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his chapter includes:
-Amount of inhabitants: 65.000 (Jiu Valley 200.000).
-Composition inhabitants: 80% Romanian; 16% Hungarian; 4% others.
-Language: Romanian; +/- 16% Hungarian.
-Religion: 80% Orthodox; 16% Catholic; 4% others.
-Employment: 60% works in mining industry.
-Average temperature: 30C (July); -23C (January).
-...and Hunedoara: Petrosani is the third biggest city of the
county Hunedoara,
an important industrial centre, based on coal mining.
-...and the Jiu Valley: Petrosani is the biggest and most important
city of the Jiu Valley, administrative centre of 'Municipul Petrosani'.
The Jiu Valley is the most important coal mining zone of Romania.
-...and the Jiu River: Petrosani is close to the eastern end of the
Jiu Valley, on the 'Jiul de Est' river. Here the Jiul de Est and the 'Jiul de Vest',
and together become the 'Jiu River'. The Jiu River meets the Danube in the
plains of Oltenia, at the Bulgarian border.
-...and the Mountains: The valley of the Jiu is between the Retezat
Mountains (to the north-north-west), the 'Sureanu Mountains' (east north-east),
'Vulcanului Mountains'(to the south) and the 'Parang Mountains' (to the
east-south-east). All these mountains are part of the 'Meridional Carpathians.
-relative towns: other important cities of the Jiu Valley are
'Petrila', 'Vulcan','Lupeni' and 'Uricani', which are all mining-centres.
Most encyclopedias only mention Petrosani very shortly, in one or two lines. The Encyclopaedia Britannica however, has got a detailed description:
"Petrosani, city, Hunedoara judet (county), west-central Romania, situated on a tributary of the Jiu River. Founded in the 17th century, it is the principal city and cultural centre for the upper Jiu Valley coalfield. It has a theatre and a museum of mining. The city is the headquarters for a group of nearby mining centres, including Lupeni, Petrila, Vulcan, and the new town of Uricani at the foot of Mount Retezat. Output from the area averages several million tons of low-grade bitumiaous coal annually. Petrosani manufactures coal by-products and is the site of a state mining institute. Jules Verne, the fiction writer, wrote about Petrosani and its environs in his Book ‘Le château des Carpates’, after his visit to Romania in 1892. Highways and a railway connection extend through Petrosani. Pop.(1982 est.) 44, 268."
At last! A good way to keep up with my French! I've read the novel of
Jules Verne, "Le château des Carpathes" in which he also wrote about Petrosani. You can read my experiences at the paragraph Jules Verne visited Petrosani in 1892.| Writing way | |
|---|---|
| Petrosani | original official name |
| Petroseni | older writing way, used in the first half of the 20th century |
| Petroshani | other Romanian writing way |
| Petroseny | written in French |
| Petrozseny | written in Hongarian |
| Petroschen | written in German |
Jules Verne became very famous because of his wonderful travel-stories (the forerunner
of science-fiction), like Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours. After Jules Verne
visited Petrosani and his environs in 1892, he wrote Le château des Carpathes.
About this novel Jules Verne tell us: "this story isn't fiction, it's only written a little
romantic".
Le château des Carpathes starts, when a shepherd meets a pedlar on his way home. This pedlar sells the man a telescope, a tool which he hadn't seen before in his whole life.
The first thing the shepherd sees in the telescope, is the castle of the Carpathians, 'le château des Carpathes'. The castle is situated at the Ogall-tableland, at the left side of the Vulcan-pass, and was built somewhere in the 12th or 13th century. From the donjon of the castle you could see the whole area. At one side of the valley you could see the villages Livadzel, Lonyai, Petroseny (written exactly like this by Jules Verne) and Petrilla, which were all developped around shafts and coal-mines. Petroseny was brought to prosperity thanks to the exploitation of the coal-basin.
"And there... between the fir-trees in the valley, I recognize the church-tower of Petroseny, with his tin cock. The bill of the cock is wide open, like it calls its chickens."
The Romanians stayed round the castle of the Carpathians for centuries. "The Romanians will never perish!" (Rôman on péré!), they said. At the Castle lived the barons of Gortz, the landowners of the whole valley, for many decades.
These days were the days of stories and fables. It was said many 'stryges'(vampires), werewolves, 'babes'(fairies), 'balauri'(dragons), and flying monsters which kidnapped beautifull princesses, lived in the woods around the Castle. And of course many superstitious people believed that!
The last landowner, baron Rudolf of Gotz, left the Castle very suddenly, and nobody knew where this man was. The Castle was empty for more than 20 years.
But then... suddenly at a beautiful day, the shepherd saw smoke coming out from the Castle with his new telescope. And the clock of the Castle made his old 'ding-dong' sounds again. How could that be??? Ghosts??? Many people in the villages were very frightened, and only a few dared to go on expedition to the Castle, which was far away from the civilized world, on the top of a mountain.
Did people of the villages see the baron Rudolf of Gotz at the tower, together with a long lost beautiful women? But wasn't she dead?? Ghosts??
Ghosts or no ghosts, that you have to read by yourself! I'm not going to give up the clue of course :-). I'm sure 'le château des Carpathes' is translated in your own language and available at your local library. Absolutely worth to read!
One thing Jules Verne wants to show us, which is also important for potential tourists to Petrosani and its environs: "Strangers only come very seldom at this part of Transsylvania. That's a pitty. This land deserves to be visited!!"
Jules Verne, February 18, 1828 - March 24, 1905
True facts about 'le château des Carpathes':
It's just fiction. The closest real 'château' to Petrosani is about 48km away
in Santamaria Orlea, next to Hateg, owned by the counts of Kendeffy in the 18th and 19th
century. Today it's a motel. Romania has a many 'donjons', which were used in
the middle ages as watch-towers. The nearest tower to Petrosani is settled in Boli,
15 km away.
The End of the Second MilleniumTotal Solar Eclipse of 1999 August 11 On Wednesday August 11 1999, people saw one of the most spectacular astronomical events: a solar eclipse. This solar eclipse also crossed Petrosani in the middle of the day (11h 01m G.M.T.; so in Petrosani 13h 01m) for about two minutes (2m23s).
What is a solar eclipse in fact? When a solar eclipse crosses, the moon has come exactly between the earth and the sun. In the cast shadow of the moon(the ‘umbra’) an earthly observer, sees a total solar eclipse. This will also happen in Petrosani. The chance of having a total solar eclipse, is on an average of 360 year! This is why it is such a special event.
Partial eclipses are more usual. Around the area of the umbra, there’s a very large area, which lies in the partial-shadow of the moon (the ‘penumbra’). Every year there’s on almost every place of the world a partial eclipse.
The total eclipse of August 11 1999, first crossed France in Normandy. After ‘meeting’ France, it touched Belgium and Luxembourg, before crossing into Germany. Austria had the path of total eclipse pass right through the country. As it left Austria, the path of the total eclipse just barely touched northeast Slovenia, and then passed into Hungary. Then the eclipse path partially cut across Yugoslavia.
In Romania the total eclipse path cut right across the country, and covered many towns and cities. Lupeni and Petrosani were very close to the centreline on either side, and saw 2m22s and 2m23s of total eclipse, respectively, at 11:01 G.M.T.
Rîmnicu-Vîlcea was close to the centreline, and, what's more, close to the point of maximum eclipse; it saw 2m22s of totality at 11:03 G.M.T. After the point of maximum eclipse had passed, eclipse durations could only get shorter; but this happened quite gradually. Pitesti, right on the centreline, saw a total eclipse of 2m23s at 11:04 G.M.T, and Bucuresti (Bucharest) saw 2m22s at 11:07 G.M.T. As the eclipse path approached the Black Sea, the centreline crossed (just) into Bulgaria.
On August 11 it was cloudy, and people thought it could become a disappointment for many people. In fact it was great!! On the Parangul Mountains (+/- 2000 meter) you saw the moon approching to the sun. And for a moment there was only darkness: the total eclipse! It almost looked like the end of the world... like in a movie. After a few minutes the light came back again. The sun was visible, and on the ground it became very foggy and the temperature was falling with almost 10 degrees. What an event!!!
Many times in the past people from Petrosani struck against the Romanian government. Mostly for a higher payment, or because of the bad circumstances in which they had to work.
Recently, January 1999, the miners from Petrosani were striking again, because the government wanted to close 140 mines in the Jiu Valley. The miners also wanted a higher payment of 35%. When the miners were heading to Bucharest, the government decided to agree with some of their terms.
Most miners like to keep the mines open, which are there for ages for them. For that they strike, demonstrate or even fight against the government of their country. Who wants to take their mines, can expect a lot of anger from them. And together the miners are one, because they know they all depend on eachother, especially when they're deeply under the ground. In Belgium, England, Germany, Russia and also in the Romanian Jiu Valley (Petrosani including), everyone knows the miners exist, and dare to speak for their rights.
But although the fanaticism of the miners and their strikes, probably they will lose 'the battle'. The miners are a dying race, especially because the pit-coal in for example Australia, the U.S. and South-America is much cheaper, because the production of coal is more at the surface of the earth there.
For many years governments subsidized the miners. But most countries gradually saw, this wasn't a solution, and they closed the mines. Many people in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and England lost their jobs. The worst has already happened in the Netherlands and Belgium, but after the communism time, countries like the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania know, the same will probably happen to them too.
The job of the European mineworker, the digger of the black gold, is fading away. Also because the EG like most mines to be closed in Europe before 2000. If Romania wants to get their funds, they have to do the same.
People are already leaving the mine regions, also in Petrosani. Someone even told me by e-mail, Petrosani is expecting to become a ghost-town, when the mines will close. But next to the mines, Petrosani has got much other things to develop. It is for sure Petrosani has got enough beauties to become a touristic area. Let's hope they will take advantage of it soon. Together with all other cities in Romania.
See the photo report of the mining strike of January 1999.
