, built 1904 Archaeological evidence from
Țara Oașului,
Ardud,
Medieșu Aurit,
Homoroade, etc. clearly shows settlements in the area dating to the
Stone Age and the
Bronze Age. There is also evidence that the local
Dacian population remained there after the Roman conquest in 101/106 AD. Later, these lands may have formed part of
Menumorut's holdings; one of the important defensive fortresses – , dating to the 10th century – was at Satu Mare, as mentioned in the
Gesta Hungarorum. After
Stephen I of Hungary created the
Kingdom of Hungary in the year 1000, German colonists were settled at the periphery of the city (
Villa Zotmar), brought in by Stephen's wife, the Bavarian princess
Gisela of Hungary. Later, they were joined by more German colonists from beyond the
Someș River, in Mintiu. A
royal free city since the 13th century, Satu Mare changed hands several times in the 15th century until the
Báthory family took possession of the citadel in 1526, proceeding to divert the Someș's waters in order to defend the southern part of the citadel; thus, the fortress remained on an island linked to the main roads by three bridges over the Someș. In 1562 the citadel was besieged by
Ottoman armies led by
Pargalı İbrahim Pasha of
Buda and Maleoci Pasha of
Timișoara. Then the
Habsburgs besieged it, leading the fleeing
Transylvanian armies to set it on fire. The Austrian general Lazar Schwendi ordered the citadel to be rebuilt after the plans of Italian architect Ottavio Baldigara; using an Italian system of fortifications, the new structure would be pentagonal with five towers. In the Middle Ages, Satu Mare and Mintiu were two distinct entities. On 2 January 1721, Emperor
Charles VI recognised the union, at the same time granting Satu Mare the status of
royal free city. The city's importance was linked to the transportation and commerce of salt from nearby
Ocna Dejului (, ), possibly already at a very early date. By the
Treaty of Trianon, Satu Mare officially ceased to be part of Hungary becoming part of
Romania. In 1940, the
Second Vienna Award gave back
Northern Transylvania, including Satu Mare, to Hungary. In October 1944, the city was captured by the
Soviet Red Army. After 1945, the city became again part of Romania. Soon afterwards, a
Communist regime came to power, lasting until the
1989 revolution. In the early 18th century, Jews were allowed to settle in Sathmar. Some of them became involved in large-scale agriculture, becoming landlords or lessees, or were active in trade and industry, or distilled brandy and leased taverns on crown estates. In 1715, when Sathmar became a royal town, they were expelled, beginning to resettle in the 1820s. Another Hasidic rabbi,
Aharon Roth, the founder of the
Shomrei Emunim and
Toldot Aharon communities in
Jerusalem, was also active in Satu Mare. Six trains left Satu Mare for
Auschwitz-Birkenau, starting on 19 May 1944, each carrying approximately 3300 persons. The trains passed through Kassa (
Košice) on 19, 22, 26, 29, 30 May and 1 June. In total, 18,863 Jews were deported from Satu Mare,
Carei and the surrounding localities. Of these, 14,440 were killed. Only a small number of the survivors returned to Satu Mare after the war, but a number of Jews belonging to linguistically and culturally different groups from all parts of Romania settled in the city. The majority of them later
emigrated to Israel. By 1970, the town's Jewish population numbered 500, In 2004, a Holocaust memorial was dedicated in the
Decebal Street Synagogue's courtyard. Aside from the synagogues, two Jewish cemeteries also remain. Among the notable members of the local Jewish community have been historian
Ignác Acsády, parliamentary deputies
Ferenc Chorin and
Kelemen Samu, politician
Oszkár Jászi, writers
Gyula Csehi,
Rodion Markovits,
Sándor Dénes, and , painter
Pál Erdös,
Jacob Reinitz and director
György Harag. == Demographics ==