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ORADEA, ROMANIA

I was born in Oradea, Romania on November 5, 1970. The city has a population of about 150,000 people. About 50% are of Hungarian descent and the rest are Romanian and a small percentage German. I left from there in 1984 and now reside in Forest Hills, NY.

Situated at the foot of Apuseni Mountaines, at the distance sensitively equal from Viena, Prague and Bucharest, Oradea is a passing-point on the roads which connect Central and Northern Europe with the South-Eastern part of Europe. By its position in Romania, Oradea is the main entering gate at Western frontier.

In the 1990's a the city has seen a boost of young people passing through from all over Europe and has become quite a small party city. It also part of the region of the country known as Transylvania, and you know what that is famous for...that's right...Dracula!

ECONOMY

Oradea has a modern economic system. The system combine the industrial activities with the comercial activities. That is why Oradea is considered the most important industrial center of Bihor (the state in which it is located).

Nevertheless Oradea's economy like the Romanian economy has its own problems on the private ownership of property. A consequence of this important process is the foundation of the following banks: The National Bank of Romania (Oradea branch), BCR, BRD, BANKCOOP, BANCOREX, ION TIRIAC BANK and many insurance organizations: ASIT, ASTRA, ASIROM, ARDAF.

Oradea's industry contains many domains: the Mechanic Industry, Chemical Industry, The Textile Industry, The Confection Industry, The Wood Industry, The Shoes Industry, The Food Industry, The Energetic Industry. The city tourism is very developed, because of its neighboring two famous baths, Felix and 1 Mai.

(View of Oradea from a hill)

TOURISM

BAILE FELIX SPA is situated in the western part of Romania, 8 kms south from Oradea and 250 kms from the capital of Hungary, Budapest and it represents one of the most famous SPAS in Romania beeing founded in 1221 AD.

The altitude of 140m above sea level, confers a very friendly climate. The resort has a very large base of treatment, where they heal rheumatic diseases, central and peripherical neurologic diseases, gynecologic and gastrointestinal non specific diseases (as associated diseases) and it also offers support for treatment of posttraumatic rehabilitation, and rehabilitation of chronic evolutive polyatritis in an inactive stage.

Thanks to the richness and chemical contents of thermomineral water springs, of an average temperature of 42c, complex, rehabilitating treatments are applied combining natural and physioterapeutical factors with remarkable results. These mineral springs were awarded prizes back in 1869 in Paris.

(Hotel Dacia, next to the river Crisu)

SOME MEMORIES

Click on the pictures to enlarge!

The apartment buiding I lived in from 1972-1984. We had a 3 bedroom place. My mother, father, grandmother and grandfather and I moved in and only my mother and I moved out, as the rest of my family passed away during the years there.
Some not so happy memories there, but I made a lot of friends in that building, some of which I still communicate with today.
Back then the street name was Strada Calugareni...it could still be called that now, but I am not sure!

Ahh! The famous Patria Movie theater. I first saw STAR WARS there in the '70s and Superman. Wow! It was great to be a kid. This is the place I fell in love with movies.
The movies were a real escape from the cold Communist world outside, and all of it was only a 5 minute walk from my home. I spent a lot of time and money there! Lots of great memories and fun with friends.
There was no popcorn, but who needed it when there was all this magic on the screen!

The main theater in the city. I can't say that I've ever been inside, because I haven't but it still a striking building. It always reminded me of the other theatres in Europe, like the ones in Paris and London. It is something that made our city look like one of the bigger cities. If you happen to travel through the city, you can't miss it. It is right in the middle of town!

This is the main, so called mall, in Oradea. Vulturul Negru (The Black Eagle) looks more like a hotel than a mall, but the inside was great, with a humongous glass ceiling and cool little shops where I always made some relative buy me some toys.
I remember the ceiling being so huge that there was always an echo inside. To the right of the mall, there is an Orthodox church where I was baptized! (not in photo).

The Astoria Hotel. It is in the heart of the city right next to the main theater. It was a hotel in the early part of the century and the in the early 70's it was transformed into a resident complex. My aunt and uncle lived there for a while.
It is now a hotel again. My families foreign friends always stayed there, so i used to love to go there because it usually meant I was getting chocolate and gum, which were in short supply back then. My cousins lived down the street on the left in the picture.

The main street in town. I was walking down this street every day going to school (Liceul de Filologie Istorie). There was this great little used antique book store where me and my friends used to get our fix of foreign comics, magazines and great science fiction books.
The street is about a mile long and there are no cars allowed. I heard that nowadays many great outdoor coffee shops have popped up on it.

Hotel International at Baile Felix. This is one of the Hotels at the famous baths situated a few miles out of town. My family and friends used to go there pretty much every weekend during the summer months (but I've never seen as many people there as in this picture). My father taught me how to swim so I was a happy camper in the swimming pools. 

Well, thanks for reading a little about the history of my birthplace. It is a great place to live,
very friendly and small enough to walk around without driving. 
The city is undergoing major development and is becoming a great tourist destination.
If you ever decide to pass through it, write me an e-mail and I'll reccomend you some great places to visit.

LA REVEDERE!