Oradea (Romanian pronunciation: [oˈrade̯a]; German: Großwardein, Hungarian: Nagyvárad, Hungarian pronunciation: [nɒɟvaːrɒd], colloquially also Várad, former Turkish: Varat, Yiddish: גרויסווארדיין‎ Groysvardeyn) the capital city of Bihor County and Crișana region, is one of the important centers of economic, social and cultural development in the western part of Romania, retaining these characteristics throughout history. The city is nestled between the hills that separate and unify in a harmonious way with plain Crișana. Located on the banks of Crișul Repede River, that divides the city into almost equal halves, it is the gateway to Central and Western Europe.