Buziaș (also known as Băile Buziaș or Buziaș-Băi; ; ) is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. Thanks to its healing springs, it was once one of the most famous bathing places in Hungary and then in Romania; it has appeared in several international catalogs and has often been referred to as the "Pearl of Banat" or the "
Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim () is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany.
As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a w ...
of Banat".
Called ''Ahibis'' by the
Romans
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 Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
, Buziaș was first mentioned by
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I, also known as Charles Robert (; ; ; 128816 July 1342), was King of Hungary and Croatia in the union with Hungary, Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel of A ...
in a document from 1321. Until the early 19th century, it was an insignificant village away from the main routes. It owes its reputation to the healing effects of local mineral springs, which were first analyzed in 1811. In 1911 it was officially declared a spa resort of national interest.
It administers two villages: Bacova and Silagiu.
Geography
Buziaș is located in western Romania, about from
Timișoara
Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
and from
Lugoj
Lugoj (; ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș, Timiș River divides the city into two halves: the "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank, and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. Th ...
, being connected to both by
county road
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
DJ592 and the Timișoara–Buziaș–Lugoj railway. The town lies on the upper terrace of the
Timiș River
The Timiș or Tamiš (, , , ) is a river that flows through the Banat region of Romania and Serbia and joins the Danube near Pančevo, in northern Serbia. Due to its position in the region, it has been labeled as the "spine of the Banat".
N ...
, at the contact between the Eastern Banat Plain and the Banat Hills. Buziaș has an area of and borders
Racovița to the north,
Darova
Darova ( or ''Darowa''; ) is a communes of Romania, commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Darova (commune seat), Hodoș and Sacoșu Mare. Ștefănești existed as a separate hamlet from 1885 to 1930, when it was merge ...
and
Boldur
Boldur (; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Boldur (commune seat), Jabăr, Ohaba-Forgaci and Sinersig.
History
The first recorded mention of Boldur dates from 1290, being mentioned in a Hungarian diploma ...
to the east,
Chevereșu Mare
Chevereșu Mare (; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Chevereșu Mare (commune seat), Dragșina and Vucova. Geography
Chevereșu Mare is located in the central-southern part of Timiș County, in the pla ...
and
Nițchidorf to the west, and
Caraș-Severin County
Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița ...
to the south.
Hydrography
The Salcia stream, along which the town lies, springs from the Dumbrava Forest, being a tributary on the left of the
Șurgani River. In the Buziaș area, Salcia receives a series of tributaries: the Pârporii, Silagiului, and Strâmba streams. Apparently insignificant waters, during the rainy periods they produced floods, such as those of 1926 and 1966, which led to the elaboration of a program of hydrographic arrangement of the area. This is how two accumulation lakes were created nearby:
* one in the Salcia Valley, with an area of during rainy periods and in the rest of the year, and
* another in the Silagiului Valley, with an area of during rainy periods and 1 ha in the rest of the year.
Climate
Buziaș is characterized by a moderate
temperate continental climate, with transitional characters between the continental and the
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, under the influences of the air masses propagated from the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
. Due to the favorable natural conditions, with rich mineral springs but also with a mild climate, Buziaș has been recognized as a potential spa resort by the existence of
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...
springs.
The average annual temperature is between –2 and 21.5 °C. The average annual rainfall varies between 600 and 650 mm, the maximums being recorded in June and November. The snow cover reaches a thickness of between 0.9 cm (November) and 18 cm in January. The relative
humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
has annual values of 75.7% and, due to the evaporation of CO
2-laden water, the absolute humidity is lower in the morning and higher during the day. The average annual cloudiness measures 5.6 tenths and is higher in winter. The prevailing winds in the cold seasons are those that come from the south and bring warm air, which makes the autumn and winter milder.
Flora

Due to the climate and topography, the area is characterized by
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropica ...
vegetation with isolated deciduous forests.
The agricultural area has the largest extent in the Buziaș area;
maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
,
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
and
sunflower
The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...
are grown here. The hilly and sub-hilly parts around Silagiu and Buziaș correspond to an arboreal vegetation formed by deciduous forests:
pedunculate oak
''Quercus robur'', the pedunculate oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe and western Asia, and is widely cultivated in other temperate regions. It grows on soi ...
,
sessile oak
''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unof ...
,
hornbeam
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Common names
The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...
,
ash and, less commonly,
linden,
aspen
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
* ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'')
* ''Populus da ...
,
wild cherry,
crab apple
''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples.
The genus i ...
and other species. The existence of these forests from ancient times is demonstrated today by the secular oak from Silagiu, in Măgironi Valley, with a base diameter of 1.8 m and an estimated age of over 500 years.
Frequent shrubs of these forests are:
hawthorn,
privet
A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, with a native distribution from Europe to tropical and subtropical Asia, and with one species each ...
,
Tatar maple,
hazel
Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
,
blackthorn
''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is an Old World species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is locally naturalized in parts of the New World.
The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in Basq ...
,
dog rose
''Rosa canina'', the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia.
Description
The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though it can scramble higher into the ...
,
cornel,
elder, etc.
4 km east of the town is the 1821-ha Dumbrava Forest, consisting mainly of oaks, which has been declared a
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
site.
An important area is occupied by vines, on the northern slope of the Silagiu Hill, which has a maximum altitude of . There are also planted fruit trees, but on small areas. The wine region of which it is part is one of the five wine centers of Banat. The most famous wines in this region are
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch (; German language, German for ''blue Frankish grapes, Frankish'') is a dark-skinned list of grape varieties, variety of grape used for red wine. and California wine, California,
DNA profiling has shown that Blaufränkisch is a c ...
,
Merlot
Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...
and
Welschriesling
Welschriesling is a white wine grape variety, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe.
Origin
The descendance of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name ''Welschriesling'' literally means ' Romanic Riesling' ...
. If in 1919 Silagiu had about of vines, today are cultivated with vines.
The town park is characterized by the presence of ornamental species from around the world such as conifers (
fir
Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...
,
cedar
Cedar may refer to:
Trees and plants
*''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae
* Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar
Places United States
* Cedar, Arizona
...
,
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
), deciduous trees (
plane
Plane most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
* Plane (mathematics), generalizations of a geometrical plane
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane ...
,
linden,
Turkish hazel,
maple
''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...
,
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
,
poplar,
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
,
elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...
,
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
) and flowers (
tulip
Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different colour ...
,
gladiolus
''Gladiolus'' (from Latin, the diminutive of ''gladius'', a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae).
It is sometimes called the 'sword lily', but is usually called by its generic name (plural ''g ...
,
primula
''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Primulaceae. They include the primrose (''Primula vulgaris, P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common specie ...
,
pansy
The garden pansy (''Viola'' × ''wittrockiana'') is a type of polychromatic large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section ''Melanium'' ("the pansies") of the ge ...
,
Canterbury bells,
carnation
''Dianthus caryophyllus'' ( ), commonly known as carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region. Its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,00 ...
,
peony
The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...
,
hyacinth
''Hyacinthus'' is a genus of bulbous herbs, and spring-blooming Perennial plant, perennials. They are fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae and are commonly called hyacinths (). The genus is native predomin ...
).
Fauna
The fauna around Buziaș is varied, according to the existing landforms.
The two forest bodies (Silagiu and Dumbrava) have a varied fauna, there being an area of interference between the fauna descending from the
Semenic Mountains
Semenic is a ski resort in the Semenic-Cheile Carașului National Park, in the Banat region of Romania.
Etymology
The '' semenic'' is actually a rare flower growing in the wilderness of the mountains. Therefore, this western Romanian ski resort ...
, the steppe and forest-steppe fauna and its own fauna:
* mammals:
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...
,
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...
,
deer
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
,
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
(rarely),
fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
,
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...
,
wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
,
badger
Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...
,
hamster
Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian ...
,
ground squirrel
Ground squirrels are rodents of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) that generally live on the ground or in burrows, rather than in trees like the tree squirrels. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones ar ...
, etc. In the past, many squirrels lived in the town park, which had become the mascots of the park, but now their population is quite small.
* birds:
blackbird,
tit,
grey partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix'') is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name is the Latin for "partridge".
Taxonomy
The grey partridge formally described in 1758 by the S ...
,
woodpecker
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family (biology), family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme ...
,
jay
Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities: they are small to medium-sized, usually ...
,
pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...
,
leaf warbler
Leaf warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Phylloscopus''.
Leaf warblers were formerly included in the Old World warbler family but are now considered to belong to the family Phylloscopidae, introduced in 2006 ...
,
starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...
,
turtle dove,
wild goose,
wild duck
The wild duck is the non-domesticated ancestor of the domestic duck.
Wild duck may refer to:
* Mallard
* Muscovy duck
The Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') is a duck native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexi ...
,
goshawk
Goshawk may refer to several species of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae:
Palearctic
* Eurasian goshawk, ''Astur gentilis'', often referred to simply as the goshawk, since it is the only goshawk found in much of its range (in Europe and ...
,
eagle-owl, etc.
History

The settlement has been known since Roman times, under the name of ''Ahibis'', a name that also appears on ''
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...
''. Buziaș was first mentioned in a document by King
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
in 1321.
According to some historians (Al. Borza, D. Tudor), its mineral waters have been known since ancient times, although the first reliable sources date back to the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
.
The oldest analysis of the mineral waters from Buziaș was made in 1796 by Timișoara pharmacist Cecchini.
The analyzes were repeated in 1800 and 1804 by Timișoara doctor Ignatz Peltz and pharmacist Karol Klapka, the conclusion being that water can be used by both humans and animals. Following the analyzes of 1811 and 1817 by professor Paul Kitaibel, the mineral waters of Buziaș were recognized for their therapeutic value, and in 1819 Buziaș was officially declared a spa resort, being leased to entrepreneurs Hans Rauth and János Simsó.
''Iosif'' spring and the colonnade
The one who will decisively drive the development of Buziaș is
Ágoston Trefort
Dr. Ágoston Trefort (pronunciation: a:gɔʃtɔn 'trɛfɔrt 7 February 1817 – 22 August 1888) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education from 1872 until his death. He was the President of the Hungarian Acad ...
. Trefort, Minister of Religion and Education since 1872, consistently supported the cause of Buziaș. Through his support, important investments were made: the hot bath was built; the imperial colonnade connecting the springs and the casino was erected (similar promenades are found in Europe only in
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...
and
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
); the theater was built (1872); and the free swimming pool was opened (1874). In 1875, also with Trefort's support, the park with
plane tree
''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae.
All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...
s and many rare species will be laid out on a plot of 20 ha.
The inauguration in 1896 of 31-km-long Timișoara–Buziaș railway, the introduction in 1897 of lighting with oil lamps, the arrangement of streets and the modernization in 1898 of ferruginous bath also contributed to the notoriety of this resort. The town was visited in person by Emperor
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
and his heir,
Franz Ferdinand, in September 1898.
Between 1903 and 1907, 12 deep springs were drilled and a mineral water bottling plant was built, and in 1909 the mineral water was marketed under the name ''Muschong Phönix''. The factory became operational in 1907, with an area of and a bottling capacity of 1.5 million bottles per year and 1,000 kg of carbon dioxide.
After the union of Banat with Romania, Buziaș maintained its status as a spa resort for cardiovascular treatment and was a ''
plasă
''Plasă'' (, plural ''plăși'' ) was a territorial division unit of Romania, ranking below county ('' județ'') and above commune. It was headed by a '' Pretor'', appointed by the county Prefect. The institution headed by the Pretor was call ...
'' seat. It was declared a town in 1956.
In the 1960s the economic activity diversifies, small units of the light and food industry are created. Both the population and the area of the town increased. Blocks of flats, villas, and hotels were built for the resort.
Demographics
Buziaș had a population of 6,834 inhabitants at the
2021 census. The town had 7,023 inhabitants at the
2011 census, down 10% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants were
Romanians
Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(83.21%), larger minorities being represented by
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
(2.98%),
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
(2.95%), and
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
(2.15%). For 7.69% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
(77.25%), but there are also minorities of
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
s (6.59%) and
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
s (4.6%). For 7.73% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
Culture
From the second half of the 19th century, Buziaș was characterized by a lively cultural life. A printing house was founded in 1881, where a local newspaper was printed in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
between 1892 and 1897, and in
Hungarian between 1901 and 1915. In addition to these, several other prints by awarded beekeeper Miklós Grand were published here.
The Romanian amateur theater group was founded in 1895, the Hungarian one in 1903; a puppet theater was also founded in 1901. From 1898 to 1918, the local branch of the
(ASTRA) operated here.
In the second half of the 20th century, a cinema (Dinamo) and a house of culture were built. The latter organizes several cultural and artistic events and has a performance hall and a summer theater.
Its current library was founded in 1952 by merging the former communal library with that of the spa unit. In the lobby of the library there is an exhibition of photographs and artifacts related to the history of Buziaș and a room where the dolls and decorations used by the former puppet theater are exhibited.
There were no fewer than three light music bands in the town, the best known being the ''Șah Mat'' rock band from the 1980s.
The town has two museums. Opened in 1987 in the former ''Gorjup'' villa next to the park, the Buziaș Balneary Museum () contains a collection of photomontages illustrating the history of Buziaș, Neolithic vessels, and
Thracian
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...
pottery, furniture from the 19th century and sanitary objects once used in spas. Also in the 1980s, the Iuliana Folea Troceanu Ethnographic Museum opened in an old farmhouse on Șaguna Street, where nearly five hundred Romanian folk art objects from the Buziaș area can be seen.
Economy
For almost two centuries,
medical tourism
Medical tourism is the practice of traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavaila ...
has been the basis of Buziaș's economy. The first health facilities and springs were established in 1816, and in 1819 it was declared a spa resort.
In the 1870s it had 500 to 600 visitors a year, and in the 1890s it had more than 1,200 visitors; some of them stayed in private houses, others in villas and hotels.
From the 1890s, tourism began to decline; in 2015 it accounted for only 6% of the town's total turnover.
Its mineral waters were bottled almost uninterruptedly between 1840 and 2014. In 1811, doctor Adalbert Lindenmayer made excavations, discovering the sources of the ''Iosif'' and ''Mihai'' springs, springs that functioned until 1973. In 1840, balneologist Gheorghe Ciocârlan started bottling water from Buziaș in a building behind the ''Iosif'' spring, the first bottling station having a capacity of 2,000 bottles per year. In the mid-19th century, , the water from Buziaș was mentioned in the foreign press as a "luxury drink that can be used together with wine, being an excellent refreshment".
Documents from 1871 mention the existence of eight water sources, of which three drinking springs and five bathing springs. The first drilling, about deep, took place three years later, in 1874. Due to the very good results, the first thermal water pool, called ''Notatoriul'', was built, while the amount of bottled water reached at 15,000 bottles a year.
Until 1875, the water from Buziaș came to be sold in
Timișoara
Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
,
Lugoj
Lugoj (; ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș, Timiș River divides the city into two halves: the "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank, and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. Th ...
,
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
,
Caransebeș
Caransebeș (; ; , Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a city in Caraș-Severin County, part of the Banat region in southwestern Romania. One village, Jupa (), is administered by the city.
The city is located at the confluence of the Timiș River with ...
,
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, and
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
.
In 1893 the resort was bought by Budapest manufacturer Erwin Scottola, who developed the trade with bottled mineral water by introducing porcelain stoppers with rubber lining. In 1906 the resort was acquired by manufacturer
Jacob Muschong and remained in the possession of the Muschong-Patianski family until its
nationalization
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English)
is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...
, in 1948.
Also in 1906, construction began on the mineral water plant, which was inaugurated on 23 July 1907, under the name ''Phönix''. The factory had an area of , 36 employees, and a bottling capacity of 1.5 million bottles per year. The plant has weathered the regime change, but closed in early 2014 due to declining demand and lagging technology.
The agricultural land of the town is nearly in size. The main local crops are corn, wheat and sunflowers. There are vineyards and orchards on the Silagiu Hills.
Vineyards were mentioned as early as 1825, but wine production did not flourish until the second half of the 19th century, after the Swabians in Bacova began cultivating the vineyards. It also had a significant apiary, and the Beekeepers' Association of Southern Hungary () was established here in 1873.
In the second half of the 20th century, forced
industrialization
Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...
, typical of communism, took place; ''Electromotor'', ''Modern'', ''TCMT'', and ''Garofița'' factories, among others, were built at that time.
After the
Romanian Revolution
The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...
of December 1989, most factories closed down after unsuccessful privatization; moreover, more than 80% of companies established after 1989 went bankrupt by 2015. Due to the high land prices in Timișoara in the 2010s, more and more industrial companies moved to Buziaș, creating new job opportunities. In 2015, trade accounted for 31% of the town's total turnover, agriculture for 23%, construction for 22%, industry for 15%, and tourism and services for 9%.
Notable people
* (1856–1917), art historian
*
Alisz Goriupp (1894–1979), librarian, press historian and bibliographer
*
Endre Misteth (1912–2006), bridge engineer
*
Helga Bîrsan (born 1928), gymnast
Gallery
File:Buzias Ansamblu balnear (2).jpg, ''Bazar'' villa in the spa complex
File:RO TM Buzias colonnade 7.jpg, The imperial colonnade
File:RO TM Buzias park fountain.jpg, A fountain in the town park
File:RO TM Buzias Catholic church.jpg, The neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
Roman Catholic church (1875)
File:Buzias biserica ortodoxa.JPG, Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (1833)
References
External links
Official websiteof the spa resort
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buzias
Towns in Romania
Spa towns in Romania
Populated places in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat