Baia Mare 7.01

Baia Mare is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city is situated about 600km from Bucharest, 70km from the border with Hungary, and 50km from the border with Ukraine.Located south of Igniș and Gutâi Mountains, Baia Mare had a population of 123,738 at the 2011 census, and a metropolitan area home to 215,932 residents. The city administers four villages: Blidari (Kőbánya), Firiza (Felsőfernezely), Valea Borcutului (Borpatak) and Valea Neagră (Feketepatak).HistoryPrehistoryThe city's development on the middle course of Săsar River, in the middle of a plateau with a warm Mediterranean-like climate, has facilitated living conditions since the Palaeolithic.Ancient timesDuring the Bronze Age the region was inhabited by Thracian tribes. Later, it was included in the Dacian Kingdom formed by the King Burebista when the mining exploration began, as the area is rich in gold and silver.