Temesvár District (contemporary or ; or from 1854) was one of five administrative districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar (a crown land within the Austrian Empire), existing from 1851 to 1860. The original German term was , (modern spelling ), and was changed to , , in 1854 . Its administrative centre was Temesvár (, or ), which was also the capital of the crown land. Following the 1854 reform, Temesvár itself was directly subject to the crown land, and so separate from the district, while still acting as its capital.
History The Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar crown land was formed in 1849.Patent vom 18. November 1849, RGBl. 25/1849: In 1851, it was divided into five districts: Lugos, Temesvár, Groß-Becskerek, Zombor, and Neusatz. Temesvár District was based on the former territory of the Hungarian Temes County.
In German, the original term used for these subdivisions was (modern spelling ). In 1851 they were divided into subdivisions called , usually translated as '(political) districts'.
In Bach's reforms from 1853Gesetz vom 19. Jänner 1853, RGBl. 10/1853: (formally applied to the crown land in 1854) the became , a form of administrative division already in use across much of the non-Hungarian part of the Empire since the 18th century. The term , literally 'circle', is also often translated as 'district'. The subdivisions of the were also called in German, or ('office districts', in reference to the or 'district offices' which ran them) to distinguish them from other types of . The change of name was not superficial – different political, administrative, and judicial structures were used in each subdivision type. (See also .)
In 1860, the crown land and its five districts were abolished; the territory of the Temesvár District reverted to Temes County under Hungary.
Geography The Temesvár District comprised the central parts of Banat. It shared borders with the Groß-Becskerek District to the west, Lugos District to the east, the Banat Military Frontier in the south, and the Hungarian Arad County in the north (all parts of the Austrian Empire). Until 1849, it had been the Hungarian Temes County.
Demographics
Subdivisions In 1851, Temesvár District was subdivided into 5 political districts (),Gesetz vom 17. August 1851, 192/1851: which were structurally akin to the modern districts of Austria (names as defined): Neu-Arad (now part of Arad) Lippa Temesvár Csakova Werschetz
The city of Temesvár (Temeswar, Timișoara) was separate from the political districts; the Temesvár district covered the area around the city, which acted as its seat/capital (i.e. it was a statutory city).
In 1854 Temesvár District (now a ), was subdivided into 6 'office districts' () (names as defined):Gesetz vom 1. Februar 1854, RGBl. 28/1854: Temesvár (environs) Neu-Arad (now part of Arad) Lippa Csakova Werschetz Buziasch
The city of Temesvár (Temeswar, Timișoara), as the capital of the crown land, was a statutory city directly subordinate to the (roughly governorate) and not part of the district. It did however act as its seat and administrative centre.
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