General Info

Historical Summary

Aninoasa, like other cities in Jiu Valley, developed with the growth of coal mining in the region. The first documented historical reference to Jiu Valley is a document, dated 1493, adding some Jiu Valley grazing areas (referred to by the names of Pterele, Malae, Rathond, Morysavar, Nyakmezy) to the Râu de Mori estate in the Hategului district The document was signed by the Hungarian King, Vladislav the second (1490-1516) and was addressed to Mohai Kendeffy.

Two centuries later, a number of localities in Jiu Valley were mentioned in the 1750 Romanian Conscription of Transylvania. These localities included:

- Olah Szij (the Romanian Jiu) - with 250 inhabitants, Church, a priest and a song liturgist (probably from Coroiesti-Vulcan and part of Aninoasa);
- Iszkon Szij (Jiu-Iscroni) - with 110 inhabitants and a Church (probably Iscroni); and
- Szerduk Szij (Jiu Surduc) - with 105 inhabitants and a Church (probably near Barbatenii de Jos, Iscroni's zone, in the vicinity of the Jiu gorge).

Aninoasa has a shorter history. Its beginnings and development are connected to the development of mining since the opening of the Aninoasa Coalmine, which first began its activity of extracting coal in 1890 (the coal is process in Vulcan) and has been developing ever since.

While the Aninoasa was first certified as a locality in 1913, the history of the area is much older. The area area was known for wood processing since Dacian and Roman times, but the first documented locality on the West Jiu was called Barbatenii de Jos, so named, according to legend, for the colonists who arrived there from Râu Barbat. The name of the locality was later changed to Iscroni, first mentioned in documents in 1733.

Next to Iscroni the settlement "Anena" developed. Anena, which was referred to as a "wide settlement" in a document dated 1442 was the predecessor of what later became Aninoasa. One of the great Romanian historians, Nicolae Iorga, believes that the City's name came from the "Anin" tree (its bark was use to dye clothes). Nicolae Iorga also argues that the locality's formation was encouraged by the migration from Tara Hategului in the XI-XIII centuries. The area of Tara Hategului borders what is today Valea Jiului (Jiu Valley).

From the territorial administrative organization perspective the town was organized into the communes of Aninoasa and Iscroni until 1968, when Aninoasa was declared a Suburban Commune. Later, in 1989, the latter was designated the status of "Town" through Law 1/1989, which concerned the administrative-territorial division of the country. In 1990 Aninoasa (with 5,569 registered inhabitants, according to the people's census of 1992) was designated a "City" with an affiliate village - Iscroni.

Aninoasa- local chronology (events from the locality's history)
· 1442- local attestation of Aninoasa locality
· 1791-building a wood church in Iscroni
· 1870- the first proceedings for the coal exploitation
· 1805-building the church from Catanesti (Iscroni)
· 1880- planting the "tulipan" tree in Iscroni
· 1885- the mine from Aninoasa is starting its activity by coal exploitation in the areas Kelety, Piscu and Priboi
· 1890-building the first wood cable way from Romania (4200 ml) between Aninoasa si Petrosani
· 1895- building Sf. Varvara school Aninoasa
· 1900- building the first railway for mining transportation in the area Piscu
· 1908-introducing the first pneumatic perforators for digging shaft pits, at Anionoas coal mine
· 1909-introducing in the mine the first enssurance, gas lamps
· 1914- building the second cable way between Aninoasa and Petrosani
· 1929-building the "Inaltarea Domnului" church from Iscroni
· 1929- building the "St. Nicholas" church in Aninoasa
· 1931- building the cable way between Aninoasa and Petrila
· 1935- digging the main
· 1947- the football team of CS Aninoasa was promoted into sport league B
· 1949- building the primary and secondary school in Iscroni
· 1959- establishing the bow target shooting section
· 1972- the Gambrinus motel inauguration
· 1987-the publication of the Aninoasa's magazine, as addition of the "Vatra" magazine from Targu Jiu
· 1989- in may, Aninoasa was statement was stated a city

Demographics
The census from 1992 established the following population demographic statistics:

Total number of inhabitants 5,637

Gender
Males 2,862
Females 2,775

Population density (inhabitants/km?) 167.6

Mortality Rate (Annual, recorded 12/31/00) 43
Number of voters (in June 2000) 3,989

Ethnic Composition
Romanians 81%
Hungarians 12%
Gypsies 5%
Others,,2%

Source: DEEP