Poieni, Cluj
Encyclopedia
Poieni is a commune in Cluj County
, Romania
. It is composed of eight villages: Bologa, Cerbeşti, Hodişu, Lunca Vişagului, Morlaca, Poieni, Tranişu and Valea Drăganului.
and Henţ (Sebeş or Săcuieu)
rivers (the confluence is known as "gura apelor" - "the mouth of the waters" - in the local toponymy) and at the foot of the Vlădeasa mountains (1863 m), part of the Apuseni
Carpathians
. The closest town is Huedin
.
Transportation links: on the European route E60
. Small railway stop ("haltă") for regional trains ("Personal") on the Oradea
-Cluj-Napoca
main Romanian railroad
. On the national road 128 which heads South towards Săcuieu
.
A Roman
castrum called Resculum is the oldest documented settlement in the area. It was built around 106 AD, as a garrison for the “II Cohortis Hispanorum” (see Dux
), whose mission was probably to defend the Roman Empire
's border. As the Romans tried to tighten their hold on the region during the 2nd century A.D., they brought in colonists to the village from Greece
, possibly from Patras
.
The ruins of the castrum are still visible today in the place still called "Grădişte" which means "fortified settlement", although most of the area is cultivated. The ruins of a Roman bath also exist near the castrum.
Overlooking the castrum, on the opposite bank of the Henţ (Sebeş) river, on top of a steep hill lies one of the first Hungarian
fortresses in Transylvania
, which was mentioned for five centuries as Sebesvár, featuring on most Middle-Age maps of the region. Probably due to the fortress, the place was also known as Varalja ("under the fortress") or Sebesváralja. Bologa was first attested in 1304 as Sebuswar then as Sepuswar în 1324, Sebeswar -1329, Sebeswar alio nomine Hunyadwar - 1398, Castrum regis Sebes - 1393, Castrum regis Hunyad - 1397, Sebes Varallya - 1760.
The Hungarian
king, Sigismund of Luxembourg after signing in Braşov
an alliance treaty against the Turks
in 1399 gave the fortresses of Bran
and Bologa to Wallachia
's prince Mircea cel Bătrân.
Built to watch the strategic road that went from Oradea
inside Transylvania
, the fortress also served as a refuge for the local population throughout the centuries. It gained in importance when the Turks
conquered Oradea
in the 17th century as it was hindering the tax collection. The sultan ordered its demolition but the order was not carried out. The fortress was later destroyed by the Austrian
soldiers through explosion. The tower and many walls are still standing. In the mid 20th century the tower lost its roof, probably the last wooden element of the ruins. All that remains is stone.
Probably it was after the Romanian unification (1918) that the current name (Bologa) was assigned. The etymology is not clear.
The Second Vienna Award
in 1940 temporarily re-situated Bologa in Hungary
, right at the border (some territory on the hills nearby remained in Romania). This began yet another period of tensions between ethnic Romanians
and Hungarians which ended in 1945 with the restoration of Romania's western border.
A stone quarry
was opened in 1930 providing dacite
stone for the Budapest
-Bucharest
road. The quarry was later on taken over by the Romanian railways, most of whose embankments are made of stone from the area. After 1989 the quarry was privatised and did not do very well comparing to neighbouring quarries, so it stopped being the main source of income for the villagers. The upcoming highway projects in Romania are expected to improve the quarry prospects.
Forestry
is also active in the area, though more active in the neighbouring valley of Drăgan.
Agriculture is widely practiced but the land size and quality in the hilly-mountainous area only allows for the individual needs of the land owners.
, probably descendants of the original Roman population and its indigenous Dacian component. The language spoken is a variety of Romanian
that includes Latin
elements such as "ai" (from Latin
alium, garlic) and "fărină" (from Latin
farina, flour) which are not found outside the Carpathian
basin, thus supporting the Romanian continuity theory
.
The majority of inhabitants have the surname Potra, which according to accounts is a link to the colonists from Patras
(the Potras/Patras variation exists in other Greek-related names too). Most of the Potras are said to have been shepherds, which probably allowed them not to become serfs to the dominant Hungarian
nobility, thereby maintaining their relative prosperity and independence. The leading of the Potras were quite active in setting up the quarry
as a cooperative
, leading to even more prosperity. However, such entrepreneurship was not something that the communist regime
could tolerate so a number of Potras were sent to forced labour.
there was a total population of 5,781 people living in this commune. Of this population, 96.19% are ethnic Romanians, 3.26% ethnic Rroma and 0.50% are ethnic Hungarians.
Cluj County
Cluj ; is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Cluj-Napoca.-Demographics:In 2007, it had a population of 692,316 and a population density of 104/km².*Romanians – 80%*Hungarians – 17.5%*Roma – 2.5%-Geography:...
, 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...
. It is composed of eight villages: Bologa, Cerbeşti, Hodişu, Lunca Vişagului, Morlaca, Poieni, Tranişu and Valea Drăganului.
Bologa
Bologa is a village in the Poieni commune, with a population of 687 people (2002).Geography
The village is situated at the confluence of the Crişul RepedeCrisul Repede
Crişul Repede is a river in Bihor county, Crişana, Romania and in southeastern Hungary . Together with the rivers Crişul Alb and Crişul Negru , it makes up the Three Criş rivers . These are considered the main rivers in the Crişana region of Romania...
and Henţ (Sebeş or Săcuieu)
Sacuieu River
The Săcuieu River or Henţu River or Sebeş River is a tributary of the Crişul Repede River in Romania. It is formed at the junction of headwaters Răchiţele and Valea Stanciului-References:...
rivers (the confluence is known as "gura apelor" - "the mouth of the waters" - in the local toponymy) and at the foot of the Vlădeasa mountains (1863 m), part of the Apuseni
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...
Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
. The closest town is Huedin
Huedin
Huedin is a town in Cluj County, Romania.Huedin is located at the northern edge of the Apuseni Mountains. It is surrounded by the villages of Nearşova, Domoşu, Horlacea and others. The town administers one village, Bicălatu...
.
Transportation links: on the European route E60
European route E60
European route E 60 is a E-road running from Brest, France , to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan...
. Small railway stop ("haltă") for regional trains ("Personal") on the Oradea
Oradea
Oradea 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:...
-Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
main Romanian railroad
Caile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
. On the national road 128 which heads South towards Săcuieu
Sacuieu
Săcuieu is a commune in Cluj County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Rogojel, Săcuieu and Vişagu.- Demographics :According to the census from 2002 there was a total population of 1,641 people living in this commune...
.
History
4000 years old artefacts (stone axes) were found at the place called "Drumul găunos" ("Potholed Road").A Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
castrum called Resculum is the oldest documented settlement in the area. It was built around 106 AD, as a garrison for the “II Cohortis Hispanorum” (see Dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
), whose mission was probably to defend the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
's border. As the Romans tried to tighten their hold on the region during the 2nd century A.D., they brought in colonists to the village from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, possibly from Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
.
The ruins of the castrum are still visible today in the place still called "Grădişte" which means "fortified settlement", although most of the area is cultivated. The ruins of a Roman bath also exist near the castrum.
Overlooking the castrum, on the opposite bank of the Henţ (Sebeş) river, on top of a steep hill lies one of the first Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
fortresses in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, which was mentioned for five centuries as Sebesvár, featuring on most Middle-Age maps of the region. Probably due to the fortress, the place was also known as Varalja ("under the fortress") or Sebesváralja. Bologa was first attested in 1304 as Sebuswar then as Sepuswar în 1324, Sebeswar -1329, Sebeswar alio nomine Hunyadwar - 1398, Castrum regis Sebes - 1393, Castrum regis Hunyad - 1397, Sebes Varallya - 1760.
The Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
king, Sigismund of Luxembourg after signing in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
an alliance treaty against the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1399 gave the fortresses of Bran
Bran Castle
Bran Castle , situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on DN73...
and Bologa to Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
's prince Mircea cel Bătrân.
Built to watch the strategic road that went from Oradea
Oradea
Oradea 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:...
inside Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, the fortress also served as a refuge for the local population throughout the centuries. It gained in importance when the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
conquered Oradea
Oradea
Oradea 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:...
in the 17th century as it was hindering the tax collection. The sultan ordered its demolition but the order was not carried out. The fortress was later destroyed by the Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
soldiers through explosion. The tower and many walls are still standing. In the mid 20th century the tower lost its roof, probably the last wooden element of the ruins. All that remains is stone.
Probably it was after the Romanian unification (1918) that the current name (Bologa) was assigned. The etymology is not clear.
The Second Vienna Award
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...
in 1940 temporarily re-situated Bologa in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, right at the border (some territory on the hills nearby remained in Romania). This began yet another period of tensions between ethnic Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
and Hungarians which ended in 1945 with the restoration of Romania's western border.
A stone quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
was opened in 1930 providing dacite
Dacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
stone for the Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
-Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
road. The quarry was later on taken over by the Romanian railways, most of whose embankments are made of stone from the area. After 1989 the quarry was privatised and did not do very well comparing to neighbouring quarries, so it stopped being the main source of income for the villagers. The upcoming highway projects in Romania are expected to improve the quarry prospects.
Forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
is also active in the area, though more active in the neighbouring valley of Drăgan.
Agriculture is widely practiced but the land size and quality in the hilly-mountainous area only allows for the individual needs of the land owners.
The Potras
Most of today's village inhabitants (around 700) are ethnic RomaniansRomanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, probably descendants of the original Roman population and its indigenous Dacian component. The language spoken is a variety of Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
that includes Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
elements such as "ai" (from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
alium, garlic) and "fărină" (from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
farina, flour) which are not found outside the Carpathian
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
basin, thus supporting the Romanian continuity theory
Origin of Romanians
The origin of the Romanians – the ethnogenesis of the Romanian people – can be traced back to the region’s Romanized inhabitants living, within the Roman Empire, in the lands north of the Jireček Line The origin of the Romanians – the ethnogenesis of the Romanian people (speakers of a Romance...
.
The majority of inhabitants have the surname Potra, which according to accounts is a link to the colonists from Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
(the Potras/Patras variation exists in other Greek-related names too). Most of the Potras are said to have been shepherds, which probably allowed them not to become serfs to the dominant Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
nobility, thereby maintaining their relative prosperity and independence. The leading of the Potras were quite active in setting up the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
as a cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
, leading to even more prosperity. However, such entrepreneurship was not something that the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
could tolerate so a number of Potras were sent to forced labour.
Demographics
According to the census from 2002Demographics of Romania
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Romania, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
there was a total population of 5,781 people living in this commune. Of this population, 96.19% are ethnic Romanians, 3.26% ethnic Rroma and 0.50% are ethnic Hungarians.
External links
- "Transilvania" map by OrteliusAbraham Orteliusthumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) (April 14, 1527 – June 28,exile in England to take...
, 1570. Bologa/Sebesuar is just above and to the right from the OCCIDENS indicator at the middle left of the map. This map is a color copy of the oldest known map of Transsylvania (HonterJohannes HonterJohannes Honter was a Transylvanian Saxon, renaissance humanist and theologian...
, 1532) - The fortress and the stone quarry today
- The whirlpool at Bologa's watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, a natural washing machine! - The fortress of Bologa
- A description in Hungarian, featuring a coat of arms and early 20th century photography Cluj County map Administrative map of the county
