Draft:Nagyvárad

Nagyvárad ( Romanian Oradea, German Großwardein , Slovak Veľký Varadín , Latin Varadinum or Magnovaradinum , Yiddish гройсвардайн; Groszvardajn ) is the seat of Bihar County in Romania , a city with county rights in Partium , Körösvidék , on the banks of Sebes-Körös. The settlement is the largest city in the region.

The Hungarian king László I placed the bishopric of Bihar in the city, which originated in the 11th century, and was buried here after the completion of the cathedral. The city changed hands several times during the Turkish occupation, and was finally liberated in 1692. In 1920, following the Trianon Peace Treaty , it came to Romania, previously it was the center of the county of Bihar belonging to the Kingdom of Hungary.

Middle Ages
Its name comes from the old Hungarian noun várad (= small castle). The big prefix distinguishes it from Kisvárda. Already in the 11th century, there was an earthen castle here. The monastery was founded by King László I (Saint) László I. It was built on the site of today's castle between 1083 and 1095, and László installed the bishopric of Bihar here. The king, who died in 1095, was buried in Somogyvár , because the Várad Cathedral had not yet been built, he was laid to rest here in 1106 (or after 1113 ), and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage from 1192 , when he was canonized. Between 1217 and 1235, the Váradi regestrum , a Hungarian language monument ( scattered monument ), was created here.

It was besieged by the Mongols in 1241 and captured on April 15 after a great battle. The Tartar revolt is described by Bishop Rogerius of Spalato (Split), archdeacon of Varad, in his work entitled Carmen Miserabile (Song of Lament). ( Rogérius 's name is now a part of the city.) In 2014, the remains of a church that was presumably built after the Tatar invasion, before or during the bishopric of András Báthori, were unearthed in the castle. The bishop's palace was later built above the Church of Our Lady. [2]

1390 . on May 20, in the presence of the royal couple: Mária and Zsigmond, the gilded equestrian statue of King Saint László was erected in front of the cathedral, which was made by the Cluj-Napoca brothers on the order of Bishop János Czudar of Várad. Canon Janus Pannonius, bishop János Vitéz between 1445 and 1465 , castle captain Ferenc Rhédey and his son , who became prince of Transylvania, were here. In 1474, the army of Szendrői Bey Ali plundered the city, but could not take the castle. The fort was then fortified.

From 15th century to 20th century
In 1514, the peasant army besieged it in vain. In 1538, Ferdinand I and János Szapolyai made peace here. In 1556, Tamás Varkoch, leader of János Zsigmond , besieged and took it. During this, the city and the castle were almost completely destroyed. In 1598, the Turks besieged it without success. 1613 . on October 27, the Transylvanian prince Gábor Báthory was killed nearby. 1660 . died here on June 6, having received a fatal wound in the battle of Szaszfenes II. Prince György Rákóczi. On July 14, Ali Pasha besieged it and occupied it on August 28. In 1664, László Rákóczi attempted to liberate Várad, but in 1689, Archcount Lajos Bádeni besieged it unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, 1685. on October 15, Thököly, Pasha of Várad, was captured here , whose remaining authority was thereby lost, 1686. on February 1, the Pasha welcomed him with great pomp. In 1692, Imperial Cavalry General Heissler [3] [4] liberated the city from the Turks.

Its new cathedral was built between 1752 and 1779.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was one of the most important centers of Hungarian cultural life, the poet Endre Ady called it the "Paris of Pece".

After World War I
The city came to Romania in 1920, following the Trianon Peace Treaty. In 1940, the second decision in Vienna awarded the city to Hungary, and it remained under Hungarian rule until the end of 1944.

The castle still stands today, and although it was in a very dilapidated state for a while, it has now been completely renovated. During the decades of communist rule, the Romanian authorities did everything in order to destroy, falsify, and hide the memories referring to the Hungarian past. This is how the castle almost fell prey to the mob. In front of the doomed fortress - on the filled former moat belonging to the castle - high block houses were erected to hide it from the prying eyes of those interested. But a few years ago, the city management completely renovated the castle, partly with EU funds, so today it awaits its visitors in almost its original splendor.

The Italian cemetery, the burial place of the ecclesiastical, literary and public elite of the city and the (castle) county, was closed in 1970. After that, its condition deteriorated due to continuous and regular vandalism, with the tacit support of the city administration at the time. [5] [6] Based on the decision of the Nagyvárad municipality in 2009, the Italian and Vzőrce cemeteries, which were already significantly neglected at the time, were liquidated. [7] A park was later created in their place.