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The
municipality of Târgu-Mures, located on the upper stream
of the Mures River, that leaves the gorge that divides in two
the alpine area of the Calimani and Gurghiu mountains making
its way towards the hill areas of the Transylvanian Plain, is
a settlement with millenary traditions that has reached a remarkable
level of development and civilization. The current capital city
of the Mures County has an important transport network, the
railway that connects Razboieni to Deda, the international European
road Oradea-Bucuretti (DE 60), the possibility to access the
national roads that connect Toplica to Piatra-Neamt (DN 15);
Reghin to Bistrita (DN 15A); Sovata, Odorheiul Secuiesc to Miercurea
Ciuc (DN 13A); Reghin, Apahida to Cluj (DN 16); Târnaveni,
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The
first signs of civilization of this ancient settlement date
from the Neolithic Age, the Bronze and the Stone Ages, later
becoming a blossoming settlement representing the Daco-Roman
civilization. The first documentary evidence dates from 1332,
when it was known as "Sacerdos de Novoforo" (Novum
Forum Syculorum). In time, the town was known as: Zekuluasarhel,
Vasarhel, Zekel, Vasarhel, Maros Vasarhel, Vasarhely, Mures
Vasasarheiu, Agropolis, Osorhei, up to the current forms of
Târgu-Mures, Marosvásárhely, Agropolis.
Even from the medieval period the urban center stands out by
its dimension, handicrafts developed, it established connections
with the most important centers of the Principality as well
as with Moldavia and Walachia. The spiritual and the day-to-day
life was influenced by the defeat of Mohaci, the connections
with Petru Rares, the Moldavian ruler, the rivalry between Martinuzzi
and Costaldo, two strangers, the religious struggle during the
rule of Ioan Sigismund.
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Here
we emphasize the old education institutions Schola Particula
(1557), the famous Reformed and Roman Catholic gymnasiums, and
later, as the state's unitywas achieved, the high-schools: "Mihai
Viteazul" (Military), "Al.Papiu Ilarian", "Unirea"
etc.
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The
architecture of the buildings is influenced by a large variety
of styles, ranging from the gothic style, partially represented
by the Reformed Church from the citadel, initially Roman Catholic,
to the baroque style: the "Toldalagi House" and the
building of the "Teleki" Library, secession, the Administrative
Palace. as well as the Palace of Culture, the Neo-Roman style:
the Apprentices' Hostel and the current Town Hall Palace, the
Neobyzantine style (The Orthodox Cathedral). These styles were
completed by the modern designs of the National Theater, Luxor
Shopping Galleries, the buildings of the Romanian Commercial
Bank and of the Public Finance Department.
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Major
cultural institutions carry their missions in Târgu-Mures,
the Teleki-Bolyai Library, an institution which preserves its
integrity in administrating the Mures County Library, that became
a public library as far back as 1802, the County Museum including
art, natural studies and ethnography collections, the National
Theater, the "Ariel" Hand-puppet Theater, the Artistic
Group "Muresul", all these having both Romanian and
Hungarian departments, according to the structure of the population.
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The
establishment and the development of the public and private
university education are important concerns. We mention several
institutions of this type: the Medical and Pharmacy School,
the "Petru Maior" University, the Drama University,
the "Dimitrie Cantemir" University, the "Sapientia"
University, teaching in Hungarian only, still in a prospect
phase. During all this time, over 700 titles of periodical publications
were issued. In this respect we mention the most representative
ones: the two literature and culture magazines "Vatra"
and "Látó" belonging to the Writers'
Union, the "24ore muresene", "Cuvântul
liber" and "Népújság" newspapers.
The scientific activity is reflected in the profile year books
of several university education instituions. More than 1,500
documents printed in the 14 years that have passed since the
Revolution of December 1989 are witnesses of the democratic
rights and liberties and of the unrestricted access to the written
word.
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Among the most important personalities of the town we must mention
Mayor Borsos Tamás who obtained Târgu- Mures's
diploma and right to become a municipality (1616), Petru Maior
and Gheorghe Sincai, whose names are closely interlocked with
Târgu-Mures, the scholar Ianos Bolyai who, together with
his father, Farkas, discovered the neuclidian geometry, the
Mayors Bernady György and Emil Aurel Dandea, during whose
leaderships the town witnessed a period of blossoming.
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Târgu-Mures
is an urban center with a dynamic economy. Here we must mention
the large number of small, medium and large companies having
complex concerns, ranging from industrial to constructions,
transportation and telecommunications, services for the population,
wood and metal processing, textile equipments, food industry
etc.
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