Town of Deva - Transylvania, Central Romania

 

Nearest Airports: Sibiu, Timisoara and Cluj

Area: 23.5 sq. miles (61 sq. km)

Elevation: 614 ft. (187 meters)

Population: 62,000

Inhabited since: 450 BC

First documented: 1269 AD (Castrum Deva)

Oldest building in town: Magna Curia Palace (1582)

Deva is a large town in west – central Romania, set on the left bank of Mures River, not far from Romania's main coal and mineral mining area. Numerous artifacts dating from the Bronze Age, found in the area, indicate that Deva region has been inhabited since at least 450 BC.

The name Deva may have been given to the area by the leaders of the Roman Legion Augusta II who – in early 100s AD – has been transferred from Castrum Deva (Castra Devana) in Britania (today the city of Chester in England) to the newly conquered territory of Dacia / Transylvania