Deva, Romania

Its name was first recorded in 1269 as castrum Dewa. The origin of the name gave rise to controversy. It is considered that the name comes from the ancient Dacian word dava, meaning "fortress" (as in Pelendava, Piroboridava, or Zargidava). Other theories trace the name to a Roman Legion, the Legio II Augusta, transferred to Deva from Castrum Deva, now Chester (Deva Victrix) in Britain. János András Vistai assume the name is of old Turkic origin from the name Gyeücsa. Others assert that the name is probably of Slavic origin where Deva or Devín means "girl" or "maiden" (a similar case exists in Slovakian for the Devín Castle, located at the confluence of the Danube and Great Morava, at the site of the former town of Devín) or from the Old Hungarian name Győ. Additionally, it is possible the name Deva was derived from the reconstructed proto-Indo-European dhewa ("settlement"). On medieval maps Deva appears as: Dewan (first mention), Deva, or later Diemrich. ==History==

Documentary evidence of the city's existence first appeared in 1269 when Stephen V, King of Hungary and Duke of Transylvania, mentioned "the royal castle of Deva" in a privilege-grant for the Count Chyl of Kelling (). However, the refugees came to Deva from Wallachia and from Alvinc (now Vinţu de Jos, Romania), where a similar colony had been established in 1700. They numbered in 1716 51 families and three Franciscan friars, established their own neighbourhood, which was known to the locals as Greci ("Greeks", i.e. "merchants"). Their influence over local affairs caused Deva to be officially called a "Bulgarian town" for a short period, even though the maximum population of the colony was 71 families in 1721. ==Demographics==

In 1850, the town had 2,129 inhabitants, of which 1,038 were Romanians (48.8%), 517 Hungarians (24.3%), 255 Germans (12%), 216 Roma (10.1%) and 103 (4.8%) of other ethnicities, meanwhile in 1910, out of 8,654 inhabitants, 5,827 were Hungarians (67.33%), 2,417 Romanians (27.92%), 276 Germans (3.18%) and 134 (1.57%) of other ethnicities. At the 2011 census, there were 56,647 people living within the city, making it the 37th largest city in Romania. The ethnic makeup in 2011 was as follows: 89.67% Romanians, 7.79% Hungarians, 1.6% Roma, and 0.91% other. At the 2021 census, Deva had a population of 53,113; of those, 74.28% were Romanians, 5.33% Hungarians, and 19.42% other. ==Economy==

Automotive, commerce, construction materials and power industries are important to Deva's economy. ==Geography==

Deva is situated in the central part of Hunedoara County, on the left bank of the middle course of the Mureș River at 187 m above sea level. The city administers four villages: Archia (Árki), Bârcea Mică (Kisbarcsa), Cristur (Csernakeresztúr) and Sântuhalm (Szántóhalma). Climate Located at a relatively low altitude within a depression, Deva has the mildest climate in Transylvania, as it is sheltered from strong currents. The air flows in from the west and northwest. Along the Mureș corridor, sub-Mediterranean influences can be felt, meanwhile, damp Atlantic air masses do not affect the city, which is protected by the Apuseni Mountains and the Poiana Ruscă Mountains. Summers are not excessively hot, and winters are mild, characterized by a lack of severe frosts. == Education ==

A private University of Ecology and Tourism was established in the city in 1990, and the academic centres of Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca have opened branches in the city. Deva is also the home of Romania's national women gymnastics training center called Colegiul National Sportiv "Cetatea" Deva Here is a list of the high schools from Deva: • Decebal National College [http://www.cnd.ro/ • National Pedagogical College “Regina Maria” * Colegiul Național Sportiv "Cetatea" [http://cnscetatedeva.ro/ • Sigismund Toduță High School of Arts * Téglás Gábor Theoretical High School [http://devatgi.ro/en • Transylvania Technical College * Grigore Moisil Technical High School [http://ltgmoisildeva.ro/ • Dragomir Hurmuzescu Technical College Traian Theoretical High School was disbanded in 2014 and the students were enrolled at Decebal National College. == Notable people ==

• François Bréda • María Corda • Matthias Dévay • Anamaria Gavrilă • Florentina Iusco • Kocsárd Janky • Bogdan Juratoni • Raluca Lăzăruț • Maria Neculiță • Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás • Dora Pavel • Paul Radu • Pál Réthy • Daniela Silivaș • Adrian Sitaru == Climate ==

Deva has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation peaks in the month of June. {{Weather box | width = auto | metric first = yes | single line = yes | location = Deva (1991–2020) | Jan record high C = 16.7 | Feb record high C = 20.9 | Mar record high C = 28.4 | Apr record high C = 31.6 | May record high C = 32.9 | Jun record high C = 36.6 | Jul record high C = 40.0 | Aug record high C = 39.1 | Sep record high C = 37.1 | Oct record high C = 33.1 | Nov record high C = 25.0 | Dec record high C = 18.7 | year record high C = 40.0 | Jan high C = 2.7 | Feb high C = 6.3 | Mar high C = 12.1 | Apr high C = 18.3 | May high C = 22.9 | Jun high C = 26.4 | Jul high C = 28.4 | Aug high C = 28.8 | Sep high C = 23.1 | Oct high C = 17.3 | Nov high C = 9.9 | Dec high C = 3.5 | year high C = 16.6 | Jan mean C = -1.2 | Feb mean C = 1.0 | Mar mean C = 5.7 | Apr mean C = 11.3 | May mean C = 15.8 | Jun mean C = 19.4 | Jul mean C = 21.1 | Aug mean C = 20.9 | Sep mean C = 15.8 | Oct mean C = 10.4 | Nov mean C = 5.0 | Dec mean C = 0.1 | year mean C = 10.4 | Jan low C = -4.3 | Feb low C = -2.8 | Mar low C = 0.6 | Apr low C = 5.3 | May low C = 9.8 | Jun low C = 13.2 | Jul low C = 14.6 | Aug low C = 14.5 | Sep low C = 10.4 | Oct low C = 5.7 | Nov low C = 1.4 | Dec low C = -2.6 | year low C = 5.5 | Jan record low C = -22.3 | Feb record low C = -21.5 | Mar record low C = -22.3 | Apr record low C = -8.1 | May record low C = -1.4 | Jun record low C = 4.0 | Jul record low C = 5.3 | Aug record low C = 6.4 | Sep record low C = -1.2 | Oct record low C = -8.0 | Nov record low C = -11.6 | Dec record low C = -22.0 | year record low C = -22.3 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 29.3 | Feb precipitation mm = 26.4 | Mar precipitation mm = 32.7 | Apr precipitation mm = 50.5 | May precipitation mm = 70.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 83.4 | Jul precipitation mm = 69.8 | Aug precipitation mm = 58.2 | Sep precipitation mm = 51.3 | Oct precipitation mm = 42.9 | Nov precipitation mm = 34.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 36.5 | year precipitation mm = 585.5 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 6.8 | Feb precipitation days = 6.3 | Mar precipitation days = 6.9 | Apr precipitation days = 8.1 | May precipitation days = 10.5 | Jun precipitation days = 10.2 | Jul precipitation days = 7.7 | Aug precipitation days = 6.4 | Sep precipitation days = 7.1 | Oct precipitation days = 6.9 | Nov precipitation days = 6.7 | Dec precipitation days = 6.9 | year precipitation days = 90.5 | Jan sun = 70.4 | Feb sun = 104.1 | Mar sun = 160.6 | Apr sun = 189.8 | May sun = 221.3 | Jun sun = 249.4 | Jul sun = 268.3 | Aug sun = 262.6 | Sep sun = 190.2 | Oct sun = 153.1 | Nov sun = 86.5 | Dec sun = 54.4 | year sun = 2010.7 | source 1 = NOAA ==Tourism==

Deva is dominated by the Citadel Hill, a protected nature reserve because of its rare floral species and the presence of the horned adder. Perched on the top of the hill are the ruins of the Citadel built in the 13th century. Tourists can visit the Citadel by climbing the hill or using the cable car. The machinery covers a distance of 160 meters and it can transport up to 16 people. Deva's tourist attractions include the Arts Theatre, the Patria Cinema, the Old Centre and the Citadel Park, where there are the statues of Mihai Eminescu and Decebal and the Magna Curia Palace. There is also the Aqualand Complex, a recently built leisure centre situated near the Citadel Park. It is an important tourist spot for the Transylvania region. Downtown the city, the House of culture and the musical fountain represent two elements that define the town centre of Deva. ==Sport==

Deva is considered the Gymnastics capital of Romania because the National gymnastics training center is located in the city. Many of the country's Olympic gymnasts have trained in Deva, including Nadia Comăneci. ==Twinned cities==

• Arras, France • Cherbourg-Octeville, France • Szigetvár, Hungary • Yancheng, China ==Photo gallery==

File:Cetatea medievală Deva, în lumina răsăritului.jpg|Deva Citadel File:Deva 2011 - Magna Curia and Citadel.jpg|Magna Curia File:Teatrul Deva3.JPG|Art Theatre File:Deva, kostel.jpg|Church of the Franciscan monastery, founded by a Bulgarian colony in 1724 File:Deva Prefecture 2011-5.jpg|Hunedoara County Prefecture ==References==