Curtea (; ) is a commune 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 ...

. It is composed of three villages: Coșava, Curtea (commune seat) and Homojdia.

Geography

Curtea is located in the northeast of

, close to the border of

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

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

and from Făget, the nearest town. Curtea lies at the foothills of

Poiana Ruscă Mountains The Poiana Ruscă Mountains (part of the Western Carpathians) are a Carpathian mountain range in western Romania. The mountains are situated roughly south of the Mureș River, northeast of the Timiș River, and west of the Strei River. The Beg ...

, at the confluence of Valea Izvorașului with Valea Stâlpului, which, in fact, form the upper course of Bega River.

History

The first recorded mention of Curtea dates from 1597 (''Kurthe''), when it belonged to Marzsina District,

Hunyad County Hunyad (today mainly Hunedoara (county), Hunedoara) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom and of the Principality of Transylvania (disambiguation), P ...

. Legend has it that Curtea was once the summer residence of Romanian duke Glad, and Curtea took this name because Glad kept his entire court here (in Romanian ''curte'' means "court"). A Turkish possession by 1658, Curtea was a place of refuge for Transylvanian ''

nemes Nemes () consisted of pieces of striped head cloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt. It covered the whole crown and behind of the head and nape of the neck (sometimes also extending a little way down the back) and had lappets, two large flaps ...

'' (small and medium nobles) in conflict with the Hungarian royal house. In

Marsigli Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (or Marsigli, ; 10 July 1658 – 1 November 1730) was an Italian scholar and natural scientist, who also served as an emissary and soldier. Biography Born in Bologna, he was a member of an ancient patrician fa ...

's notes from 1690–1700 it was called ''Kortya'' and belonged to Facset District, and in the 1717 census it appears as inhabited, with 50 houses. The first Romanian school was established here in 1776. The wooden church, which can still be seen today, dates from 1794.

Demographics

Curtea had a population of 1,193 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 10% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are

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, ...

(94.05%), with a minority of Roma (2.1%). For 2.68% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (80.64%), but there are also minorities of

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 (12.07%),

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

s (2.1%) and

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...

s (1.59%). For 2.68% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.

References

{{Authority control Communes in Timiș County Localities in Romanian Banat