Deva, Romania

Deva (Hungarian: Déva, Hungarian pronunciation: ; German: Diemrich, Schlossberg, Denburg; Latin: Sargetia) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.

Name
Its name was first recorded in 1269 as castrum Dewa. The origin of the name gave rise to controversy. Some thought that 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 exist in Slovak for the Devín Castle, located at the confluence of the Danube and Morava, on former town of Devín (now a suburb of Bratislava). It is also 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.

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 Transilvania, mentioned "the royal castle of Deva" in a privilege-grant for the Count Chyl of Kelling (comitele Chyl din Câlnic). Under Voivod John Hunyadi, Deva became an important military and administrative centre. Partially destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in 1550, it was afterward rebuilt and the fortress extended. In 1621 Prince Gabriel Bethlen transformed and extended the Magna Curia Palace (also known as the Bethlen Castle) in Renaissance style.

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, Bârcea Mică, Cristur and Sântuhalm.

Demographics
According to the last census, from 2002, there were 69,257 people living within the city of Deva, making it the 37th largest city in Romania. The ethnic makeup is as follows:


 * Romanians: 89.21%
 * Hungarians: 8.62%
 * Roma: 1.26%
 * Other: 0.91%

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

Education
A private University of Ecology and Tourism was established in the city in 1990, and the academic centres of Timişoara and Cluj-Napoca have opened branches in the city. Deva is also the home of Romania's national women gymnastics training centre.

Notable people
Deva is the birtplace of:
 * François Bréda
 * María Corda
 * Matthias Dévay (1547), Protestant Reformer, referred to as the "Luther of Hungary"
 * Bogdan Mara
 * Dora Pavel
 * Daniela Silivaş, medalist in Gymnastics at the 1988 Olympics

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.

Twinned cities

 * 🇫🇷 Arras, France
 * 🇫🇷 Cherbourg-Octeville, France
 * 🇭🇺 Szigetvar, Hungary
 * Yancheng, China