Lugoj

Lugoj (ˈluɡoʒ; Lugos; Lugosch; Lugoš; Lugoš; Logoş) is a city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș River divides the city into two halves, the so-called "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. The city administers two villages, Măguri and Tapia. The origin of the toponym Lugoj has generated a series of controversies over time. Vasile Maniu claims that it derives from the Latin word "lucus" (grove, small forest). Iorgu Iordan, in his Romanian toponymy, accepts the origin of the name from the Slavic prefix "lug-" or "luh-" (swamp forest) and the Hungarian suffix "-os". However, linguist Simion Dănilă claims that the name of the city has its origin in the word "logos", a Banat doublet for "rogoz" (sedge, a hydrophilous plant). All these hypotheses refer to the swampy areas that once surrounded the city. Lugoj is located in southwestern Romania, in Timiș County, in the historical region of Banat and consists of the town of Lugoj and the villages of Măguri and Tapia. Within Timiș County, Lugoj is located in its central-eastern part. According to the National Territorial Planning Scheme, Lugoj is a second-tier locality – municipality of county and zonal importance at county level, secondary pole at county level, with a balancing role in the network of localities. It is the second largest and most important city in Timiș County, being part of the Western Development Region and the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Lugoj covers an area of 98.03 km2, of which 20.35 km2 in the build-up area and 77.68 km2 outside the build-up area. It borders Boldur to the west, Darova to the southwest, Victor Vlad Delamarina to the south, Gavojdia to the southeast, Criciova and Bârna to the east and Coșteiu to the north-northwest. The territory of Lugoj belongs to the high plain of Lugoj and the hills of Lugoj. Located in the contact area of these units, the city developed on the lower terrace of the Timiș River, on both its banks. The relief unit in which Lugoj is located is the Lugoj Plain, which penetrates deep into the piedmont hills.