Editing Turda (section)

==History==

===Ancient times===
{{See also|Potaissa (castra)}}
[[File:Milliarum of Aiton, modern copy erected in Turda, Romania in 1993.jpg|thumb|left|''Milliarium of Aiton'', the oldest known epigraphical attestation of Potaissa&nbsp;– a copy erected in June 1993 in front of the Turda Post Office]]

There is evidence of human settlement in the area dating to the [[Middle Paleolithic]], some 60,000 years ago.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.primariaturda.ro/index.php?topic=29&blank=0&pag=comuna_primitiva.htm "Comuna primitivă"] at the Turda City Hall site; accessed March 21, 2013</ref> The [[Dacia]]ns established a town that [[Ptolemy]] in his [[Geography (Ptolemy)|''Geography'']] calls ''Patreuissa'', which is probably a corruption of ''Patavissa'' or ''Potaissa'', the latter being more common. It was conquered by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], who kept the name ''Potaissa'', between AD 101 and 106, during the rule of [[Trajan]], together with parts of [[Decebalus|Decebal]]'s [[Dacia]].<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.primariaturda.ro/index.php?topic=29&blank=0&pag=epoca_dacica.htm "Epoca dacică"] at the Turda City Hall site; accessed March 21, 2013</ref>

The name Potaissa is first recorded on a Roman [[milliarium]] discovered in 1758 in the nearby [[Aiton, Cluj|Aiton]] commune.<ref name="roman">Lazarovici ''et al.'' 1997, pp. 202–3 (6.2 Cluj in the Old and Ancient Epochs)</ref>

[[File:2006 0602Turda0088Potaissa.jpg|thumb|left|[[Roman bath]] at [[Potaissa (castra)|Castra Potaissa]]]]

The [[Potaissa (castra)|legionary fortress]] established as the basecamp of the [[Legio V Macedonica|Legio V ''Macedonica'']] from 166 to 274 was named ''Potaissa'' too. The city became a [[municipium]], then a [[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]]. 

The [[Salina Turda|Potaissa salt mines]] were worked in the area since prehistoric times.

From the reign of [[Gordian III]] (238&ndash;244) numerous treasures were excavated from Turda, [[Țaga]], [[Viișoara, Mureș|Viișoara]], and [[Mărtinești]], showing that in this time the defense was breaking under the [[Carpi people|Carps]], [[Goths]], [[Gepids]], and [[Vandals]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Bicsok |first=Zoltán |url=http://mek.oszk.hu/03900/03911/03911.pdf |title=Torda város története és statútuma |publisher=Erdélyi Múzem-Egyesület |year=2001 |isbn=973-99299-9-0 |volume=Erdélyi Turdományos Füzetek 229 |trans-title=History and statute of the city of Torda}}</ref>

Objects dated to post-Aurelian retreat found at the site (for example an inscribed onyx gem depicting the Good Shepherd, and silver coins of Diocletian) together with a large burial containing sarcophagi and a cremation stone box point at continuous habitation until the early fifth century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wanner |first=Rob |last2=De Sena |first2=Eric |date=2016 |title=Reflections on the Immediate Post-Roman Phase of Three Dacian Cities: Napoca, Potaissa and Porolissum |url=https://www.academia.edu/171310/Reflections_on_the_Immediate_Post_Roman_Phase_of_Three_Dacian_Cities_Napoca_Potaissa_and_Porolissum |access-date=3 May 2024 |website=academia.edu}}</ref> The situation changes in the next two centuries when dwellings and cemeteries superpose the Roman site, in a similar manner to [[Apulum (conurbation)|Apulum]] and [[Sirmium]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemeti |first=Sorin |last2=Barbocz |first2=Beata |date=2023 |title=The 5th–6 th Century AD Settlement from the Fortress of legio V Macedonica at Potaissa |url=https://www.academia.edu/115784832/THE_5TH_6TH_CENTURY_AD_SETTLEMENT_FROM_THE_FORTRESS_OF_LEGIO_V_MACEDONICA_AT_POTAISSA?rhid=28219244912&swp=rr-rw-wc-64882422 |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=Academia.edu}}</ref> After conquering the place, the Huns settled down near.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Visszapillantás Torda múltjába |trans-title=Flashback in the past of Torda |url=http://torda.ro/index.php?id=32 |website=Torda |language=hu}}</ref> From this time three [[Solidus (coin)|solidus]] were found from graves. Burying with coins was a [[Gepids|Gepid]] tradition not typical of the Huns, meaning that they settled their vassals in [[Transylvania]] too.<ref name=":1" />

===Middle Ages===
{{See also|Transylvania in the Middle Ages}}
The territory changed hands between the [[Gepids]] and [[Lombards|Langobards]] multiple times before both were expelled by the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]].<ref name=":0" />

After the [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] conquest, the kindred Kalocsa settled here. Their center was called {{Lang|hu|Tordavár}} ("castle of Torda"), and another important estate was {{Lang|hu|Tordalaka}} ("home of Torda") as of 1075.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> The name probably derives from [[Old Church Slavonic|Old Bulgarian]] *tvьrdъ meaning citadel, fortress.<ref>Nicolae Drăganu: [https://bcub.ro/lib2life/Toponimie%20si%20istorie_Draganu%20Nicolae_Cluj_1928.pdf Toponimie și istorie], 1928, page 149 </ref> 

[[Transylvanian Saxons|Saxons]] settled in the area in the 12th century. Much of the town was destroyed during the [[First Mongol invasion of Hungary|Tatar invasion in 1241–1242]], however most of its inhabitants survived by hiding in the cave system. [[Stephen V of Hungary|King Stephen V]] ensured its quick revival by giving privileges.<ref name=":0" />

On 8 January, 1288, [[Ladislaus IV of Hungary|Ladislaus IV]] attended the first national assembly in Torda and recruited an army of Transylvanians to repel the [[Cumans|Cuman]] invasion. He pursued the Cumans back to the border. During this time the Hungarians were the absolute majority in the city. Numerous meetings were held here afterwards.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:TurdaPalatPrinciarDavidFerenc.jpg|left|thumb|268x268px|The national assembly of Torda. Painting by [[Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch]] ]]
The Hungarian Diet was held here in 1467, by [[Matthias Corvinus]]. Later, in the 16th century, Turda was often the residence of the [[Transylvanian Diet]], too. After the [[Battle of Mohács]], the city became part of the [[Eastern Hungarian Kingdom]] and since 1570 the [[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]]. The 1558 Diet of Turda declared free practice of both the Catholic and [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] religions. In 1563 the Diet also accepted the [[Calvinist]] religion, and in 1568 it extended freedom to all religions, declaring that "It is not allowed to anybody to intimidate anybody with captivity or expelling for his religion"&nbsp;– a freedom unusual in medieval Europe. This [[Edict of Turda]] is the first attempt at legislating general religious freedom in Christian Europe (though its legal effectiveness was limited).

In 1609 [[Gabriel Báthori]] granted new privileges to Turda. These were confirmed later by [[Gabriel Bethlen]]. In the battle of Turda, Ahmed Pasha defeated [[George II Rákóczi]] in 1659.

===Modern times===
In 1711 the [[Principality of Transylvania (1711–1867)|Grand Principality of Translyvania]] was formed which became in 1804 part of the [[Austrian Empire]]. In 1867, by the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867|Austro-Hungarian Compromise]], the city became again part of [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]]. After [[World War I]], following the proclamation of the [[Union of Transylvania with Romania]] of December 1918 and the [[Hungarian–Romanian War]] of 1918&ndash;1919, Turda passed under Romanian administration, and then became part of the [[Kingdom of Romania]] by the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.primariaturda.ro/index.php?topic=29&blank=0&pag=perioada_interbelica.htm "Turda în perioada interbelică"] at the Turda City Hall site; accessed June 3, 2013</ref> During the [[interwar period]], the city became the seat of [[Turda County]]. In 1944, the [[Battle of Turda]] took place here, between [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German]] and [[Hungarian Army|Hungarian]] forces on one side and [[Soviet Army|Soviet]] and [[Romanian Land Forces|Romanian]] forces on the other. It was the largest battle fought in Transylvania during [[World War II]].

After 1950, the city became the headquarters of Turda [[raion]] within the [[Cluj Region]]. Following the administrative reform of 1968, it became part of Cluj County. From the late 1950s, Turda became a rather important industrial centre, housing factories for chemical, electrotechnical ceramics, cement, glass, and steel cables. The nearby [[Câmpia Turzii]] town hosted a steel plant. The city centre of Turda saw redevelopment in the late 1980s, including a House of Culture that hasn't been finished up to this date. Many houses in the historic center were demolished to create space for apartment buildings. The town's role of an industrial powerhouse has diminished from the 1990s onwards, but tourist attractions have kept the city in a good state up to today.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}