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| Baia Mare Municipality |
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| History |
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The geographic frame and many natural resources
from the Baia Mare area have given from the oldest times good conditions for
human communities. Evidences have been found which sustain that this place has
been inhabited by Primitive people even in the Upper Paleolithic.
In the Bronze Epoch the presence of the Thracians is signaled. Baia Mare's human
pool is made from the great centralized and independent Dacians state created by
Burebista. The big ethnologic, popular and linguistic material and also the
archeological and historical proofs confirm to us the age and the constant
continuity of Romanians on this land.
The first information written about Baia Mare show us a developed mining center,
with an aspect of a medieval town, with rules of organization characteristic to
the free towns from that time, being lead only by the central authority of the state.
The first documentary certification appeared more than six centuries ago in 1329
when the office of king Carol Robert makes a document in which Baia Mare is mentioned
for the firs time under the name "Rivulus Dominarum" (Lady's River) 
The most abundant information about the administrative organization and the eligibility
of management and their competence are given to us from the document realized by the office
of King Ludovic the first of Anjou on the 20th 1347.In a document from 1411 is first mentioned
Baia Mare's Mint one of the oldest and famous office of this kind from Transilvania
In 1446 Baia Mare's domain together with its mines are transferred in the property of
Corvinesti family, as a way of paying the brave acts of Iancu of Hunedoara against
the Turkish invasion.
By his wish the construction of the cathedral named "Sfantu Stefan" started which had as
an annex an improvised tower.
In 1469 Matei Corvin forwards a very important document for the citizens of Baia Mare
through it he grants them the right to improve their defense system with high walls built
with bulwarks and digs meant to stop the outside attacks. Baia Mare gain the face of
a strong fortress fact which can be drawn from the expressions "castrum" and "castellum"
added to the name of the locality to reinforce its fortified character. .
The year 1490 was a bad year for the citizens of Baia Mare. The locality has been temporary
occupied by the Polish troops of Prince John Albert.
In 1526, Baia Mare is the property of the prince John Zapolya , this was followed
by a period of economic depression due to a number of fights, concessions and sales
between the princes from Ardeal.
1547 is the founding year of an important learning institution named "Scoala Rivulina"
belonging to the Reformat Cult. Over two centuries this school has affirmed itself as a
cradle of culture insuring the education for many churches, administrative and mining functions.
As a sign of appreciation for the annulment of some money depths by Mihai Viteazul in 1600,
Felician Herbstein , the mine keeper, had made in the Baia Mare Mint a golden medal with the
face of the Vallachian ruler, thus creating one of the most important and famous effigies in numismatics.
In 1703 the famous captain of the outlaws Pintea Viteazul takes part with his man and Francisc
Rakoczi the second in the fight of freeing the town from the Austrians.
In 1748 the Austrian authorities create in Baia Mare The Superior Mining Headquarters
(Inspector Obermat) for which a proper building was created and a new mint.
The short historical profile of the town has to be registered through the mentioning of some
dates attached to different buildings and representative monuments, which brought in time fame
to these parts.
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