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ROMÂNIA | ROMANIA |
județ Caraș-Severin | Caraș-Severin County |
Oravița (German: Orawitz, Hungarian: Oravicza) is situated at an elevation of 289 m in the southwest of Caraș-Severin county (Banat region) of western Romania, about 35 km southwest of the county's capital, Reșița. Oravița has a population of about 15,000.
The place was first mentioned in documents of the late 17th century. After the victory of Austria over the Turks, Oravița was one of the first places in the Banat region that were colonised by settlers from Tyrol, Carinthia, Carniola and Styria. The first Banat mining commission was founded in Timișoara in 1717 and soon after that privileges were granted to miners who settled in Oravița. The town soon became a centre of copper production. Silver, lead and gold also were mined. However, most mining activites were discontinued in the mid-19th century. The railroad from Oravița to Baziaș was completed in 1854. It was the first of southern Hungary and is the oldest in Romania. The railroad was built to transport coal from Oravița to the port at the Danube river. The mountain railway line from Oravița to Steierdorf (Hungarian: Stájerlak) and Anina is a technical monument. It was once nicknamed the "Semmering railroad of the Banat".
Already during the 19th centuy Oravița was known as a climatic spa.
The colony