Uricani (; hu, Hobicaurikány) is a town in the

Jiu Valley The Jiu Valley ( ro, Valea Jiului ) is a region in southwestern Transylvania, Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains. The region was heavily industrialised and t ...

region of

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

, in southern

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

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, 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 ...

. it had a population of 8,618.

History

Uricani is first mentioned in a certified document dated 1888, when the locality was referred to as ''Hobicza-Urikány'' (in Romanian both Hobiceni-Uricani and Uricani-Hobiceni versions were used). The name of Uricani is derived from the union of two villages, Hobița (''Hobica'', listed in documents from 1473 first as ''Ohabycza'') and Uric (''Urik'', from 1473 first as ''Wryk'') from Hațeg Land. After 1920 the locality's name was changed to Uricani. Over time, the village of Câmpu lui Neag functioned as either a separate commune or as a village belonging to Uricani. In 1965, Uricani was declared a city. It administers two villages, Câmpu lui Neag (''Kimpulunyág'') and Valea de Brazi. Like the other Jiu Valley cities, Uricani's principal economic activities revolve around the region's coal mines, although the city, like the region, is in a period of transition as the mines have been gradually closed and many of the workers made redundant.

Location

The city location lies on the western side of Jiu Valley and at the foot of the

Retezat Mountains The Retezat Mountains ( ro, Munții Retezat, hu, Retyezát-hegység) are one of the highest massifs in Romania, being part of the Southern Carpathians. The highest peak is Peleaga (Vârful Peleaga), at an altitude of . Other important peaks are ...

, with the geographical coordinates of 23° 10′ meridian, east longitude and 45° 25′ parallel, north latitude. The city is located in Hunedoara County and adjacent to Mehedinți and Gorj counties. It lies at an altitude of 729 m on the west side of the Petroșani Depression and along the West Jiu River. Its area also contains the smaller waterways of Lazarul, Valea de Pești, Buta, and Bilugu, as well as the fresh water reservoir which contains the drinking water used throughout Jiu Valley. Uricani is accessed via the DN 66A, the 27 kilometer long west branch of the DN 66 that connects the cities of Petroșani, Vulcan, Lupeni and Uricani. The city covers 25,141 hectares, the largest geographical area of all the Jiu Valley cities. The city limits are bordered to the east by Cow’s Valley, to the west by

Retezat National Park The Retezat National Park ( ro, Parcul Naţional Retezat) is a protected area (national park category II IUCN) located in the Retezat Mountains in Hunedoara county, Romania. Description Containing more than sixty peaks over and over hundred ...

, to the north by peaks of the

(Custura, Lazarul -2282m, and Tulisa-1782m),Nature reserves in Romania - Page 18 Emil Pop, N. "ending with Mount Tulisa (1,795 m.) at the eastern end of the massif, overlooking the Romanian Jiu Valley and the Petroșani Basin." and to the south by peaks of the

Vâlcan Mountains The Vâlcan Mountains are a chain of mountains in the Southern Carpathians in Gorj County, Romania. They are part of the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group. They run for approximately and the highest peak is the Vâlcan Peak at . The mountains run ...

(Coarnele-1789m and Siglaul Mare-1682m). The surrounding mountains are part of the Meridional

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

(in an area commonly referred to as the

Transylvanian Alps The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Pr ...

References

External links

Jiu Valley Portal
- the regional portal host of the official Jiu Valley websites {{Municipalities and Towns of Hunedoara County Towns in Romania Jiu Valley Populated places in Hunedoara County Localities in Transylvania Mining communities in Romania Monotowns in Romania

History

Location

See also

References

External links