The first records of people inhabiting this area date back to prehistorical times, as evidenced by the discoveries made at the Straja-Lupeni hill
cave, where old pottery objects were found. The city of Lupeni was first attested in 1770. During the
Middle Ages, the
Jiu Valley was sparsely populated, with the inhabitants living in small villages, and
shepherding being the main activity. Lupeni was formed as a result of the intense migration of people coming from Valea Streiului and Țara Hațegului, who were attracted by the rich pastures and hayfields of the area. The residents of the village of Valea Lupului (Wolf Valley) are those who are believed to have founded Lupeni. During the communist regime, the mines were nationalized by the communist government. In 1977, Lupeni was the site of the
Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977. After the
Romanian Revolution of 1989, in the 1990s, mining operations entered a restructuring process that had a very strong social and economic impact on the city. A large number of mines were closed, and this also affected other related activities, such as suppliers of materials, equipment and services, and agents that operated in the trade and services areas. Nevertheless, in recent years, new areas of economic development emerged, such as tourism, forestry industry, bakery industry, and commerce. The city's remaining active mine is the
Lupeni Coal Mine managed by the Petroșani-based
National Hard Coal Company. ==Population==