Testing and Measurement in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Today's testing and measurement websites hotspot is Cluj-Napoca.

Also known as Cluj, this is the second-most populous city in Romania after the capital, Bucharest. 

Situated in the northwest of the country, Cluj is also considered the unofficial capital of Transylvania, as it was officially in the late 18th and much of the 19th century. 

About 400,000 people live in the Cluj metropolitan area, with about 300,000 of them within the city limits. There has been a settlement on the site of modern day Cluj, in the Someşul Mic River valley, since pre-Roman times.

Testing and Measurement in Leipzig

Today's testing and measurement websites hotspot is Leipzig. 

This town in Saxony, Germany, is about 150km south of Berlin and has a population of over half a million people. It's home to the famous Leipzig Festival, and has been a significant trade centre since the time of the Holy Roman Empire and was first documented in 1015. 

The city sits at the intersection of two major medieval trade routes. 

Leipzig became an important cultural centre, too, and after World War Two it developed into a major urban city within East Germany, although its economic importance declined. Leipzig's citizens played an important part in the protests that lead to the reunification of Germany and the modern city has been voted one of the best places to live in the world. 

DID YOU KNOW? Our new construction materials testing website is now LIVE at www.novanna-testing.co.uk

Big News in the World of Testing and Measurement

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is undoubtedly Bury St Edmunds.

Why? because today our second website finally went 'live', thanks to the hard work of our friends at Logic Design, our neighbours in Novanna's home town of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The new site concentrates on concrete and construction materials testing, and is on a totally new domain www.novanna-testing.co.uk.

We've taken the opportunity to create a new design for the site that we'll also be using on the existing site very soon. Navigation is easier and categories are easier to identify. (It looks nicer, too!)

We're very excited about the new site and a new chapter in Novanna's story. Most importantly, though, YOU will hopefully find the Novanna Testing website a great source of test equipment and everything to do with concrete and construction materials testing.

Please have a look - we'd love to know what you think!

Testing and Measurement in Asker, Norway

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Asker, in Norway. 

Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, and a suburb of Oslo,and became a municipality in 1838, having previously been a parish, centred on the parish church. 

The church, in turn, was built at Asker Farm, the name of which came from the old Norse word for ash trees, 'askar'. Thus, the coat of arms, only created in 1975, depicts three ash trees, with the distinctive shape of ash trees in the area, resulting from their annual cropping for animal feed. 

Due to its proximity to Oslo and its rural character, Asker is the second wealthiest municipality in Norway. The population is around 55,000.

Testing and Measurement in Caracas

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Caracas. 

More accurately, Venezuela's capital and largest city is named Santiago de León de Caracas, and has a population around 3 million people in the Caracas metropolitan area. The city sits between 700 and over 900 metres above sea level, despite being fairly close to the Caribbean sea. 

The modern city was founded in 1567 by Spanish captain Don Diego de Losada, five years after the first failed attempt by another Spanish Captain to settle the area. There were, of course, indigenous people here already, who destroyed the first settlement but not the second. A declaration of independence was signed in Caracas in 1811, but it took a decisive victory over royalist forces in 1821 to secure independence for Venezuela.

Novanna Testing and Measurement Website Hotspots

Watch out for our daily testing and measurement website hotspots. Each day we pick a location where one or more visitors to our main website www.novanna.co.uk are located, and tell you a little about it.

We're proud to be a global company with a world-wide customer base!

Testing and Measurement in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Thunder Bay. 

Situated in northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay is a resort as well as a significant commercial centre. The population exceeds 108,000, while the surrounding towns and settlements add another 13,000 or so. The city sits on the shore of Lake Superior on the banks of the Kaministiquia River and was first settled by Europeans in the 17th century. 

Thunder Bay was an important trade point for the shipping of grain from western Canada, being at the head of the Great Lakes navigation and the St Lawrence Seaway. Later, the timber industry and manufacturing became the main source of revenue. These have now declined and been largely replaced by a 'knowledge economy' of medical research and education.

Testing and Measurement in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Thiruvananthapuram.

The capital of Kerala province, India, Thiruvananthapuram was referred to by Gandhi as 'the evergreen city of India'. The city has a population around 750,000, while about a million more live in the city's suburbs, but is famous for its green spaces as well as the usual big city attractions.

Thiruvananthapuram is a centre of commerce and regional government, as well as being an academic and technological hub, with the University of Kerala, but especially the two major space institutions, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology attracting some of the world's top scientists. Information technology and biotech are also well represented, both in research and commercial institutions.

Testing and Measurement in Ipswich

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Ipswich. 

The county town of Suffolk, Ipswich has a total population of around 155,000, with roughly 22,000 living outside the borough boundary. 

Situated on the estuary of the Orwell, Ipswich served as the entrance to large parts of inland Suffolk via the rivers Orwell and Gipping during the Roman occupation. 

Ipswich grew in importance during the 7th and 8th centuries as a major port connecting the Kingdom of East Anglia with Scandinavia and the Rhineland, starting during the reign of King Rædwald, who was probably buried at nearby Sutton Hoo.

Testing and Measurement in Manila

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Manila, the capital and largest city in the Philippines. 

With a total population over 1.6 million, Manila is all but surrounded by other cities - sixteen in all - that comprise the capital region of Metro Manila, but the city of Manila itself is the most densely populated in the world. It sits on the eastern shore of Manila Bay and the earliest record of a settlement here is from the 10th century. 

Modern Manila is the commercial, artistic and economic hub of the Philippines, with a strong reputation in arts, commerce, education, entertainment, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport.

It would seem that testing and measurement also happens in Manila.

Testing and Measurement in Egham

Friday's testing and measurement hotspot was Egham, a Surrey town that  is part of the Runnymede borough and is about 20 miles southwest of central London. 

Despite its ancient origins - it already existed in the 7th century as part of Chertsey Abbey, known as Egca's Ham (farm or settlement) -  Egham town is still quite small, with a population around 6,000. 

The ancient parish included a large part of Windsor Great Park, Runnymede and Virginia Water and straddled the county border between Surrey and Berkshire. 

In the 19th century, horse racing used to take place at Egham and the Inclosure (sic) Act of 1814 and subsequent awards made special stipulation that any enclosures interfering with the races were to be removed each August for the events to be held. The races ended in 1884.

Testing and Measurement in Grimsby

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Grimsby. 

This seaport on the Lincolnshire coast sits at the estuary of the River Humber. Grimsby is said to date back to the 9th century, and to be named after a Danish fisherman named Grim. The town used to be known as Great Grimsby, distinguishing it from the nearby village of Little Grimsby, and it is physically connected to the town of Cleethorpes. The total population of the town and its suburbs today is over 87,000. 

During WW2, the Luftwaffe bombed Grimsby extensively, due to its importance as a sea port, but they pointedly avoided destroying the distinctive Dock Tower, which they used as a navigational aid.

Testing and Measurement in Msida, Malta

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Msida.

Situated just to the west of Valletta, on the northeast coast of the island, the town has a population just under 8,000.

You won't be surprised to learn that the town's name has an Arabic origin, translating as 'the fisherman's dwelling'. In fact, Msida was originally a fishing village, centred around the primitive homes of the local fishermen, and some fishing is still takes place from the town.

The modern town of Msida, however, is more urban and contains a university, hence the population has recovered in recent decades due to the influx of students. A lot of Malta's bus routes now pass through the bustling town.

Testing and Measurement in Hammel, Denmark

Tuesday's website hotspot was Hammel, in central Denmark. 

This smallish town of around 7,000 inhabitants is a former railway town, although the Aarhus-Hammel-Thorsø railway closed as long ago as 1956. 

Interestingly, one of the first motor cars in the world was the Hammel, constructed in Denmark sometime between 1886 and 1890, by Urban Johansen und Albert F. Hammel. It still exists, in the museum at Helsingør.

Testing and Measurement in Malle, Belgium

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Malle, in Belgium.

Situated in the province of Antwerp, Malle is a municipality comprising two villages, Oostmalle and Westmalle, with a combined population of around 15,000.

The history of Oostmalle goes back to Roman times, while the name Malle, for the combined villages, was first used in 1194. There was a settlement in Westmalle by 1100.

The name may come from the Franks' word Mallum, meaning a general court session. Over the centuries, the area has seen many battles, outbreaks of bubonic plague and even a tornado (in 1967), that destroyed the church and over 130 houses.

Testing and Measurement in Sheffield

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Sheffield. 

The south Yorkshire town was famed for its steel production and innovation, including the development of stainless steel in the 19th century, and the Sheffield steel industry led to a ten-fold increase in population during the industrial revolution. Sheffield was awarded city status in 1893. 

The steel industry and adjacent coal mining industry collapsed rapidly in in the 1970s and 80s, but the city has enjoyed a rebirth since the late 1990s with substantial inward investment and development. 

Despite its industrial heritage, a third of the city actually lies within the Peak District National Park and it sits in the valleys of the River Don and its four tributaries, the Loxley, the Porter Brook, the Rivelin, and the Sheaf.

Testing and Measurement in Oxford

Today's Novanna website hotspot is Oxford. 

Dating from Saxon Times, Oxford was originally named Oxenaforda, telling us that it was 'the ford of the oxen'. By the tenth century, Oxford was an important border town between the two kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, as well as being raided several times by Danes. The Normans constructed a castle following the severe damage suffered by the town during the conquest, although this castle has never been used for military purposes. Some remains survive to the present day. 

The castle soon became home to a small community of monks and was one of the first places of formal education established in the town. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his 'History of the Kings of Britain' here, which was actually a compilation of Arthurian legends rather than a true history. 

These days, Matthew Arnold's 'city of dreaming spires' is home to about 165,000 inhabitants and the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

Testing and Measurement in Slagelse, Denmark

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Slagelse, in Denmark.

The administrative centre of Slagelse Municipality, on the island of Zealand, the town has a population of around 32,000.

It's about 100km southwest of Copenhagen, and has a long history as an important trading centre, with a mint being situated in the town as long ago as the 11th century. The church from the same era is still in use.

Slagelse's most famous character is Hans Christian Anderson, who studied at the local grammar school.

Testing and Measurement in Stourbridge

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Stourbridge.

The town is famous for its glass making, and was formerly in the county of Worcestershire, although it's now part of the metropolitan borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands. A fairly large town, with a population approaching 60,000, Stourbridge is on the edge of the industrial midlands, with easy access to unspoilt countryside to the west and southwest. Rural Shropshire and the Clent Hills are close by.

Stourbridge glass has been manufactured since the early 1600s, encouraged by the availability of coal and fireclay locally, and the arrival in the area of Huguenot glassmakers escaping persecution in France. The industry reached its peak in the 19th century.

Testing and Measurement in Oelde, Germany

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Oelde, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of around 30,000.

Although the town has only officially existed since 1800, there was a settlement named "Ulidi" in the area around 900 AD. A castle was also built here in the 14th century.

Modern Oelde is a centre of metal and timber production and publishing, and also houses a nursing college. A significant company in the town is Westfalia Separator, a manufacturer of centrifuges and dairy machines.

Testing and Measurement in Sharjah

Today's testing and measurement website hotspot is Sharjah. 

Sharjah city is the largest city and seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah, the third largest of the United Arab Emirates, situated on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf. 

The city itself is the third largest in the UAE, but also the most populous, with over 800,000 residents, and is a unique mix of traditional Islamic buildings, including many elegant mosques, and post-millennium high rise skyscrapers.

Testing and Measurement in Cardiff

Saturday's testing and measurement websits hotspot was Cardiff.

The largest city in Wales is also its capital since 1955, and the tenth largest city in the UK. Cardiff is also the main commercial and business centre for Wales and the base for most of its sporting and cultural events, being home to the Millennium Stadium and the Welsh Assembly (strictly, The National Assembly for Wales).

Cardiff area's built environment was greatly improved by the world class redevelopment of Cardiff Bay in the 1990s. The population of the city is almost 900,000, and it attracted an impressive 18.3 million visitors in 2010.