Târg

A târg was a medieval Romanian periodic fair or a market town. Originally established on the places where periodic fairs were held, some of them (but not all) became permanent settlements,^[1] as craftsmen built their workshops near the place where the fair was held.

The market towns were still largely agricultural, with the lord of the settlement allowing some inhabitants to become tradesmen or craftsmen in exchange of some fees.

Many of the earliest fairs were named after the river that flowed nearby. Examples include:

• Moldova River
  (currently known as Baia)
• Mureș River
• Jiu River
• Argeș River
  (currently known as Curtea de Argeş)
• Neamț River
• Lăpuș River
• Dâmbovița River (historical name for Bucharest
  )
• Suceava River
  (currently known as Suceava)
• Bârlad River
  (currently known as Bârlad)
• Siret River
  (currently known as Siret)

• German: Markt
• Hungarian: mezőváros
• Latin: oppidum
• Târgu, for contemporary places with this name

Notes

References

• Laurenţiu Rădvan, At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities, Brill, 2010,
  ISBN 9789004180109