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Brasov (Romanian pronunciation: /bra'?ov/; German: Kronstadt; Hungarian: Brassó; Medieval Latin: Brassovia or Corona) is a city in Romania and the capital of Brasov County. The city's population is 284,596, according to the 2002 census. Brasov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, and is part of the Transylvania region. The city is notable for hosting the Golden Stag (Cerbul de Aur) international music festival.The current Romanian and Hungarian names are derived from the Pecheneg word, barasu, meaning "fortress". On Tâmpa Hill, located on the southern side of the city, there was a citadel called Brassovia, which gave both the Romanian and the Hungarian name of the city. The first attested mention of Brasov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras"), in a 1252 document. The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City", and is reflected in the city's coat of arms, as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The three names of the city (Brasov/Brassó, Kronstadt, and Corona) were used simultaneously in the Middle Ages. From 1950 to 1960, during part of the Communist period in Romania, the city was called Orasul Stalin, after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.The municipality of Brasov has a total population of 284,596. Its ethnic composition includes: * Romanians: 258,042 (90.66%) * Hungarians: 23,204 (8.54%) * Ethnic Germans: 1,717 (0.60%) * Roma: 762 (0.26%) * Jews: 138 * other ethnicities (Russians, Greeks, Italians): 871 (0.31%) In 2005, the metropolitan area of Brasov was created. With its surrounding localities, it is estimated to have 350,000-400,000 inhabitants.The oldest traces of human activity and settlements in Brasov date back to the Neolithic. Archaeologists, working from the last half of the 19th century, discovered continuous traces of human settlements in areas situated in Brasov: Valea Cetatii, Pietrele lui Solomon, Sprenghi, Tâmpa, Dealul Melcilor, and Noua. The first three locations shows traces of Dacian citadels; Sprenghi Hill housed a Roman-style construction. The last two locations had their names applied to Bronze Age cultures — Schneckenberg and Noua. In subsequent periods, the inhabitants of Brasov were primarily Romanians (see Origin of the Romanians) who continued living in these territories (especially in areas protected by mountains and hills), and organized small polities. Archaeological discoveries, including coins, rings, metal tools, pottery, and settlements, have been dated from the 2nd-8th centuries. One such community was Tara Bârsei, comprising several villages. A village named Cutun is mentioned in the area around Brasov (the name draws similarities with a Dacian language word presumed to have meant "village") - its latest development led to today's neighborhood of Scheii Brasovului. The population of that time consisted mainly of Christian shepherds (who followed Eastern Orthodoxy after the Great Schism). The Romanian settlement grew thanks to the diversification of their occupations - many became well-established merchants, craftsmen (butchers, weavers, carpenters, or builders), and clerics. Near the Orthodox church in Schei, Romanian Brasovians founded the first school for Romanians at the end of the 13th century. German colonists known as the Transylvanian Saxons played a decisive role in Brasov's development. These Germans were invited by King Géza II of Hungary to develop towns, build mines, and cultivate the land of Transylvania at different stages between 1141 and 1162. The settlers came primarily from the Rhineland, Flanders, and the Moselle region, with others from Thuringia, Bavaria, Wallonia, and even France. In 1211, by order of King Andrew II of Hungary, the Teutonic Knights fortified the Burzenland to defend the border of the Kingdom of Hungary. Although the crusaders were evicted by 1225, the colonists they brought in remained, as did three distinct settlements they founded on the site of Brasov: * Corona, around the Black Church (Biserica Neagra); * Martinsberg, west of Cetatuia Hill; * Bartholomä, on the eastern side of Sprenghi Hill. Germans living in Brasov were mainly involved in trade and crafts. The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe, together with certain tax exemptions, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert a strong political influence. They contributed a great deal to the architectural flavor of the city. Fortifications around the city were erected and continually expanded, with several towers maintained by different craftsmen's guilds, according to medieval custom. Part of the fortification ensemble was recently restored using UNESCO funds, and other projects are ongoing. At least two entrances to the city, Poarta Ecaterinei (or Ekaterinentor) and Poarta Schei are still in existence. The city center is marked by the mayor's former office building (Casa Sfatului) and the surrounding square (piata), which includes one of the oldest buildings in Brasov, the Hirscher Haus, owned by a wealthy merchant. Nearby is the "Black Church" (Biserica Neagra), which some claim to be the largest Gothic style church in Eastern Europe. Once Brasov became a German colony, Romanians were denied several privileges by the new German settlers. They were no longer recognized as citizens of the city, and as such they were no longer able to continue to practice their crafts and operate their businesses. Additionally, their religion (Orthodox) was not officially recognized throughout Transylvania, especially during and after the 15th century. Most turned to shepherding and smuggling as a result, ventures which still returned considerable wealth - allowing them to build the very first community stone church in Transylvania, to establish the first Romanian printing press in Transylvania (1558), and later to establish a library. The German burghers still relied on Romanian speakers from within the community in their dealings with the Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia, and occasionally with the Ottoman Empire. The cultural and religious importance of the Romanian church and school in Schei is underlined by the generous donations received from more than thirty hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as that from Elizabeth of Russia. In the 17th and 19th centuries, the Romanians in Schei campaigned for national, political, and cultural rights, and were supported in their efforts by Romanians from all other provinces, as well as by the local Greek merchant community. In 1838 they established the first Romanian language newspaper, Gazeta Transilvaniei and the first Romanian institutions of higher education (Scolile Centrale Greco-Ortodoxe - "The Greek-Orthodox Central Schools", today named after Andrei Saguna). The Holy Roman Emperor and sovereign of Transylvania Joseph II awarded Romanians citizenship rights for a brief period during the latter decades of the 18th century. In 1910 the town had 41,056 inhabitants: 17,831 (43,4%) Hungarians, 11,786 (28,7%) Romanians, 10,841 (26,4%) Germans.[1] In 1918, when Transylvania became part of Romania, organizations of the German minority from Transylvania declared their allegiance to the new Romanian state. The inter-war period saw a flourishing of economic and cultural life in general, which included the Saxons in Brasov as well. However, at the end of World War II many ethnic Germans were forcibly deported to the Soviet Union (see Communist Romania), and subsequently many more emigrated to West Germany after Romania became a communist country. Jews have lived in Brasov since 1807, when Aron Ben Jehuda was given permission to live in the city, a privilege until then granted only to Saxons. The Jewish Community of Brasov was officially founded 19 years later, followed by the first Jewish school in 1864, and the building of the synagogue in 1901. The Jewish population of Brasov expanded rapidly to 1280 people in 1910, and 4,000 in 1940. Today the community has about 230 members, after many families left for Israel between World War II and 1989. Like many other cities in Transylvania, Brasov is also home for a significant ethnic Hungarian minority. During the communist period, industrial development was vastly accelerated. Under Nicolae Ceausescu's rule, the city was the site of the 1987 Brasov strike. This was repressed by the authorities and resulted in numerous workers being imprisoned.Industrial development in Brasov started in the inter-war period, with one of the largest factories being the airplane-manufacturing plant (IAR Brasov), which produced the first Romanian fighter planes, which were used in World War II against the Soviets. After Communist rule was imposed, this plant was converted to manufacture of agricultural equipment, being renamed «Uzina Tractorul Brasov» (internationally known as Universal Tractor Brasov). Industrialization was accelerated in the Communist era, with special emphasis being placed on heavy industry, attracting many workers from other parts of the country. Heavy industry is still abundant, including a large factory which manufactures MAN AG trucks under licence, as well as native-designed trucks and coaches. Although the industrial base has been in decline in recent years, Brasov is still a site for manufacturing agricultural tractors and machinery, hydraulic transmissions, auto parts, ball-bearings, helicopters (at the nearby IAR site in Ghimbav), building materials, tools, furniture, textiles, shoes and cosmetics. There are also chocolate factories and a large brewery. In particular, the pharmaceutical industry has undergone further development lately, with GlaxoSmithKline establishing a production site in Brasov. A large longwave broadcasting facility is located near Brasov, at Bod.The Brasov local transport netw