Pecica (; ; ; / Pečka) is a town in Arad County, western Romania. In ancient times it was a fortress called Ziridava and today it is an important archeological site.[Barbara Ann Kipfer, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, p.428. Springer, 2000, ] Situated at from Arad, it was declared a town in 2004. Its administrative territory extends into the Arad Plateau. The town administers three villages: Bodrogu Vechi ( Óbodrog), Sederhat ( Szederhát) and Turnu ( Tornya).
Etymology
The name "Pecica" is derived from the name "Pečka", meaning oven in South Slavic.
Population
At the 2021 census, Pecica had a population of 11,950.
At the 2011 census, the town had 11,885 inhabitants; of those, 62.2% were
Romanians, 28% Hungarians, 8.4% Roma, 0.36% Serbs, 0.33% Slovaks, and 0.7% of other or undeclared nationalities.
History
Due to the abundance of archaeological finds of the zone an important historic period known as the Periam-Pecica culture was named after the settlement. The history of the localities Pecica, Bodrogu Vechi, Sederhat and Turnu is closely connected with the events making highly memorable the entire zone of the Arad Plateau.
The first mention in documents of the locality dates back to 1335 when it was known as Petk. Sederhat was registered only in 1913, Turnu in 1333 under the name of Mok, while Bodrogu Vechi in 1422 under the name of Bodruch. It has a complex political and multicultural history with periods of Ottoman Empire rule, periods of Habsburg monarchy and Kingdom of Hungary. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it became part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary. When the Treaty of Trianon was signed, Pecica and the surrounding area became part of the Kingdom of Romania. Since then the town has been part of Romania.
Economy
Although the economy of the town is prevalent agricultural, the secondary and tertiary economic sectors have also developed recently. Besides agriculture, the industry of petrol and rock-gas is also well represented. The initiation of the frontier crossing point at Turnu and the trimming of the thermal water springs should be the most important chances for the economic development of the town.
Tourism
Tourist attractions include the Roman Catholic Church, the Pecica Cultural Center, and the "Lunca Mureșului" park.
Notable residents
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Marius Cihărean (born 1975), Romanian weightlifter
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Roman Ciorogariu (1852–1936), Romanian Orthodox bishop, journalist and educator
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Kuno von Klebelsberg (1875–1932), Hungarian politician, minister of interior and minister of culture
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Mircea Petescu (1943–2018), Romanian footballer and coach
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Pera Segedinac (1655-1736), leader of the Serbian Militia along the Mureș river
Sister cities
See also
External links
