with his parents at the age of 13 and soon became affiliated with Torino under club presi ...

* Josef Szepeschy * Dan Zaviceanu * Ervin Zsiga ;Hungary * Dániel Antal * Árpád Árvay * Antal Bánhidi * László Bánhidi *

László Botka László Botka (born February 21, 1973) is a Hungarian politician. Botka was a member of the Hungarian Socialist Party between 1991 and 2019, and the current mayor of Szeged. Biography László Botka was born on February 21, 1973, in Tiszaföldv� ...

*

Gábor Darvas Gábor Darvas (; until 1952 Gábor Steinberger; 18 January 1911 – 18 February 1985) was a Hungarian composer and musicologist. He was one of the first Hungarian composers to work in the field of electronic music. As a musicologist, his ...

* Arányi Dezső *

András Domahidy András Domahidy (23 February 1920 – 8 August 2012) was a contemporary Hungarian-Australian, novelist and librarian. His novels were written in Hungarian. Born in Satu Mare, in northwestern Romania, András Domahidy completed a PhD in Law a ...

* Jenő Dsida * Mónika Esztán * Zoltán Horváth *

József Kürthy József Kürthy (14 July 1881 – 18 June 1939) was a Hungarian actor. He was born in Szatmárnémeti, Austria-Hungary (now Satu Mare, Romania) and died in Budapest. Selected filmography * ''The Village Rogue'' (1916) * '' St. Peter's Umbrella'' ...

*

Gyula Lengyel Gyula Lengyel (born Gyula Goldstein;The number and year of the Ministry of Interior Decree containing the license are: 82212/1903. MNL-OL 30799. Microfilm Image 1006. 1. Carton, Name Change Statements in 1903, p. 14 Row 18 8 October 1888 – 8 ...

* Noémi Matsutani *

Vince Nagy Vince Nagy de Losonc (4 March 1886 – 1 June 1964) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Interior Minister between 1918 and 1919 during the Hungarian Democratic Republic. After the establishment of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, he returned ...

*

György Nyisztor György Nyisztor (22 December 1869 – 7 January 1956) was a Hungarian politician, who served as People's Commissar of Agriculture during the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919. After the fall of the communist regime he was sentenced to life im ...

* Richárd Osváth * Zoltán Pánczél * Moshe Dovid Winternitz ;Germany * Zita-Eva Funkenhauser * Monika Weber-Koszto *

Rita König Rita König (born 12 March 1977) is a German fencer. She won a silver medal in the women's individual foil and a bronze in the team foil events at the 2000 Summer Olympics. König attended the Kaufmännische Schule Tauberbischofsheim''75 Jahre ...

* Susanne König ;Canada * Corneliu Chisu * Ernest Klein ;USA * Ernie Grunfeld * Yoel Levi ;Cyprus *

Rareș Cuzdriorean Rareș Cuzdriorean (Greek language, Greek: Ράρες Κουζδριόρεαν, born 31 July 1986) is a Romanians, Romanian professional tennis player with Cyprus, Cypriot citizenship. He qualified to play for the Cyprus Davis Cup team after def ...

;Israel *

Miriam Fried Miriam Fried (born 9 September 1946) is a Romanian-born Israeli classical violinist and pedagogue. Biography Miriam Fried was born in Satu Mare, Romania but moved with her family to Israel when she was aged 2. Her family settled in Herzliya. ...

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Satu Mare is twinned with: * Zutphen, Netherlands, since 1970 *

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest c ...

, 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,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

File:Satu Mare Chains Church.JPG, Chain Church File:Satu Mare Greek Catholic Cathedral 5.JPG, SS. Michael and Gabriel Cathedral File:SM8.jpg, Satu Mare Synagogue File:Hotel Dacia, Satu Mare Romania detail 1.JPG, Hotel Dacia, detail

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 Cities in Romania Capitals of Romanian counties Satmar (Hasidic dynasty) Populated places in Satu Mare County Historic Jewish communities

Geography

Flora and fauna

Climate

Name

History

Jewish community

Demographics

Politics

Administration

Justice system

Transport

Road

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Public transport

Airport

Sports

Fencing

Economy

Education

Universities

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Gymnasiums

Culture

Tourism

Media

Newspapers

TV stations

Radio stations

Online portal

Consulates

Natives

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Gallery

See also

References

External links

Official websites

Unofficial websites

Other