Holiday in Timiș county

Timiș is a multicultural county and an example of cohabitation among different ethnic groups.

Daniel Onea, 21.03.2024, 14:00

Timiș is a multicultural county and an example of cohabitation among different ethnic groups. This ethnic diversity is also to be seen in the architecture, the crafts and the culture of the place. Today we will look at some of the most interesting tourist sites in this county with the help of Iosif Nicoară, the executive director of the Association for Tourist Promotion and Development in Timiș County. The city of Timișoara itself, which is the county seat, is home to over 900 tourist sites, according to this association. This includes the city’s heritage buildings, with Timișoara boasting the most extensive surface area with heritage buildings in all of Romania. Iosif Nicoară takes us on a walk through the city that was the European Capital of Culture in 2023:

“I would start with a visit to the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, which is the second largest building of its kind in the country. It has a very distinctive architectural style and from the steps leading to its entrance you can have a nice view over the centre of the city. It’s also a place laden with history. The outbreak of the anti-communist revolution of 1989 is linked to this area. We could then visit Victory Square, Freedom Square and Union Square, all of which are also full of history. Union Square is home to the National Museum of Art, which hosted the big Brâncuși retrospective exhibition. It was an immense success and people came from as far as the United States to see it. It was the first exhibition in the last 50 years to bring together, in this country and in one place, most of the works by sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. Another site worth visiting is the Timișoara fortress, also known as the Terezia Bastion, and which today houses the National Museum of Banat. The Banat Village Museum is another interesting tourist site in the city.”

Timișoara’s historical centre is unique in Romania in that it consists of three different squares, each with its own architectural style. The dominant style of the city is the Viennese Baroque, but there are also many buildings in the neo-Byzantine and Art Nouveau styles. The city has the most diverse ethnic and religious make-up in the country, with 21 different ethnic groups and 18 religious denominations living here in harmony, says Iosif Nicoară, the executive director of the Association for Tourist Promotion and Development in Timiș County:

“The city of Timișoara and the whole county of Timiș, in fact, are home to ethnic Germans, Hungarians, Serbs, as well as many other different communities. And if there’s one thing that best sums up this county is that all these communities live together in harmony. There was never any hostility between them, on the contrary, they learnt from each other, they took the good things, they grew in harmony with each other and made this city and this county to grow and to become a tourist attraction for any foreign traveller to Romania. Little Vienna is what they used to call Timișoara and it fully deserves this description.”

But there are many more places worth visiting in Timiș county apart from Timișoara, and Buziaș is one of them. This spa town is mostly known for its treatment facilities specialising in heart diseases. The treatment is based on the natural resources available here, such as mineral springs and mofettes, which are discharges of carbon dioxide believed to help with peripheral circulation. Last but not least, the air in Buziaș is rich is ion, its concentration similar to places located at an altitude of 1,000 metres, despite it only being at an elevation of 128 metres. So the bioclimate here is most suited to rest and treatment. Iosif Nicoară explains:

“If a tourist’s time is limited and it is only two or three days, after seeing Timișoara in one day, very briefly, the first place I would take them, it would be extremely close, it would be Buziaș. Moreover, very few people know that there is a hill, Dealul Silagiului, right next to Buziaș, where there are six wineries. Few people know that there are six wineries in one place on the stretch of this hill, which have developed harmoniously. There are local producers there who make a special wine, and where we intend to do this year, on the second of June, a Marathon of the Heart. There will be races for children, starting at 600m, because they are the target audience to exercise outdoors and see how beautiful the area is. By car, it takes 30 minutes from Timișoara to Buziaș, and, in addition to the extremely generous offer of the city, this hill of Silagiu offers beauty and splendor in terms of nature. I was talking about the six wineries, but there are also local producers who offer all kinds of natural products in the area, honey, very good cheese, meat from some producers, as well as other authentic local products.”

Called Bucovina Banatului, Șara Făgetului lies in the eastern area of Timiș County. It is a picturesque area, the possibilities for rest and recreation being multiple here, as we learned from Iosif Nicoară, the executive director of the Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism in Timiș County.

“I was born in a hilly area towards the mountain, and the second destination to which I would guide and lead them would be the Făget area. It is an extraordinarily beautiful area, where there is also the oldest documented church in the area, where you can visit the Șopot Waterfall, see the place where the Bega River springs, and go by car or motorcycle. Those who want to ride a bike can choose a very beautiful route, called Transluncani. You can cross to the other side, in Caraș-Severin county. In the area, you can find the Cornet Waterfall, the Jdioara Fortress, the Surduc Lake, on which you can take a trip with the catamaran that belongs to our association. So this area is also extraordinarily beautiful. It’s a hill and mountain area where people can relax and feel great.”

Also in Timiș county, you will find many craftsmen. Unlike other areas of Romania, here, the wealth of traditions fascinates, due to the multi-ethnic character of the region. Thus, the rural universe is expected to be discovered without haste, as the reward will be commensurate. And, to visit the craftsmen at their homes, you can contact the Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism in Timiș County. They can organize a trip to folk craftsmen from all over the county.