Urziceni, Satu Mare
Encyclopedia
Urziceni is a commune in Satu Mare County
, Romania
, right on the Hungarian border. It is composed of two villages, Urziceni and Urziceni-Pădure (Csanáloserdő). The population was 1,509 in 2002; 68.1% of inhabitants were Hungarian, 22.5% were German, and 9.3% were ethnic Romanian. 86.8% were Roman Catholic, 5.6% were Greek-Catholic, 4.2% were Romanian Orthodox and 3.0% were Reformed.
Historically, the commune was mainly inhabited by Roman Catholic German ethnics (Donauschwaben or Danube Swabians
) who were brought in by the Hungarian ruler of the land, count Alexander Károlyi, to populate the area that had been deserted as a result of a series of wars and epidemics. The process began in 1711 when the first wave of settlers arrived from present-day Baden-Württemberg
, just north of Lake Constance
. During the 20th century they gave up the usage of the German language in favour of Hungarian. Since the 1980s, the population has dwindled significantly due to emigration to West Germany, especially before the fall of the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu
, but also in the 1990s, mainly for economic reasons.
Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County is a county of Romania. The capital city is Satu Mare. Besides Romanians , Satu Mare features a significant ethnic minority of Hungarians .-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...
, right on the Hungarian border. It is composed of two villages, Urziceni and Urziceni-Pădure (Csanáloserdő). The population was 1,509 in 2002; 68.1% of inhabitants were Hungarian, 22.5% were German, and 9.3% were ethnic Romanian. 86.8% were Roman Catholic, 5.6% were Greek-Catholic, 4.2% were Romanian Orthodox and 3.0% were Reformed.
Historically, the commune was mainly inhabited by Roman Catholic German ethnics (Donauschwaben or Danube Swabians
Danube Swabians
The Danube Swabians is a collective term for the German-speaking population who lived in the former Kingdom of Hungary, especially alongside the Danube River valley. Because of different developments within the territory settled, the Danube Swabians cannot be seen as a unified people...
) who were brought in by the Hungarian ruler of the land, count Alexander Károlyi, to populate the area that had been deserted as a result of a series of wars and epidemics. The process began in 1711 when the first wave of settlers arrived from present-day Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, just north of Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. During the 20th century they gave up the usage of the German language in favour of Hungarian. Since the 1980s, the population has dwindled significantly due to emigration to West Germany, especially before the fall of the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
, but also in the 1990s, mainly for economic reasons.