Băile Herculane

Băile Herculane
Town
Bǎile Herculane seen from a mountaintop
Coat of arms
Location of Băile Herculane
Coordinates: 44°52′43″N 22°24′51″E / 44.87861°N 22.41417°E / 44.87861; 22.41417Coordinates: 44°52′43″N 22°24′51″E / 44.87861°N 22.41417°E / 44.87861; 22.41417
Country	Romania
County	Caraș-Severin County
Status	Town
Government
• Mayor	Nicușor Vasilescu (PD-L)
Area
• Total	105.48 km2 (40.73 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	5,008
• Density	47.5/km2 (123/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Climate	Cfb
Website	Official site

Băile Herculane (Latin: Aqua Herculis; German: Herkulesbad; Hungarian: Herkulesfürdő; Czech: Herkulovy Lázně, Turkish: Lazarethane) is a town in Romanian Banat, in Caraș-Severin County, situated in the valley of the Cerna River, between the Mehedinţi Mountains to the east and the Cerna Mountains to the west, elevation 168 meters. Its current population is approximately 5,000. The town administers one village, Pecinișca (Hungarian: Pecsenyeska; from 1912 to 1918 Csernabesenyő).

The spa town of Băile Herculane has a long history of human habitation. Numerous archaeological discoveries show that the area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. The Peștera Hoților (Cave of the Thieves), contains multiple levels, including one from the Mousterian period, one from the Mesolithic period (late Epigravettian) and several from the later Neolithic periods.

Legend has it that the weary Hercules stopped in the valley to bathe and rest. Unearthed stone carvings show that visiting Roman aristocrats turned the town into a Roman leisure center. Six statues of Hercules from the time have been discovered. A bronze replica of one of them, molded in 1874, stands as a landmark in the town center. Austrian and Ottoman troops clashed here after the Ottoman victory in the battle of Mehadia on 30 August 1788. The Ottomans won the skirmish, took the town on 7 September 1788 and advanced to Caransebeș. It was retaken by the Austrians at the end of September 1789.