History
Centuries VIII-IX - First signs of human settlements.
1206 - King of Hungary, Andrei II, mention Romosul, a village close to
Orastie, as one of the first 3 village in Transylvania with German colonists.
1224 - King of Hungary, Andrei II, confirm the privileges of the German
colonists and mention the existence of Romanian (blachi) and Pecenegi (bisseni)
population in Orastie.
1241 - Orastie is devastated by Mongols.
1309 - Orastie has approx 1,600 inhabitants.
1324 - King of Hungary, Carol Robert of Hungary, rise it to the rank of town.
1376 - There are mentioned in the town 19 guilds ("fraternitas").
1420 - The county is raided by Turks, who took about 20,000 prisoners (could
be an exageration).
1425 - Germans/Saxons from Orastie became suppliers of Turks. Town is
mentioned with its German name, Bros or Broos.
1436 - Hungarians are mentioned as living in the center of the town.
1438 - A Turkish army enter Transylvania near Orastie and damage its
fortress.
1479 - A large Turkish army (60,000) raid Transylvania. It is attacked on
its way back by Stephan Bathory and Pavel Chinezul near Orastie. Turks lost
half of their forces.
1500 - Since this year there will be an annual fair on Saint Nicolas day.
1577 - It is mentioned the hungarian name of the town, Szaszvaros.
1599 - Michael the Brave ask for a loan of 1,000 florins.
1602 - General Basta sent 400 austrian solders to stay in the town. They
behave very badly and townsfolks fled or barricade themselves in the
church's castel.
1602 - General Gabriel Bethlen, with an army of Tatars, Turks, Hungarians
and Serbs siege the town. Austian solders are not allowed to enter into the
church's castel and all but 11 are killed. In August, Basta retakes
Transylvania and hangs the Mayor of Orastie and 2 other important people of
the town.
1604 - In the town there are 1,500 of Basta's solders. Because of extreme
famine, there are cases of cannibalism.
1605 - A large part of the town is destroyed.
1661 - A Turkish army, led by Ali Pasha, in pursuit of Ioan Kemeny, set
Orastie and Sebes in flame.
1697 - It is established the first drug store, "Graffius".
1733 - The tax register mention 2,800 inhabitants in 568 families as follow
: 240 Romanian families, 170 Hungarian, 100 Saxon Germans, 50 Gypsy and 8
Greek.
1738 - Plague kills 156 people.
1749 - The Roman-catholic church is build in the form that is today. In 1880
a tower is addes.
1752-1756 - Colonists (144 peoples) from Upper Austria settle in town.
1757-1758 - Another 222 colonists from the same region.
1784 - The peasants' rebellion of Horea, Closca and Crisan.
1786 - A census made at the order of Iosif II numbered 3,190 peoples.
1820-1823 - The actual luteran church is build. The tower is added in 1841.
1828 - A large fire destroys 127 houses.
1848 - Fightings between forces of hungarian general Bem and imperial
forces.
1853 - Transylvania is reorganised in 10 counties. The third has the center
in Orasite. The county has 134,77 square miles/348,90 square km and 214,165
inhabitants. Sorted by nationality : 192,995 Romanians, 7,809 Hungarians,
1,063 Germans, 12,297 others. Sorted by religion : 160,603 Orthodoxs, 38,550
greek-catholic (united), 8,565 Luterans, 4,283 Roman-catholic, 2,141
Calvinists and 23 other religion.
1854 - Orastie has 4,207 inhabitants.
1857 - Census count 5,029 inhabitants. Sored by religion : 1,850 ortodoxs,
1,136 roman-catholic, 884 luterans, 688 reformed, 486 greek-catholic, 24
Jews, 19 united and 5 Armenian gregorians.
1867 - The synagogue is build.
1869 - First bank is established : "Brooser Vorschuss-verein".
1872 - The "Szaszvarosi Takarekpenyatar" bank is established.
1877 - Orastie has 5,661 inhabitans.
1880 - Orastie has 1,086 houses and 5,451 inhabitans. Sorted by nationality
: 2,312 Romanians, 1,427 Germans, 1,227 Hungarians, 16 Slovacs, 8 Serbs, 176
other nationalities, 138 foreigs and 147 with maternal language unknown (in
this category were counted Gipsies). Sorted by religion : 2,030 ortodox,
1,002 roman-catolic, 964 evangelic, 769 reformed, 523 greek-catolic, 163
jews.
1885 - Another bank is established :"Banca Ardeleana".
1900 - Orastie has 6,238 inhabitans. Electric lights on streets.
1910 - Orastie has 6,937 inhabitans (of which 3,276 Romanians).
1930 - Orastie has 7,377 inhabitans.
1941 - Orastie has 9,751 inhabitans.
1948 - Orastie has 8,819 inhabitans.
1956 - Orastie has 10,488 inhabitans.
1960 - Orastie has 11,726 inhabitans.
1966 - Orastie has 12,822 inhabitans.
1973 - Orastie has 14,994 inhabitans
