city, Timiș județ (county), western Romania, on the banks of the Timiș River, 33 miles (53 km) east-southeast of Timișoara and almost 220 miles (350 km) northwest of Bucharest. The town grew up on the site of a Roman fortified camp, which in turn was built near a Dacian fortress of the 1st century BC. German influence on the settlement was strong during the Middle Ages, with a German town developing on the north bank of the river and a Romanian town on the south. The town played a significant role in the nationalist movement. Lugoj is the seat of an Orthodox bishopric and has several old churches. The modern city is a centre for the textile and wood-processing industries. Silk is the specialty of the textile works. Other industries include leatherworking, food processing, wine making, and the manufacture of agricultural machinery. Pop. (2007 est.) 45,217.