History of Oradea

Oradea is a city 12 km from the Hungarian border, dating back to a small 10th-century castle. Its bishopric was founded during the 11th century by King Ladislaus I of Hungary.

The first documented mention of Oradea's name was in 1113 under the Latin name, Varadinum ("vár" means fortress in Hungarian). The city flourished during the 13th century in particular. The Citadel of Oradea, the ruins of which remain today, was first mentioned in 1241 during the Mongol invasion. The 14th century was one of the most prosperous periods in the city's life. Statues of St. Stephen, Emeric and Ladislaus (before 1372) and the equestrian sculpture of St. Ladislaus (1390) were erected in Oradea. St. Ladislaus' statue was the first proto-renaissance public square equestrian in Europe. Bishop Andreas Báthori (1329–1345) rebuilt the cathedral in Gothic style. From that epoch dates also the Hermes, now preserved at Györ, which contains the skull of King Ladislaus, and which is a masterpiece of the Hungarian goldsmith's art.

Georg von Peuerbach worked at the Observatory of Varadinum, using it as the reference of prime meridian of the Earth in his Tabula Varadiensis, published posthumously in 1464.

In 1474, the city was attacked by the Turks. It was not until the 16th century that Oradea began growing as an urban area. The Peace of Várad was concluded between Ferdinand I and John Zápolya on February 4, 1538, in which they mutually recognized each other to be king. In the 18th century, the Viennese engineer Franz Anton Hillebrandt planned the city in the Baroque style. Beginning in 1752, many landmarks were constructed such as the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace, presently the Muzeul Țării Crișurilor ("The Museum of the Criș-es land").

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Wikipedia