Beius
Encyclopedia
Beiuș is a city in Bihor County
, Romania
near the Apuseni Mountains
. The river Crișul Negru
flows through Beiuș, and the city administers a single village, Delani.
The ethnic structure of the population is:
, between the late 18th and very early 20th centuries, Beiuş constituted one of the most important learning centers of the Romanian language in Transylvania. This occurred during a period when Romanians had little or no political rights and their representation was very poor.
and their rich mines, or mountain resorts like Stâna de Vale or Arieşeni
through smaller but picturesque communities and villages like Budureasa or Vascǎu. The nearby mountains are hosts to some of the most dense and spectacular limestone cave systems in the world. These caves contain remains of the extinct cave bear (Ursus speleus) and prehistoric humans, huge colonies of bats, subterranean lakes, striking calcareous formations and giant earthworms that live in the guano
-flooded cave floor.
Beiuş has its own city museum which houses over 3,000 pieces. The museum exhibits reflect its natural history, military history and art, but most famous are its folkloric artifacts: peasant tools, pottery, garments and folk art gathered from the entire central and southern county of Bihor. The underground tunnels in the city are also famous, as they are believed to link together and act as escape routes used during the Medieval Age. Their construction began during the rule of Hungarian king Bela IV
. The nearby landscape includes: agricultural hills with crops ranging from corn, wheat and potato to fruit orchards like apple, pears, plums and strawberries. A long stretch of wildlife depleted forest that is rich in flora begins in the north-east of the city. Industry is represented mainly through production of furniture and fashion destined for European markets. The nearby distillery and beverage factory of Sudrigiu also employs a large part of the city's labour force.
Available or popular sports in or around Beiuş are: fresh water fishing (trout
, catfish
, carp
, barbel
chub
dace
and at least a dozen other edible species), speleology (spelunking), soccer (Sunday soccer is a local ritual for all ages), skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tennis, hiking, camping, backpacking and rock climbing. Hunting for species like: wild boar, roe deer, rabbit, pheasant, dove, partridge or ducks (mainly mallards) is also popular.
Bihor County
Bihor is a county of Romania, in Crişana, with capital city at Oradea. Together with Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion.-Demographics:...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
near the Apuseni Mountains
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
. The river Crișul Negru
Crisul Negru
The Crișul Negru is a river in western Romania and south-eastern Hungary . The river starts at the junction of headwaters Crișul Poienii and Crişul Băiței in the western Apuseni Mountains. It flows through the towns Ștei and Beiuș in Romania. One its tributaries is the small Roșia River...
flows through Beiuș, and the city administers a single village, Delani.
Population
According to the 2002 Census, Beiuş has a population of 10,996 inhabitants.The ethnic structure of the population is:
- Romanian 89.56%
- Hungarian 8.45%
- Others 0.46 %
History
Beiuş's earliest mention in recorded history was in the year 1263, where it was mentioned as being burned down during a Mongol invasion in 1241. During the time of the Habsburg Empire and Austro-Hungarian EmpireAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, between the late 18th and very early 20th centuries, Beiuş constituted one of the most important learning centers of the Romanian language in Transylvania. This occurred during a period when Romanians had little or no political rights and their representation was very poor.
Time line
- Estate of the Oradea BishopricRoman Catholic Diocese of Oradea MareThe Diocese of Oradea is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Romania, with the episcopal see in the city of Oradea. It covers most of Crişana—the counties of Bihor and Arad, 10.5% of which are Catholic. Its adherents are predominantly Hungarian. It is subordinate to the Bucharest...
is mentioned for the first time in the Regestrum Varadiensis. It was mentioned under Benenus in 1291, Belinis in 1300 and Benenes in 1309. - 1451 Became a royal free cityRoyal free cityRoyal free city or free royal city was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the 15th century until the early 20th century...
under John Vitez of Zredna. - Seal of Beiuş showing Ladislaus I of Hungary inscribed around: "Sigillum Oppidi Belenes"
- 1552 Oradea Bishopric tithe list counts more than 420 settlement houses.
- 1570 Under the Speyer Agreement, the Prince of Transylvania ruled this region.
- 1660 The Ottoman Empire conquered Beiuş.
- 1691 The Habsburg Empire conquered Beiuş.
- 1692 A census mentions 9 Hungarian families.
- 1715 A census mentions 29 Hungarian families.
- 1720 52 Hungarians families and 22 Romanian families lived in the city.
- 1754 A Romanian secondary school opens, the second in Transylvania after the one at BlajBlajBlaj is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,758 inhabitants.The landmark of the city is the fact that it was the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Transylvania....
. - 1777 Maria Theresa of AustriaMaria Theresa of AustriaMaria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
founded Greek Catholic BishopricGreek Catholic Diocese of Oradea MareThe Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare is the Eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea.It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop...
with the residence in OradeaOradeaOradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
and endowed the Bishopric with an estate in Beiuş. - Bishop Ignațiu Darabant (1738-1805) erected the Greek Catholic Church of Saint Demetrius
- Bishop Samuil VulcanSamuil VulcanSamuil Vulcan was the Bishop of the Diocese of Oradea Mare of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1806 to 1839.-Life:Vulcan was born on 1 August 1758 in Veza, a former village which has since been incorporated into Blaj town. He was ordained priest in 1784 and attended the Greek-Catholic...
(1806–1893) set up the Greek-Catholic secondary school in Beiuş and endowed it with everything necessary. - 1850 1250 Romanian and 950 Hungarian families lived in the city.
- 1914 2134 Hungarians and 1974 Romanians lived in Beiuş.
- 2002 Around 9,800 Romanians and around 900 Hungarians live in Beiuş.
Places to see
Today, Beiuş is a peaceful place, combining few ethnicities and three times as many religions as in previous times. The city contains superb architectural edifices, including a few old churches and the "Samuil Vulcan" highschool, built in 1828, which obtained the "National College" designation in 1998. The city is a key point in reaching the Apuseni MountainsApuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians, also called Occidentali in Romanian. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbăta Mare" - 1849 metres, also called Bihor...
and their rich mines, or mountain resorts like Stâna de Vale or Arieşeni
Arieseni
Arieşeni is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 1,921. The commune is composed of eighteen villages: Arieşeni, Avrămeşti, Bubeşti, Casa de Piatră, Cobleş, Dealu Bajului, Faţa Cristesei, Faţa Lăpuşului, Galbena, Hodobana, Izlaz, Pănteşti, Pătrăhăiţeşti, Poieniţa,...
through smaller but picturesque communities and villages like Budureasa or Vascǎu. The nearby mountains are hosts to some of the most dense and spectacular limestone cave systems in the world. These caves contain remains of the extinct cave bear (Ursus speleus) and prehistoric humans, huge colonies of bats, subterranean lakes, striking calcareous formations and giant earthworms that live in the guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
-flooded cave floor.
Beiuş has its own city museum which houses over 3,000 pieces. The museum exhibits reflect its natural history, military history and art, but most famous are its folkloric artifacts: peasant tools, pottery, garments and folk art gathered from the entire central and southern county of Bihor. The underground tunnels in the city are also famous, as they are believed to link together and act as escape routes used during the Medieval Age. Their construction began during the rule of Hungarian king Bela IV
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
. The nearby landscape includes: agricultural hills with crops ranging from corn, wheat and potato to fruit orchards like apple, pears, plums and strawberries. A long stretch of wildlife depleted forest that is rich in flora begins in the north-east of the city. Industry is represented mainly through production of furniture and fashion destined for European markets. The nearby distillery and beverage factory of Sudrigiu also employs a large part of the city's labour force.
Available or popular sports in or around Beiuş are: fresh water fishing (trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...
, barbel
Barbel (fish species)
Barbels are group of small carp-like freshwater fish, almost all of the genus Barbus. They are usually found in gravel and rocky-bottomed slow-flowing waters with high dissolved oxygen content. A typical adult barbel will range from 25 to 100 cm in length and weigh anywhere between 200 g...
chub
European chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...
dace
Common dace
The common dace , also known as the dace or the Eurasian dace, is a fresh- or brackish-water fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. It is an inhabitant of the rivers and streams of Europe north of the Alps as well as in Asia. It is most abundant in France and Germany, and has also spread to...
and at least a dozen other edible species), speleology (spelunking), soccer (Sunday soccer is a local ritual for all ages), skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tennis, hiking, camping, backpacking and rock climbing. Hunting for species like: wild boar, roe deer, rabbit, pheasant, dove, partridge or ducks (mainly mallards) is also popular.