MARIA THERESA BASTION

TIMIŞOARA

a brief presentation made by Simona-Liliana Popovici

member of the team project from Romania

coordinated by Octavian Horia Minda

Around the 12th Century was Timişoara's first strengthened

fortress built. It lodged several voivodes, but its development

started in the 14th Century, under the reign of Carol Robert de

Anjou, period when, amid 1316-1323, Timisoara became the

capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.

In 1552 the fortress was conquered by the Ottomans. Under their

ruling the town was surrounded by a wattle wall and ditch with

water.

The wall had 5 gates. Only the Ottomans lived in the protected

area, in the Vienna, the town. The Catholics and the Orthodox

lived in suburbs, where they had their own churches.

In 1716 the stronghold is conquered by the Habsburg Empire.

Under their dominance the town knows an unheard prosperous

period, gaining the name of Small Vienna.

Amid 1723-1765 the stronghold was rebuilt because the

fortifications couldn't get through the new fighting techniques.

The new Vauban style fortification had a 10 times greater

surface than the Turkish Medieval Stronghold.

The interior space

was surrounded by

3 stellar belts that

could be filled with

water. It had 9

bastions and 3

gates: the Carol,

Francisc, Theresia,

Iosef, Hamilton,

Castelul, Mercy,

Eugeniu and

Elisabeth bastions

and the Viena,

Petrovaradin and

Transilvania gates.

From these only the Theresia bastion can be seen today. It was

built amid 1730-1735. A fragment from the formerly walls can be

seen in the Botanic Park and on the Al. Ioan Cuza street.