Geography of Oradea
Oradea is the capital of Bihor
County, located in the northwestern part of Romania, in the Western Plain, on
the banks of the river Cris. It is a crossroad that connects Central and
Northern Europe with the Southeastern part of the continent. The city has a
strong industry that produces machines-tools, automotive parts, and machinery
for agriculture, chemicals, textiles, furniture and other industrial products.
University, theatres, philharmonic orchestra, libraries and museums make Oradea
an important cultural center. A rich architectural patrimony gives Oradea a
distinct West European personality and accounts for much of its touristic
appeal.
Bihor County includes part of the
Western Carpathian Mountains, hills and plains. Karsts formations in the
mountains created underground streams and caverns. The Chiscau "Bear's cave
offers a spectacular example of the karstic process .Since the
Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Oradea and the surroundings are famous for its
thermal spas.
The county has a surface of 7.540
sq.km and a population of 633,600, of which 311,000 live in cities.
As a tourist you can visit
interesting places as : the Fortress of Oradea built on 1114 - 1131 and
destroyed partially by Tartars, the county main museum located in a baroque
palace - built on1750 -1759 as a replica of the Belvedere Palace from Vienna,
the Roman - Catholic cathedral which is the biggest baroque monument in Romania
and other historical sites.
"Felix" thermal spas at
about 9km from Oradea, the "Stana de Vale" mountain spa with its
"Wonder source", the "Bear's cave", the country side
traditions going back thousand of years offer as many spectacular views.
Oradea has a population of about
240,000. Sixty percent are Romanian, thirty percent are Hungarians(Magyars),
three percent are Gypsies, three percent are Slovaks, three percent are Germans
and one percent are Jews.
