Vintu de Jos
Encyclopedia
Vinţu de Jos, also known as Vinţ is a commune located in the centre of Alba County
, Romania
. It is composed of eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii (Unter-Eisenberg), Ciocaşu (Zoggesch), Crişeni (Krieschen), Dealu Ferului (Eisenberg), Gura Cuţului (Gurrenkutz), Haţegana (Hetzingen), Inuri (Lilienfeld), Laz (Slawendorf), Mătăcina (Mattatschin), Mereteu (Merethof), Pârău lui Mihai (Michelsdorf), Poieniţa (Pojenitz), Stăuini (Stabing), Valea Goblii (Goblsdorf), Valea lui Mihai (Michaelsdorf), Valea Vinţului (Wintzbach), Vinţu de Jos and Vurpăr (Burgberg-Walbersdorf).
s and is located on the Mureş River
, in the centre of Alba County
, approximately 10 km from the city of Sebeş
on the Romanian National Road DN7
, and 15 km from the county capital, Alba Iulia
on the Romanian County Road 107C and the Romanian National Road DN1
.
The commune is bordered by the city of Alba Iulia
in the north-east, the city of Sebeş
in the south-east, the communes of Pianu
and Săliştea in the south, and the commune of Blandiana
in the west.
and houses a shoe factory. The train station is an important connection station that links the CFR-Romanian Railways
main lines 200 and 300 via the line 200A. It is also on the route of the original Orient Express
.
recorded 5,295 people living at the time in the commune, of which 5,108 (96.5%) Romanians
, 90 (1.7%) Roma
, 76 (1.4%) Hungarians and 8 (0.2%) Germans
.
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
, 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 eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii (Unter-Eisenberg), Ciocaşu (Zoggesch), Crişeni (Krieschen), Dealu Ferului (Eisenberg), Gura Cuţului (Gurrenkutz), Haţegana (Hetzingen), Inuri (Lilienfeld), Laz (Slawendorf), Mătăcina (Mattatschin), Mereteu (Merethof), Pârău lui Mihai (Michelsdorf), Poieniţa (Pojenitz), Stăuini (Stabing), Valea Goblii (Goblsdorf), Valea lui Mihai (Michaelsdorf), Valea Vinţului (Wintzbach), Vinţu de Jos and Vurpăr (Burgberg-Walbersdorf).
Geography
Vinţu de Jos has a surface of 8,527 hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s and is located on the Mureş River
Mures River
The Mureș is an approximately 761 km long river in Eastern Europe. It originates in the Hășmașu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, and joins the Tisza river at Szeged in southeastern Hungary....
, in the centre of Alba County
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
, approximately 10 km from the city of Sebeş
Sebes
Sebeș is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania.-Geography:The city lies on the Mureș River valley and it straddles the Sebeș river...
on the Romanian National Road DN7
DN7
Romania's DN7 links the capital city of Bucharest to the Banat region, in western Romania, and further to the eastern European capitals Budapest and Belgrade. It is a high-traffic road and the preferred route for trucks...
, and 15 km from the county capital, Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
on the Romanian County Road 107C and the Romanian National Road DN1
DN1
DN1 is an important national road in Romania which links Bucharest with the northwestern part of the country...
.
The commune is bordered by the city of Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
in the north-east, the city of Sebeş
Sebes
Sebeș is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania.-Geography:The city lies on the Mureș River valley and it straddles the Sebeș river...
in the south-east, the communes of Pianu
Pianu
Pianu is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 3,390 and is composed of five villages: Pianu de Jos, Pianu de Sus , Plaiuri, Purcăreţi and Strungari.-References:...
and Săliştea in the south, and the commune of Blandiana
Blandiana
Blandiana is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It has a population of 1,187 and is composed of five villages: Acmariu, Blandiana, Ibru, Poieni and Răcătău.-Attractions:...
in the west.
Economy
The centre of the commune, Vinţu de Jos, has a large train stationTrain station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
and houses a shoe factory. The train station is an important connection station that links the CFR-Romanian Railways
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...
main lines 200 and 300 via the line 200A. It is also on the route of the original Orient Express
Orient Express
The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
.
Demographics
The 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
recorded 5,295 people living at the time in the commune, of which 5,108 (96.5%) Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, 90 (1.7%) Roma
Roma minority in Romania
The Roma constitute one of the major minorities in Romania. According to the 2002 census, they number 535,140 people or 2.5% of the total population, being the second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians...
, 76 (1.4%) Hungarians and 8 (0.2%) Germans
Germans of Romania
The Germans of Romania or Rumäniendeutsche were 760,000 strong in 1930. They are not a single group; thus, to understand their language, culture, and history, one must view them as independent groups:...
.
Local administration
The current mayor of the commune, as of 2006, is Alexandru Danciu (Democratic Party of Romania).Tourist attractions
- Vinţu de Jos' touristical objectives are the ruins of George MartinuzziGeorge MartinuzziGeorge Martinuzzi was a Croatian nobleman, a monk, bishop of Oradea, archbishop of Esztergom, cardinal and Hungarian statesman.-Biography:Martinuzzi was born in Kamičac, Dalmatia...
's RenaissanceRenaissance architectureRenaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
castle and of a former DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. - The ruin of the fortified church of Vurpăr.