The present time of the West Region is marked by the contribution of many personalities in the fields of science, art, literature, or history, some of them very well known to the public, others less popular in the media, but with an equally marking contribution to the Region's socio-economic evolution. Here are some essential and sometimes surprising aspects from these people's life and achievements.

Scientists

1. AUREL BARGLAZAN
2. CORNELIU MIKLOŞI
3. TRAIAN LALESCU
4. VICTOR VLAD
5. CORIOLAN DRĂGULESCU
6. PLAUŢIUS ANDRONESCU
7. VALERIU ALACI

1.AUREL BĂRGLĂZAN (1905-1960) was an engineer, dean of the Faculty of Mechanics at the Politehnica University in Timişoara, and a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy. He laid the foundation of a hydraulic machine school in Timişoara by developing the first such laboratory in Romania. His work includes over 70 published scientific papers.

Aurel Bărglăzan was born on March 27, 1905 in Porumbacu de Sus, a commune in Sibiu County.

He went to primary school in Porumbacu de Sus during 1910-1914 and then studied at the elementary and secondary schools in Blaj, Braşov, and Sibiu (the "Gh. Lazăr" Secondary School), between 1914-1923. He would then become a student at the Politehnica University in Timişoara in 1923, at the Faculty of Electromechanics, from which he brilliantly graduated in 1928. His exceptional qualities already became apparent in the university years, which was why he was kept as a member of the teaching staff after graduation. Starting as an assistant, he worked his way up to the rank of full professor, while also occupying administrative and scientific leadership positions, as a head of department and dean of the Faculty of Mechanics.

Aurel Bărglăzan had a truly special ability to attract his close colleagues, as well as his students, into the gigantic amount of work he carried out throughout his life - a rather short life, unfortunately -, building and implementing hydraulic machines. The idea of the hydraulic transformer was resumed in 1956, a period in which Professor Bărglăzan lobbied for the building of the first Romanian turbo coupling for oil machinery and the first transformer, both in a closed circuit; they would later go into mass production at the Hydromechanical Plant in Braşov.

The scientist Aurel Bărglăzan was elected corresponding member of the Academy in 1955.

He led the Faculty of Mechanics as its dean, trying to combine his multiple tasks with his life-long passion for scientific research.

He published over 70 scientific papers (on his own or in cooperation), but paid proper attention to teaching manuals as well, from courseware to design guides.

In close connection with the production field, he was also interested, throughout his three decades of activity, in carrying out studies and projects for the economic development of different towns - for instance: The study and design of the power grid for the town of Huşi (1936); The study, design, and execution of the Power Plant of Banloc (1935) -, as well as the design of various kinds of hydraulic machines, such as: The study, design, and execution of a pump for high furnaces; the study, design, and execution of a new type of Kaplan pump (1942), projects for various centrifugal and axial fans, turbo-blowers, pump-house, special fans, and so on.

He laid the foundation of a hydraulic machine school in Timişoara by developing the first such laboratory in Romania.

2. CORNELIU MIKLOŞI (1887-1963) was an engineer and researcher, manager of the Electromechanical Works of Timişoara and a professor at the Politehnica University in Timişoara. He was the one who brought trolleybuses to Timişoara, a national first. A member of the Romanian Academy, he was also the director of the Academy's Technical Research Centre in Timişoara. He built the Taurus, the first welding machine in the world that allowed in situ welding of rail ends. His work includes over 100 published scientific papers.

Corneliu Mikloşi was born in the commune of Covăsânţ, on March 5, 1887, in the modest family of a Romanian priest. His strong personality would mark the technical and scientific life of Timişoara for ages, and ages more. After graduating from the "Moise Nicoară" secondary school in Arad, he started his university studies at the Polytechnic of Karlsruhe, where he stayed just one year, and then went on to study at the Technical University of Budapest between 1906-1909. He soon secured himself a position in the Mechanical Technology Department of the Technical University, where he worked until 1913, when he was hired as an engineer at a Siemens plant manufacturing electric cables, also in Budapest.

At that time, the mayor of Timişoara was Stan Vidrighin, an engineer and a man of great value and a very open intellectual mind. He appointed Mikloşi as chief engineer (in March 1920) and later as manager of the Communal Tramcars of Timişoara; the company merged with the Power Plant to form the Electromechanical Works of Timişoara, of which he was in charge until 1949. During all this long time and even after that, he was also a professor at the Polytechnic School of Timişoara, where he taught a course in Mechanical technology and industrial alloys between 1925-1930, as well as the Technical University of Budapest, where he taught Metallography between 1927-1928.

He was the one who brought trolleybuses to Timişoara, a national first. As part of his activity at the Electromechanical Works of Timişoara,
Corneliu Mikloşi put together a vast technical library, which he started in
1934, now standing as proof of his ongoing interest
in improving the skills of his staff. Besides improving the professional skills of his entire working staff, he worked exceptionally hard to develop the power plant by raising the boiler working parameters and cutting grid losses, taking into account the future needs.

In his youth, he was a professor at the Polytechnic School of Timişoara; he would return to the Polytechnic in 1947, remaining head of the Power Utilization and Welding  departments until his retirement in 1957. During 1951-1954, he led the "Fuel" team at the Timişoara branch of the Academy, he worked as an advisor at the "Electrocombinat 4" company and the "Machinery Design Institute", both in Timişoara; then, from 1954 up to his death, he was in charge of the Welding Department at the Timişoara branch of the Romanian Academy. In 1955, he was elected a full member of the Romanian Academy and consequently became the director of the Academy's Technical Research Centre in Timişoara, a position that he occupied from 1956 to 1963.

His engineering work closely blended with his research activity. Academy member Mikloşi made substantial contributions to the field of welding, through his own research. A prominent creation of his was the Taurus, the first welding machine in the world that allowed in situ welding of rail ends. Having published over 100 scientific papers, treatises, courseware manuals,
he may seem to have approached heterogeneous fields, but they were all connected with
his professional preoccupations, his long-term interest in scientific research,
and his position as a Professor at the Polytechnic in Timişoara. In this latter
capacity, he was an example of scientific competency, diligence,
punctuality, and fairness towards his students.

He also designed a hydroelectric plant in the area of Muntele Mic. As early as 1937, he started working on the Rural Electrification in Romania in the Light of Statistical Data, a work that contained the fundamental data for the national electrification. He was probably the first company director that used statistics to assess the future evolution of public transport.

3. TRAIAN LALESCU (1882-1929) was a mathematician and an esteemed writer for the "Mathematics Gazette". He founded the "Mathematics Magazine of Timişoara". He was the first rector of the Politehnica University in Timişoara. He published many scientific papers on pure mathematics, mathematical physics, and practical applications of pure science.

Traian Lalescu was born on July 12, 1882, in Bucharest. He stormed into the world of mathematics, starting his cooperation with the "Mathematics Gazette" as early as 1898.

Always the best in his class, Traian Lalescu studied at the university in Iaşi for 4 years and then moved to the University of Bucharest for a deeper study of mathematics, the abstract field that was his great talent, calling, and passion. After graduating (on June 17, 1903) with the grade "very good", he receives a "V. Adamachi" scholarship and goes to Paris to complete his studies.

In the following years, he taught Calculus and Elements of Mechanics at the University of Bucharest, Graphic Statics at the Roads and Bridges School in Bucharest, and Integral Calculus at the University of Bucharest, after earning his DSc degree.

Up to the outbreak of WWI, Traian Lalescu continued to teach at several secondary schools in Bucharest as well - Gheorghe Şincai, Dimitrie Cantemir - and at the University, delivering courses with an extremely varied content.

Traian Lalescu was the first rector of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara in the academic year 1920-1921.

After stepping down as head of the Polytechnic in 1921, Traian Lalescu dedicated his entire activity to the courses he taught at the Polytechnic and at the University in Bucharest, while also carrying out a rich scientific activity. In the field of trigonometric series, Lalescu introduced the notions of angular and linear leaps, a boldly fresh approach to this theory.

Traian Lalescu was an element with a valence of two - attracted to pure mathematics on the one hand, and to mathematical physics and the practical applications of pure science on the other. He published interesting applicative works, such as: "On the Mathematical Theory of Aeroplanes", "On Foucault's Pendulum" or "On the Periodic Polygonal Junctions with Applications in Electrotechnics".

Professor Traian Lalescu joyfully received his appointment as the first rector of the School, after having worked so hard to establish it, but declined any payment for his work. In the short time while he was in charge of the school, Traian Lalescu created a professional working environment that continued to endure afterwards. Among the valuable initiatives of this great rector, we could mention:
- the establishment of the "Mathematics Magazine of Timişoara".
- the editing, from the very first year, of the "Polytechnic School Annual", published up to 1937, which recorded all the data and the activity related to the course of education each year;
- the initiation of a public conference cycle meant to complement the intellectual development of the students with wide-interest scientific lectures;
- setting up a "Students' Society" like the ones in the great European university centres;
- founding the "Students' Sports Association", of which all the students were members.

4.VICTOR VLAD (1889-1967) was an architect and a construction engineer. He is known as the founder of the Construction Faculty within the Politehnica University of Timişoara and the designer of several Orthodox churches in Banat and Transylvania. He was the director of the Banat branch of the Romanian Architects' Union.

Victor Vlad was born in Lugoj, on February 8, 1889, in a modest family. He went to primary school in Lugoj, showing a great love of learning, doubled by a true talent for drawing and an inclination towards the exact sciences. In the autumn of 1908, he enrolled at the Architecture Faculty of the Higher Technical School in Budapest. He also attended the courses of the Roads and Bridges Faculty in Budapest. Praised by Traian Lalescu for his diligence and professional potential, for the great enthusiasm with which he contributed to the development of the country, Victor Vlad was appointed substitute teacher at the Descriptive Geometry  department as early as November 15, 1920, thus becoming one of the founders of the Politechnica in Timişoara.

He occupied a teaching position for the subjects of Civil Constructions and Building Methods, substituted for  Urbanism and Ruralism, taught  Descriptive Geometry, as well as the  courses of  Architecture, Territorial Planning, and Civil, Industrial, and Agricultural Buildings. The architect Duiliu Marcu developed the detailed project for the building of the Mechanics Faculty, the Students' Dormitory and Canteen, and Victor Vlad designed the three pavilions for the families of the teaching staff; he was also appointed construction site supervisor (together with Constantin C. Teodorescu, the Deputy Rector of the Polytechnic School) for the construction of the buildings designed by D Marcu.

His great wish, which he expressed as early as 1920, was for the Politehnica to include a Construction Faculty. His tenacious work for the achievement of this goal was impressive. After two decades of struggle, Victor Vlad's efforts finally paid off. On December 24, 1941, Victor Vlad is appointed Dean of the new faculty. Besides his rich activity at the Politehnica, he was a professor and principal of the Industrial High School of Civil and industrial Construction in Timişoara for many years. He was Dean of the Construction Faculty up to 1948, as well as a member of the Scientific Board of the Polytechnic School. He played an important part in the organization of the Banat branch of the Romanian Architects' Union, which he chaired for many years.

A builder by excellence, he left behind a broad spectrum of achievements, materialized in over 200 projects, artworks, and buildings all over the country.

Here are a few of them: the present-day Prefect's Office of Timiş County, a monumental construction recognized as Professor Victor Vlad's main architectonic masterpiece (in cooperation with the architect Comeliu Liuba), the building plan for the State Bank Palace in Timişoara, the plan for the State Commerce building in Reşiţa, the Community Centre in Igriş, the IMF students' dormitory in Timişoara, the plans for a workers' home in Reşiţa, a public bath in Caransebeş, the plan and execution of a few apartment buildings in Timişoara (the Ciobanu House etc.). The prevalent architectonic influence is the neo-Romanian style with a strong modern touch. He designed and built schools (in Tapia, Harmadia, etc.), day nurseries and kindergartens (Timişoara, Reşiţa), factories (Timişoara, Reşiţa), the Orthodox cathedrals in Timişoara (Mehala, Iosefin - Şt. Furtună Square), designed in a neo-Byzantine style in Târgu-Mureş, Braşov, Reşiţa; the Orthodox churches in: Secul, built on a hilltop amidst a wonderful scenery; Anina, built under difficult conditions on mine galleries; Izvor; Herendeşti-Cadar; Ghiroda; Aradul Nou, etc.

5. CORIOLAN DRĂGULESCU (1907-1977) was a chemist, a full member of the Romanian Academy, and the president of the Chemistry Department of the Romanian Academy. He was the first dean of the Industrial Chemistry Faculty at the Politehnica University in Timişoara and the director of the Academy's Scientific Research Base in Timişoara. He wrote many scientific papers.

Coriolan Drăgulescu was born on April 4, 1907, in the commune of Vărădia, Caraş-Severin County. He attended the famous "Constantin Diaconovici Loga" secondary school in Timişoara, from which he graduated with the descriptor "very good". In the autumn of 1925, he became a student at the Chemistry Department of the Science Faculty at the University of Cluj. It wasn't long before he was noticed for his vast knowledge of chemistry and his eagerness to deepen his general and specialized studies.

On October 1, 1932, he starts working as an instructor at the Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry Department of the Science Faculty, where he was promoted to junior lecturer on October 1, 1934. He worked as a junior lecturer here for eight years.

Together with a group of intellectual democrats (Professor Victor Iancu, poet Mihai Beniuc), he publishes the weekly magazine "New Country" in Cluj, from 1939 to 1940, with a strong antifascist and anti-revisionist orientation.

In November 1944, when Timiş County and the city of Timişoara got a new government, Coriolan Drăgulescu's personality stood out. On November 29, 1944, Gh. Ciorman was appointed prefect of the county and Coriolan Drăgulescu, mayor or Timişoara. Although an old antifascist militant, he did not blend into the extremist trends that already portended the future communist dictatorship. He therefore stepped down from his leadership position at the Timişoara city hall and devoted himself to teaching and research, without fully abandoning his social and political activity. He adopted the same dignified and frank attitude regarding the student movements in the autumn of 1956, which led to his removal from the leadership of the Ministry of Education.

On November 15, 1945, he was appointed Professor of Agricultural chemistry at the Faculty of Agronomy in Timişoara. On December 7, 1948, Coriolan Drăgulescu was appointed Professor of Inorganic and analytical chemistry, head of the Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry Department and the first dean of the Industrial Chemistry Faculty in Timişoara.

He worked there as a dean until January 20, 1956, and then again between 1957-1963 as head department, in 1951, leader of the newly founded Chemistry Department.. As of 1962, he also worked as director of the Academy's Scientific Research Base in Timişoara. Under his leadership, the Research Base underwent continuous consolidation for several years, becoming a prestigious scientific institution in Western Romania. Through the results it achieved, the Chemistry Centre, established in 1966 as  part of the Research Base was a materialization of Drăgulescu's noble ideals.

In July 1955, he was elected corresponding member of the Academy, later to be granted full membership in 1963 in recognition of his professional results, and appointed president (from 1974) of the Chemistry Department within the Academy. For a short while (from January 20 to February 14, 1956), he was vested as Rector of the Polytechnic Institute of Timişoara; after that, he was appointed deputy minister at the Ministry of Education (from February 14 to November 14, 1956).

He had the same fruitful and unquestionably professional and ethical activity as a member of the board of some important national economic and scientific bodies: the National Science and Technology Council; the High Diploma Commission, the High Council of the University Education at the M.E., the College of the Chemical Industry Ministry, the National ASIT Council (and its president for the Timişoara branch), etc. Many other decision-making bodies, committees, councils, and commissions had him as a member, often in positions of high responsibility. Let us just mention that he was a member of the Scientific Council of IP Timişoara, a member of the board of the Academy's "M. Elias" Foundation, etc.

The fields of interest studied by Academy member Coriolan Drăgulescu are:
- physical chemistry
- inorganic chemistry, which accounted for a significant share of his scientific activity
- analytical chemistry,  the field  that included many of the scientific papers he published.


6. PLAUŢIUS ANDRONESCU (1893-1976) was an electrical engineer, a professor of electricity and electrotechnics, and the rector of the Politehnica University of Timişoara. He was a member of the International Association of Counselling Engineers.

Plauţius Andronesc was born in Switzerland, on December 10, 1983, to Romanian parents. After graduating from the "Matei Basarab" secondary school, he had the inspiration to leave for Switzerland in 1914, to continue his studies at the famous Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich. He graduated in 1918 and immediately started working at the "Oeriikon" Electric Machine Factory, where he stayed from July 1 to May 31, 1919, when he accepted Professor Kuhlmann's invitation and became a junior lecturer at the Electrotechnics Department of the school he had just finished.

Next to his teaching activity, Plauţius Andronescu also carried out an outstanding technical activity between 1923-1925, working as a counselling engineer for some specialized companies in Switzerland, namely the Metallurgic Works in Dornach and the Electric Cable Factory in Cossonay.

Plauţius Andronescu was a member of the International Counselling Engineers' Association, headquartered in Brussels.

Hearing of his presence in Romania and knowing the reputation he had built thanks to the original papers he had published in leading magazines, Professor Dimitrie Leonida made him a proposition to teach electrotechnics at the Politehnica in Timişoara. He accepted at once and was appointed a professor of electricity and electrotechnics on October 10, 1925, in a department that he would develop and lead uninterruptedly for almost four decades. It is worth mentioning that Plauţius Andronescu was only 32 at that time. In addition to his works on pure mathematics, such as Vectorial calculus, he was also interested in a whole range of mechanical phenomena, such as the deformation of matter within the boundaries of elasticity.

Another field that emerges among Professor Andronescu's scientific research interests after 1950 has to do with approximation calculations in ferromagnetic circuits and the Fourier analysis, the study of electric circuits with the help of operational calculation.

In his last period of activity, he approached some modern worldwide issues, especially concerning the Hali generator and related issues in the field of semiconductor materials. Throughout his life, professor Andronescu also occupied leadership positions, as director of some great plants or institutions in the country, and was also rector of the Timişoara Polytechnic School in the difficult period between 1941-1944.

For 50 years, Professor Plauţius Andronescu was devoted to the fundamentals of electrotechnics, as well as to the Polytechnic school of Timişoara.


7. VALERIU ALACI (1884-1955) was a mathematician, professor at the Calculus Department, Deputy Dean of the Electrotechnics Faculty within the Politehnica University of Timişoara, and a faithful contributor of articles to the "Mathematics Gazette". A full member of the board of the Scientific Society of the Polytechnic School in Timişoara, he was awarded many Romanian Academy prizes.

Valeriu Alaci was born to a poor family in Cacica, in Suceava County, on October 22, 1884.

He went to primary and middle school  in Vaslui, at the "Mihail Kogălniceanu" school. His name often shows up among the solvers of the problems proposed by the "Mathematics Gazette", whose faithful contributor he would remain his entire life. He was an eminent student at the Science Faculty at the University of Bucharest, between 1905-1909. On February 4, 1912, he was appointed mathematics teacher at the "Dimitrie Cantemir" secondary school in Bucharest; at the end of the same year, he was transferred to the "Dealul Cloister" Military Secondary School. He worked here as a substitute teacher (1912-1913) and then as a permanent teacher (1913-1914). For a short while, he was a member of the teaching staff at the "Vasile Lupu" Normal School in Iaşi, but on September 9, 1919, he was transferred to the "Dimitrie Cantemir" Secondary School in Bucharest, where he worked until his appointment as a visiting professor at the Polytechnic School of Timişoara.

In February 1913, he was one of the foremost mathematicians lobbying for the establishment of the "Spiru Haret" prize. In October that year, he was chosen among the members of the "Mathematics Gazette" Committee, where he worked with Traian Lalescu, Vasile Cristescu, Gheorghe Buicliu, etc. as part of the staff in charge of editing and researching solved problems. Appreciated by Traian Lalescu for his diligence, his pedagogical skills, and his scientific ability, Valeriu Alaci was invited to join the young teaching staff of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara.

Issue 190/24 of the Official Gazette, from November 1921, published the Decree by which Valeriu Alaci was appointed visiting professor, as of November 1, 1921, at the Calculus Department. Appointed permanent professor on January 1, 1925, he continued his teaching activity on the subject of Calculus and also substituted on Rational Mechanics during 1930-1931 and 1936-1939. As of 1923, he worked sporadically as a teacher of mathematics at the "Constantin Diaconovici Loga" Secondary School in Timişoara, especially for the higher grades, aiming to guide good students towards studying at the Polytechnic School. He later taught mathematics at the Artillery Officer School in Timişoara.

Valeriu Alaci did some outstanding work through the "Mathematics Magazine of Timişoara", founded by Traian Lalescu. In the autumn of 1922, Valeriu Alaci became chief of the editorial office, of which he remained in charge until the last issue of the magazine (1949). Just as important was Valeriu Alaci's activity as a full member in the board of the "Scientific Society of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara", founded in 1923. On October 18, 1930, Valeriu Alaci was elected President, a position he would retain up to the end of his activity. As President of the "Scientific Society", Valeriu Alaci led and coordinated the specialized magazine "Bulletin Scientifique de l'École Polytechnique de Timişoara" (1933-1937), securing it a name in the scientific field in Romania and abroad, as a highly respectable and professional magazine.

He was appointed Deputy Dean of the Electrotechnics Faculty on November 3, 1944, and then head of the department. Considering his long activity at the Politehnica in Timişoara, we can say that Professor Valeriu Alaci was one of its main founders and among the foremost promoters of the scientific environment. Totalling over 140 reports and original papers, as well as hundreds of mathematical problems, his scientific work skilfully approaches all the main chapters of mathematics. Three of his main works won prizes from the Romanian Academy. As a mathematician, Valeriu Alaci was, above all, an analyst. He made original and valuable contributions regarding algebraic equations, trigonometric series, square trigonometry and the integration of square functions, function theory, integral equations, differential equations or equations with partial derivatives, etc. His main work was Square Trigonometry, a result of many years of effort and a reflection of his innovative spirit. However valuable his preoccupations and results
in the field of higher mathematics may have been, he never gave up the study of elementary
mathematics, continuing to author many problems and articles in algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, mechanics, intended mainly as
supporting material for teachers in middle and secondary schools, as well as for school and
university students.

The political field

1.ANDREI MOCIONI
2.ALEXANDRU MOCIONI
3.AUREL COSMA
4.VINCENŢIU BABEŞ
5.SEVER BOCU
6.EMANUIL UNGURIANU

1.ANDREI MOCIONI (1812-1880) was a prominent member of the public life in the Torontal shire, an Imperial Councillor extraordinary in the enlarged Imperial Senate, as a representative of Banat. He was a founding member of the Romanian Academy.

Andrei Mocioni was born on 27 June, 1812. 

He went to secondary school and university in Budapest, where he graduated from the Faculty of Law. He made his entry into the public life of the Torontal shire in 1836, occupying the positions of deputy notary and then first-praetor. During the revolution, in 1848-1849, he was at the lead of the Romanian national political movement in Banat, as a member in the Romanian National Committee, which took action for the fulfilment of the national claims. After the defeat of the revolution, he was appointed supreme district commissary of Banat. He carried out a complex activity reorganizing the province. In 1852, he resigned from office and permanently left the state service.

In 1860, as a representative of Banat, he became a member of the enlarged Imperial Senate, as Imperial Councillor Extraordinary. He made a firm stand supporting the autonomy of Banat and the reorganization of the monarchy based on the equality of national rights. In November 1860, he organized an important political gathering of the Romanians in Timişoara, where they demanded the recognition of Banat's autonomy, the guarantee of national life, etc.

He was named founding member of the Romanian Academy, in recognition of his merits in the defence of the national rights of the Romanians living in Banat. He died on 5 May, 1880.


2.ALEXANDRU MOCIONI (1841-1909), a deputy in the Hungarian Parliament, was a major personality of the Romanian national movement. He was president of ASTRA, giving financial support to the Romanian newspapers and cultural societies, such as the Romanian Church and Confessional School..

Alexandru Mocioni was born in Pest, on 4 November, 1841.

He received a distinguished Romanian and Orthodox education. He studied at the Piarist secondary school in Pest. He then went on to study law at the universities of Pest, Vienna, and Prague.

In November 1865, at the age of 24, he was elected deputy in the Hungarian Parliament, and then reelected in April 1869. He carried out an intense parliamentary activity, upheld the observance of the political principle of equal national rights, militated for the defence of national rights and the organization of the political life of the Romanians in Banat.

At the National Assembly held in Timişoara between 26 January - 7 February 1869, he was elected president of the National Banat Romanians' Party, the first political party in modern Romanian history.

In April 1874, he resigns his deputy mandate that he had earned in 1872, as a sign of protest against the violation of the Romanians' national rights. He nevertheless remains an outstanding figure in the Romanian national movement, a remarkable doctrine shaper in the political thinking of the Romanians in Banat and Transylvania, a tireless advocate of the affirmation of the national culture.

He provided material support to Romanian newspapers and cultural societies, he was elected president of ASTRA; he supported the Romanian Church and Confessional School financially; he had notable connections with political figures in the Kingdom of Romania.  He died on 1 April, 1909.


3.AUREL COSMA (1867-1931) was a notable lawyer, one of the main leaders of the Romanian National Party in the Timiş shire, president of the Romanian National Military Council established in Timişoara. He was prefect of Timiş-Torontal County, deputy and senator in the parliament of Great Romania.

Aurel Cosma was born in the village of Beregsăul Mare, on 13/25 September, 1867.

He attended the primary school in Topolovăţul Mare, where his father worked as a teacher. He continued his studies at the Piarist Roman-Catholic Secondary School in Timişoara and then he was granted a scholarship by the Gojdu Foundation, which enabled him to complete his education at the Faculties of Law in Debrecen and Budapest.

He then went on to practise law in Timişoara for almost 35 years. He was also the lawyer of the "Timişiana" Bank. He joined the national movement early on and became one of the foremost leaders of the Romanian National Party organization in the Timiş shire. In the autumn of 1918, he was elected president of the National Romanian Military Council, established in Timişoara.

On 25 July 1919, the Supervising Council appointed him prefect of Timiş-Torontal County. He was an active participant in the interwar political life, as a stalwart of the National Liberal Party. He was a deputy and senator in the Great Romania Party; he led the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (1922-1923); he provided financial aid to cultural societies etc. He died on 31 July, 1931.


4. VINCENŢIU BABEŞ (1821-1907) was a brave advocate of the national rights of the Romanians. He was a deputy in the Hungarian Parliament and one of the main leaders of the Romanian National Party. He guided the editing of the Romanian newspaper "Albina" (The Bee). He was chosen as a founding member of the Romanian Academy.

Vincenţiu Babeş was born on 21 January, 1821, in Hodoni, Timiş County, where he also attended primary school.

He made his secondary studies in schools in Timişoara, Karlowitz, and Seghedin. He continued his studies at the Faculty of Law within the Budapest University. He was appointed as juror and professor at the Pedagogical School in Arad, as well as district principal of the Romanian Banat schools.

He stood out as a brave advocate of the national rights of Romanians, as a deputy in the Hungarian Parliament and one of the foremost leaders of the Romanian National Party. The acclaimed Romanian newspaper "Albina" (The Bee), a true tribune in support of political activism,  was edited under his guidance. He was chosen as a founding member of the Romanian Academy, representing Banat.

He was the father of the great scholar Victor Babeş. He died on 3 February, 1907.


5. SEVER BOCU (1874-1951) was a talented journalist and an important politician. He was president of the Romanian National Party and then of the National Peasants' Party in Timiş-Torontal County, a deputy in the Romanian Parliament, and the Minister of Banat during Iuliu Maniu's government. He died in the Sighet Prison.

Sever Bocu was born in Şiştarovăţ, in Arad County, on 19 December, 1874. He attended primary school in his native village. He made his secondary studies in Lipova and Arad. He continued his education at the Academy of Commerce in Vienna and the "Hautes Études" in Paris.

A talented journalist, he worked as an editor at "Tribuna" (The Tribune), "Tribuna poporului" (The People's Tribune); during the interwar period, he edited and ruled the acclaimed papers "Voinţa Banatului" (The Will of Banat) and "Vestul" (The West). He supported the unification between Banat and Romania, at the Peace Conference in Paris. He fought in WW1 as a volunteer in the Romanian Kingdom Army. Between 1923 and 1947, he was President of the Romanian National Party and then of the National Peasants' Party in Timiş-Torontal County. He was elected a deputy in the Romanian Parliament in several legislatures became the Minister of Banat in 1928, in the Iuliu Maniu government.

He made great and steady efforts to reinstate the Banat Metropolitan Church and to found the West University.

He was arrested by the communist intelligence service in 1950 and imprisoned in Sighet, where he died on 21 January, 1951.


6. EMANUIL UNGURIANU (1845-1929) was a remarkable lawyer and philanthropist, a founding member of many Romanian cultural societies. He was on the management board of several banks.

Emanuil Ungurianu was born in Satchinez, Timiş County, on 23 December, 1845.

He went to secondary school in Timişoara and then went on to study at the Faculty of Law in Budapest. He worked as a lawyer in Timişoara. He had a significant contribution to the creation of the credit system in Banat, the consolidation of the confessional education and the Romanian cultural life. He founded offices of ASTRA in Banat, he was on the management board of several banks (Timişiana etc.), and provided material support to craftsmen and traders through the Protectorul Bank. He died in 1929.


The historical field

1.TRAIAN DODA
2.IOAN DRAGALINA
3.DIMITRIE NISTOR
4.ŞTEFAN CICIO-POP
5.VASILE GOLDIŞ


1. TRAIAN DODA (1822-1894) was a major personality in the 19th century Banat. A military officer in the Habsburg army, he was promoted to the rank of general. He was elected deputy in the Hungarian Parliament.

Traian Doda was born in a family of Romanian border guards in Rudăria, Caraş-Severin County, on 27 July, 1822.

After graduating from primary school, he attended the mathematics school belonging to the Romanian 13th Regiment in Caransebeş. He then studied at the Military Academy in Wienerneustadt, became an officer in the Austrian army, and climbed the hierarchy up to the rank of general.

In 1872, he resigned from the army and joined the national movement in Banat, fiercely protecting the rights of Romanians as a deputy in the Hungarian Parliament. He had a significant contribution to setting up the Fortune Community in Caransebeş and supported the activity of the Romanian church and schools. He died in Caransebeş in 1894.


2. IOAN DRAGALINA (1860-1916) died on the battlefield during the battles on the Jiu in World War I, having the rank of general.

Ioan Dragalina was also born in a family of Romanian border guards from Banat. He was born in Caransebeş on 16 December, 1860.

He went to primary school in Râmnicu Vâlcea, where his father was temporarily stationed, and in Caransebeş. He attended the lower secondary school in Caransebeş. Then he graduated from a military school and took up a military career.

He climbed through the military hierarchy and reached the rank of general based on his excellent behaviour. He came to live in Romania. At the beginning of World War I, he received command of the Predeal Group, then of the Cerna Group, in which capacity he led the army in the attempt to free Banat. He was sent to restore the situation on the Jiu canyon battlefield, where he was badly injured. He was brought to Bucharest, where he died on 24 October, 1916.


3. DIMITRIE NISTOR (1890-1963) was a stalwart of the National Liberal Party, as part of its national leadership. He held many important positions: secretary-general of Timişoara City; deputy mayor; prefect of Timiş-Torontal County.

Dimitrie Nistor was born on 9 April, 1890, in Burjuc, Hunedoara County.

After graduating from primary school, he studied six years at the Reformed High School in Orăştie and attended the last two years of high school in Braşov. The son of a priest, he attended the Law Faculty in Budapest and then the courses of the Theological Seminary in Caransebeş, from which he graduated in 1916.

During the interwar period, he lived in Timişoara, where he held important positions: secretary-general of the city; deputy mayor; prefect of Timiş-Torontal County (1933-1937). He was a stalwart of the National Liberal Party, as part of its national leadership.

He was arrested by the communist authorities in in May 1950 and sentenced to six years in prison. After a short release, he was arrested again in May 1958 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He experienced the horrors in communist prisons such as the ones in Jilava, Timişoara, Galaţi. He died on 12 June, 1963, in the prison in Botoşani.


4. ŞTEFAN CICIO-POP (1865-1934) had a law degree and was a politician actively involved in the Great Unification of 1918. He was elected deputy in the Hungarian Parliament. In 1920 (January-March), he was Romania's interim prime minister and minister of exterior.

Ştefan Cicio-Pop was born in 1865 in Şigău, close to the town of Dej.

He attended primary school and part of the secondary studies in Gherla, then went to Sibiu for the final part. He went on to study at the the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics and Politics in Budapest and Vienna. He got his Ph.D. in law (1899).

In 1891, he moved to Arad and started working there as a lawyer. He stood out as an advocate of Romanians' political struggles. He led the "Tribuna" newspaper in Arad and was elected deputy in the Hungarian Parliament, where he opposed Aponyi's school laws and supported Romanian's national claims.

He played a significant part in the carrying out of the National Assembly of 1 December, 1918; he was a member of the Supervising Council and led the Army and Public Safety Authority.

In 1920 (January-March), he was Romania's interim prime minister and minister of exterior. He died in February, 1934.


5. VASILE GOLDIŞ (1862-1934) was a politician and honorary member of the Romanian Academy. He was elected deputy in the Parliament of Great Romania and had a significant contribution to the carrying out of the National Assembly of 1 December, 1918.

Vasile Goldiş was born on 12 November, 1862, in Lunca Teuzului, close to the town of Ineu. After graduating from primary school, he attended high school in Arad and then the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Budapest.

For one year, he worked as a professor at the Theological Seminary in Caransebeş. Between 1889 and 1901, he was a professor at the high school in Braşov. In 1901, he moved to Arad and took up a career in journalism and politics.

He had an essential contribution to the carrying out of the National Assembly of 1 December, 1918. In the Supervising Council, he held the position of Ministry of Instruction and Nationalities. In 1919, he was a minister without portfolio in the government in Bucharest. He was elected deputy in the Parliament of Great Romania and honorary member of the Romanian Academy. He withdrew from politics during the last years of his life and died in Arad on 10 February, 1934.

Writers

1.CONSTANTIN DIACONOVICI LOGA
2.IOAN POPOVICI-BĂNĂŢEANUL
3.VICTOR VLAD DELAMARINA
4.IOAN SÂRBU


1. CONSTANTIN DIACONOVICI LOGA (1770-1850) was a Romanian pedagog and writer. He was a school principal, publishing many books and having a significant contribution to the development of the Romanian education.

Constantin Diaconovici Loga was born in Caransebeş on 1 November, 1770.

He went to primary school in Caransebeş, secondary school in Lugoj, and university in Budapest.

He worked as a censor at the Budapest University Press. In 1812, he was appointed as grammar teacher at the Preparandia in Arad, an institution where he carried out a rich didactic, cultural, and educational activity. He published books where he formulated the essential principles of school instruction, supported the setting up of new education institutions and the Christian spirit in youth education.

In 1830, he was appointed principal of the National Schools on the Banat Military Border, where he had an important contribution to the development of the Romanian education, the increase of the number of teachers and the introduction of the Latin alphabet in education. He died in Caransebeş, on 12 November, 1850.

2. IOAN POPOVICI-BĂNĂŢEANUL (1869-1893) was a promoter of the Banat literary language, as a story-writer. He caught the attention of Titu Maiorescu and published his work in the papers "Tribuna" and "Convorbiri literare".

Ioan Popovici Bănăţeanul, born in a family of shoemakers in Lugoj, on 17 April, 1869.

He attended primary school and four years of secondary school in his native town. He was eliminated from secondary school for having set up a Romanian reading society. He continued his secondary studies in Braşov and Beiuş, and enrolled at the Theological Institute in Caransebeş in 1889.

Before graduating, he started an itinerant life and arrived in Bucharest, where he met the leaders (Titu Maiorescu etc.) of the Romanian cultural life. He wrote poems, rhyming fairy tales, short theatrical plays, short stories that he published in the "Tribuna" paper and the "Convorbiri literare" magazine. He had Titu Maiorescu close, who was enchanted with the "intense moderation and quietness of style, the plastic description of the details" in the literary works of the Banat writer. Fallen ill, he returned to Lugoj, where he died on 29 August, 1893, at only 24 years of age.


3.VICTOR VLAD DELAMARINA (1870-1896) was a poet and writer. He was noted for his poems written in the Banat regional language. His name is linked with the literary creation in the Banat regional language, with some theatrical and painting works, with an inclination towards portraiture.

Victor Vlad Delamarina lived in the same times and had the same fate as Ioan Popovici Bănăţeanul.

He was born on 31 August, 1870 in Satu Mic (nowadays called Victor Vlad Delamarina), close to Lugoj.

He went to primary school and attended four years of secondary school in Lugoj. He was expelled for having participated to the activity of a Romanian cultural reunion. He found refuge in Bucharest, where he completed his secondary education and then attended the military high school in Craiova. His name is linked with the literary creation in the Banat regional language, with some theatrical and painting works, with an inclination towards portraiture. As a writer, he explored the literary and artistic possibilities of the Banat regional language. His journal notes, entitled "Sketches from my travels", remain memorable. He died on 15 May, 1896, in his native commune, at the age of just 26.


4.IOAN SÂRBU (1865-1922) was a historian. He was elected a member of the Great National Council and deputy in the Parliament of United Romania.

Ioan Sârbu was born in Rudăria, Caraş-Severin County,  on 19 February, 1865.

He went to primary school in Rudăria and attended secondary school in Bozovici, Carasnebeş, Bratislava, and Braşov. He studied history and philosophy at the universities of Jena and Vienna.

He wrote the fundamental works "Matei-Vodă Basarabs Auswaertige Bezeiehungen" and "The History of Mihai Vodă the Brave". He was awarded the "Năsturel" prize of the Romanian Academy. He represented the inhabitants of the Almăj Valley at the Great National Assembly of 1 December, 1918. He was elected a member of the Great National Council and deputy in the Parliament of United Romania. He died in Rudăria on 15 May, 1922.

5. Ana Blandiana

Ana Blandiana, on her real name, Otilia Valeria Coman, was born in Timisoara on March 25th 1942 as a daughter of the Orthodox priest, Gheorghe Coman, native of Murani, Timis County.  In 1944, Coman family moved to Oradea where the poet's father served as priest of the Orthodox Cathedral in Oradea. After the establishment of the communist regime in Romania, priest Coman was arrested as "enemy of the people". Being the daughter of a political prisoner, Ana had to wait four years until the communist authorities allowed her to entry the Philology Faculty in Cluj. After graduation, Ana Blandiana started in Tribune magazine, in Cluj.

Over the years, the poet made - as the guest of universities, academies and cultural organizations - documentation and study travels - in various European countries and participated in conferences and poetry festivals. There have appeared poems and anthologies in magazines from England, USA, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Syria, Greece, China, Japan, Israel, Albania

She received several literary awards including: Award for Poetry of the Romanian Writers Union, 1969, The Romanian Academy Award, 1970; the award for prose of the Writers Union in Bucharest, 1982; the International Award "Gottfried von Herder", Vienna, 1982; the National Poetry Award, 1997, "Opera Omnia" Award, 2001, The International Award "Vilenica", 2002.

Ana Blandiana was involved in civic life through a series of actions in the Civic Alliance. Currently she is leading the Sighet Memorial, an institute studying the crimes of communism, a research center which organizes annual conferences, scientific sessions and exhibitions on the totalitarian phenomenon.

6. Herta Muller

Herta Muller was born on August 17, 1953 in Nitchidorf, Timisoara region.

Her father was a Swabian from Banat and like many other Romanian citizens of German nationality was enrolled in the Second World War. After the communism was installed in Romania, he was expropriated by the authorities of the Romanian Communist State.

In 1945 her mother was deported to forced labor camps in the Soviet Union, from which she was released in 1950

Herta Muller was a student of German studies and Romanian literature at the University of Timisoara between 1973 and 1976. After she was banned to publish, Herta emigrated in 1987 in Germany, with her husband, Richard Wagner.

Since 1995 she is a member of "Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung" (The German Academy for Language and Poetry). In 1999, Muller was proposed by the German government to the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2008 she was proposed for the second time.

After being nominated for the third time, on 8 October, 2009 she received the Nobel Prize for Literature. She is the 12^th woman who received this prize. The prize was of 10 million Swedish Crowns which corresponds with 972.000 euro. In reality such a prize cannot be quantified, bringing a tremendous value to the owner and a symbolic authority. The prize awarding ceremony took place on 10 December 2009 in Stockholm. After receiving this prestigious award, Herta Muller stays alongside the greatest German writers like: Thomas Mann, Herman Hesse, Heinrich Böll, Günter Grass or Elfriede Jelinek, all Nobel laureates for literature.

Art

1. Stefan Popa-Popas

Ştefan Popa-Popas was born on June 11, 1955 in Caransebes, Caras-Severin County.

He started at the School of Fine Arts and then he was transferred to the Special School of Mathematics. He practiced handball and athletics.

He began to draw at 5 years old and at 7 years old he published his first cartoon in a local newspaper. At 14 years old he published the only humorous magazine of that time. At age of 19 he was discovered by Henri Coursaget, the first President of UNESCO. He graduated Politehnica in Timisoara and the Academy of Visual Arts in Poitiers, France. At the International Festival of Cartoon in Saint-Esteve, France, Ştefan Popa-Popas set the world record of resistance - 1527 color portraits in ten days and ten nights. In 1995 he breaks his own record and makes 2772 cartoons in ten days and ten nights. Over 200 heads of State and Government have a cartoon portrait signed by Popas.

Now, he is an honorary citizen in 26 cities across the country, where he won 100 prices. Internationally has been awarded 58 times. He is a member of the Foundation for Science and Arts, of the Cita Academy in Rome and of the Artists association (UNESCO). He created "Popa's" Academy, a Romanian school for caricature. He published cartoons in major newspapers and magazines worldwide.  His outstanding achievements in the field of graphics have established him as one of the most prestigious personality of the contemporary fine art. In France, in October 1995, André Baur wrote about Stefan Popa Popa's that "he is a force of nature...is the only man who was four seconds faster than the computer".