Gătaia
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Gătaia (; , archaically ''Gotthal''; ) 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 ...
. It administers five villages: Butin, Percosova, Sculia, Șemlacu Mare, and Șemlacu Mic. Declared a town in 2004, it also administered four other villages until that time, when they were split off to form
Birda Birda ( Hungarian and German: ''Birda'') is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Berecuța, Birda (commune seat), Mânăstire and Sângeorge. Geography Birda is located in the southeastern part of Timiș County ...
commune.


Name


Geography

Gătaia lies on both banks of the Bârzava River. Some of the villages (Șemlacu Mare, Șemlacu Mic, Butin, and Percosova) are located south of Gătaia around the Șumigu Hill, an extinct
volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
in the Tisza Plain, along the
Moravița Moravița (; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Dejan, Gaiu Mic, Moravița (commune seat) and Stamora Germană. Moravița is the site of a rail and road border crossing with Serbia. History The first re ...
, Crivaia, and Clopodia streams, tributaries to the left of Bârzava, and Sculia is also located on the Bârzava River but west of Gătaia, occupying the northernmost position in this administrative unit. Gătaia connects to
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
Reșița Reșița (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraș-Severin County. It is located in the Banat region. The city had a population of 58,393 in 2021. It administers six villages: Câlnic (''Kölnök''), Cuptoare (''Kupt ...
both by rail and by
national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
.


History

The first recorded mention of Gătaia dates from 1323. A Hungarian document from 1343 states that there were the settlements of ''Superior Gatal'' ("Upper Gătaia") and ''Inferior Gatal'' ("Lower Gătaia"), which merged over time. In many documents from 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 ...
, Romanian names such as Dunca or Dragul appear in connection with the inhabitants. For a long time this locality belonged to Krassó County and only at the end of the 17th century, in 1779, it was incorporated into
Temes County County of Temes ( Hungarian: ''Temes'', Romanian: ''Timiș'', Serbian: ''Тамиш'' or ''Tamiš'', German: ''Temes'' or ''Temesch'') was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in southwestern ...
. Gătaia, known then as ''Gattaja'', was inhabited during the Austrian occupation of Banat. According to Hungarian historian , Gătaia was a "Vlach" (Romanian) settlement at that time. In 1823 Gătaia was sold by tax authorities to the feudal lords Ludovic and Carol Gorove, who decided to colonize it with Hungarians. By the end of the 19th century, Hungarians were already in the majority. In 2004 Gătaia received the status of a town, having in its administration the localities of Butin, Percosova, Sculia, Șemlacu Mare and Șemlacu Mic. At the same time, the villages of Berecuța, Birda, Mânăstire and Sângeorge, separated from the former commune and formed the commune of
Birda Birda ( Hungarian and German: ''Birda'') is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Berecuța, Birda (commune seat), Mânăstire and Sângeorge. Geography Birda is located in the southeastern part of Timiș County ...
.


Demographics

Gătaia had a population of 5,861 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 5% 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, ...
(72.31%), larger minorities being represented by
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 ...
(11.16%) and
Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...
(7.3%). For 6.71% of the population, ethnicity was unknown. By religion, most inhabitants were
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 ...
(61.1%), but there were also minorities of
Roman Catholics 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 ...
(18.55%),
Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term ''Pentecostal'' is derived ...
(7.2%),
Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming 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 Places * Reform, Al ...
(1.66%), and
Adventists 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 ...
(1.02%). For 6.69% of the population, religious affiliation was unknown. At the 2021 census, the commune had a population of 5,473; of those, 73.69% were Romanians, 7.4% Hungarians, and 4.93% Slovaks.


Natives

*
László Böcskei László Böcskei (; born July 11, 1965) is a Romanian cleric, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare. Born into an Hungarians in Romania, ethnic Hungarian family in Gătaia (''Gátalja''), Timiș County, he studied at the Roman Cat ...
(born 1965), cleric, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare.


Education

Education has been documented in Gătaia since 1776, the first confessional school existing here since 1781. During the reign of Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
, the first laws dealing with the organization of education appeared. After 1823, for 50 years, in Gătaia there were two confessional schools: Romanian Orthodox and Hungarian Catholic. At present, the Gătaia Theoretical High School has a number of 25 classrooms in three buildings and four arranged in the building of the boys' boarding school. The second building was completed in 1969, and the third building in 1978. About 750 students study at the high school in Gătaia. Primary schools (1–4) also exist in Sculia (three classrooms), Șemlacu Mare (four classrooms), Șemlacu Mic (four classrooms), Butin (four classrooms) and Percosova (four classrooms).


Healthcare

The first sanitary precinct was established by order of the Minister of Health of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
in 1901, when the first state physician, Ludovic Kardos, was appointed. About 9,000 people from the commune and the neighboring villages were assigned here. From 1968, the sanitary precinct was transformed into a health center, which included the entire territory of the commune, with three sanitary dispensaries. The Gătaia Psychiatric Hospital started operating in December 1966, being built on the site of a former abandoned barracks, in the immediate vicinity of a locust and fir forest. The founding fathers of this hospital were professor Eduard Pamfil and lecturer Ștefan Stössel. The hospital is the practice base for the students of the
West University of Timișoara The West University of Timișoara (; abbreviated UVT) is a public higher education institution located in Timișoara. Classified by the Ministry of National Education as a university of education and scientific research, UVT is one of the nine ...
, the specializations
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and
social assistance Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
, part of the psychiatrists and psychologists of the hospital being associate teachers of the West University. The first private pharmacy was established in 1890; currently there are two pharmacies in the town.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gataia Populated places in Timiș County Localities in Romanian Banat Towns in Romania