- published: 18 Jun 2015
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Coordinates: 46°19′47″N 24°16′12″E / 46.32972°N 24.27°E / 46.32972; 24.27
Târnăveni (Romanian pronunciation: [tɨrnəˈvenʲ]; Hungarian: Dicsőszentmárton, Hungarian pronunciation: [’ditʃøːsɛntmaːrton]; German: Sankt Martin, earlier Marteskirch) is a city and municipality in Mureş County, central Romania. It lies on the Târnava Mică River in central Transylvania. The city administers three villages: Bobohalma, Botorca and Cuştelnic; the last was part of Găneşti Commune until 2002.
In Romanian, it was previously known as Diciosânmartin, then Târnava-Sânmărtin.
Archaeological research has demonstrated that the presence of human communities in this area dates back thousands of years. In 1921, traces of a Neolithic settlement were discovered; a collection of 135 Imperial Roman denarii and two silver balls were also found. The place was historically certified in 1279, under the name of terra Dychen Sent Marton, in a document involving land relocations and ownership.
In 1502, the place was mentioned as a borough (Medieval Latin: oppidum), as a part of Cetatea de Baltă fief of the Moldavian Princes Stephen the Great and Petru Rareş. Since vineyards covered the majority of the cultivated land, it came to be known as the "vine country" (Weinland).