Ghimbav

Ghimbav (German: Weidenbach; Hungarian: Vidombák) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, central Romania. It is located in the centre of Romania, 5 miles (8 km) west of Brașov.

For the river in Argeș County, see Ghimbav (river).
Ghimbav
Town
Coat of arms
Location in Brașov County
Ghimbav
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°39′46″N 25°30′22″E
Country Romania
CountyBrașov
Government
 • MayorDorel Toma[1] (PSD)
Area
28.08 km2 (10.84 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
4,698
 • Density170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.BV
Websitewww.primaria-ghimbav.ro
Center of Ghimbav. One can see the top of the local fortified church's tower on the right.

History
Historical population
YearPop.±%
2002 5,112—    
2011 4,698−8.1%
Source: Census data

The town was first mentioned in a letter written in 1420 by King Sigismund of Hungary. He advised the inhabitants of Weidenbach/Ghimbav to join their forces together with the people living in three other neighboring Saxon villages (Petersberg/Sânpetru, Honigberg/Hărman and Brenndorf/Bod) and contribute to the construction of the stone fortress of Brașov.

The Ottomans invaded Ghimbav in 1422. In 1469 a major fire damaged the town. In 1611 the Hungarian prince Gabriel Báthory set fire to several villages in Burzenland (Țara Bârsei); Ghimbav was one of them.

The local church and the bell tower were built around 1300. In the 15th century a fortress was built around the church. It was hit by lightning in 1642 and suffered major damages. In 1666 the city hall was moved inside the fortress as well as several other houses. These houses were demolished in 1940. The defensive walls were partially ruined in the 20th century.

Industry

IAR, a Romanian builder of helicopters and small planes, is located in Ghimbav. Among other aircraft, it builds the Eurocopter/IAR Puma military transport helicopter.

Premium AEROTEC, a subsidiary of EADS, has also built a factory in Ghimbav.

References
  1. "Results of the 2016 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "Populaţia stabilă pe judeţe, municipii, oraşe şi localităti componenete la RPL_2011" (in Romanian). National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
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