The Emergence of the Jiu Valley Coal Basin (Romania) - A Consequence of the Industrial Revolution

The Jiu Valley, or Petrosani coal basin, is an important economic region of Romania, situated at the springs of the Jiu River, between the Eastern Carpathians. It is a geographical area that emerges and develops from a social, economic and cultural point of view after mid-nineteenth century, as a result of the industrial revolution. The influence of the industrial revolution on this mountain area will occur on two coordinates: the extraction of the most important natural assets in the underground - coal - the energy resource that underlies the development of the first stage of the industrial revolution; the implementation of technical methods and technologies without which the coal deposits in the Jiu Valley could not be turned to account by primary extraction and processing. As a Transylvanian region, it will be part of the Habsburg Empire by the end of 1919 - the Austrian - Hungarian Empire since 1967 - and the industrial revolution, the political and economic interests of the state and of private capital will boost development. The state will be involved by developing a stimulating legislation - primarily the General Mine Law of 23 May 1954 - and through direct investment, and private capital by mining companies: Mine şi Cuptoare Company in Braşov; "Salgótarján"; "Uricani-Valea Jiului", "Valea Jiului de Sus". Work force will come from different parts of the Empire - which will trigger a population increase from 6670 inhabitants in 1954 to 50,015 inhabitants in 1910. This population will live in workers neighborhoods from which the present day cities will develop. Being highly professionalized, it will change the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the Jiu Valley by developing a modern industrial complex, production coal increasing from 953 tons in 1969 to 2,229,950 tons in 1913. The Jiu Valley coal will be used mainly for railway propulsion, in steel works, for household heating, etc., contributing to the development of other industries and to the comfort population.