A târg was a medieval

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 ...

n periodic fair or a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. Originally established on the places where periodic fairs were held, some of them (but not all) became permanent settlements, as craftsmen built their workshops near the place where the fair was held. The market towns were still largely agricultural, with the lord of the settlement allowing some inhabitants to become tradesmen or craftsmen in exchange of some fees.Rădvan, p.172 Some of the towns were fortified and became known as cities or

fortresses A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

(''cetăți''). Many of the earliest fairs were named after the river that flowed nearby. Examples include: * Târgul Moldovei, on Moldova River (currently known as Baia) *

Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; hu, Marosvásárhely ) is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the 16th largest Romanian city, with 134,290 inhabitants as of the 2011 census. It lies on the Mureș River, the ...

, on

Mureș River Mureș may refer to: * Mureș County, Romania * Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'') * Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania See also * Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County * Ocna Mureș Ocna Mureș (; la, Sali ...

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu () is the capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the city: Bârsești, Drăgoieni, Iezureni, Polat ...

, on

Jiu River The Jiu (; hu, Zsil ; german: Schil or Schiel; la, Rabon) is a river in southern Romania. It is formed near Petroșani by the confluence of headwaters Jiul de Vest and Jiul de Est. It flows southward through the Romanian counties Hunedoara, ...

* Târgul Argeşului, on

Argeș River Arges or Argeș may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Romania * Argeș County, a county in Muntenia, with its capital at Pitești * Argeș Region, an administrative division from 1950 to 1952 * Argeș River, which flows through the Southern ...

(currently known as Curtea de Argeş) *

Târgu Neamț Târgu Neamț (; german: Niamtz, hu, Németvásár, he, נאמץ טרגו, la, Ante Castrum Nempch) is a town in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania, on the river Neamț. It had, , a population of 20,496. Three villages are administered ...

, on Neamț River *

Târgu Lăpuș Târgu Lăpuș (; Hungarian: ''Magyarlápos''; german: Laposch) is a town in Maramureș County, northern Transylvania, Romania. It administers thirteen villages: Boiereni (''Boérfalva''), Borcut (''Borkút''), Cufoaia (''Kohópatak''), Dămăcu ...

, on

Lăpuș River Lăpuș (formerly ''Lăpușul Românesc''; hu, Oláhlápos) is a commune in Maramureș County, Transylvania, Romania, on the Lăpuș River, at 12 km from the town of Târgu Lăpuș Târgu Lăpuș (; Hungarian: ''Magyarlápos''; german: ...

* Cetatea Dâmboviței, on

Dâmbovița River Dâmbovița can refer to these places in Romania: * Dâmbovița County * Dâmbovița (river) * Dâmbovița Center The Dâmbovița Center (also named Casa Radio) is an unfinished building in Bucharest, Romania, near Cotroceni, on the shore of ...

(historical name for

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 ...

) * Cetatea Sucevei, on Suceava River (currently known as Suceava) * Târgul Bârladului, on Bârlad River (currently known as Bârlad) * Târgul Siretului, on

Siret River The Siret or Sireth ( uk, Сірет or Серет, ro, Siret , hu, Szeret, russian: Сирет) is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania before it joins the Danube. ...

(currently known as Siret)

Notes

References

* Laurenţiu Rădvan, ''At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities'', Brill, 2010, {{DEFAULTSORT:Targ