Map of Romania with Caraş-Severin highlighted

Caraş-Severin (Hungarian: Krassó-Szörény) is a county in southwestern Romania. It is the third-largest Romanian county, at 8,514 km², after Suceava and Timiş. The Danube River enters Romania in Caraş-Severin. The county has a population of 361,479 people.

Caraş-Severin is located on the site of the ancient province of Banat. Recent archaeological discoveries show that the area has been populated since at least the Paleolithic era. It was taken in 1718 as a province of the Austrian Empire also named Banat. The area received considerable attention for the vast and rich mines that pocked the countryside, turning this undeveloped area into a major mining center. In 1855, the entire Banat area, and therefore the supply of mineral deposits and timber, were transferred from the Austrian Treasury to an Austrian and French mining and railroad company named STEG . STEG introduced the Oraviţa-Baziaş line to the area, the first railroad in Romania.

After World War I, STEG, Banat and most other Austro-Hungarian properties were disbanded and the area was taken over by a company named UDR. When the Soviets arrived in 1949, it brought enormous upheaval to the area, leading the newly communist state to declare the nationalization of the industries and specifically the Sovietization of UDR. Currently, the industries are slowly coming to terms with the independence granted them in 1989 with the resignation of Nicolae Ceauşescu.

The county capital is Reşiţa, which was founded in 1771 and became a modern industrial center during the Austrian occupation. The county is populated with many museums including The County Museum of History, host to important archaeological exhibits of mining and metallurgy, and the Constantin Gruiescu Mineralogical Collection in the town of Ocna de Fier . The county is also the host to regional daffodil and lilac festivals in the Spring.

Cities

• Reşiţa
• Anina
• Băile Herculane
• Bocşa
• Caransebeş
• Moldova Nouă
• Oraviţa
• Oţelu Roşu
• Ocna de Fier

Villages

• Agadici