Beba Veche ( hu, Óbéba; german: Altbeba; sr, Стара Беба, Stara Beba) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in
Timiș County
Timiș () is a county ('' județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Romania in terms of land area. T ...
. It is composed of three villages: Beba Veche, Cherestur ( hu, Pusztakeresztúr), and Pordeanu ( hu, Porgány). Beba Veche is the westernmost settlement in Romania.
Geography
Located on the border with
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, the village is crossed by the
20°15′44″ meridian east in the westernmost point of Romania, called ''
Triplex Confinium'', where the borders of the three countries meet. Geographically, it is located in the
Torontal Plain, at an average altitude of .
The nearest settlement is
Kübekháza in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, about away, to which Beba Veche was connected in the past by a direct road. The nearest town is
Sânnicolau Mare
Sânnicolau Mare (; hu, Nagyszentmiklós; german: Großsanktnikolaus; sr, Велики Семиклуш, Veliki Semikluš; Banat Bulgarian: ''Smikluš'') is a town in Timiș County, Romania, and the westernmost of the country. Located in the Ba ...
, away. The only access road to Beba Veche is the county road DJ682 Sânnicolau Mare–Beba Veche. The closest railway station is
Dudeștii Vechi
Dudeștii Vechi (until 1964 Beșenova Veche; hu, Óbesenyő; german: Altbeschenowa; Banat Bulgarian: ''Stár Bišnov''; sr, Старо Бешеново, Staro Bešenovo) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: ...
, some away.
Climate
Beba Veche is dominated by a moderate
continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
with Mediterranean influences due to the fact that it is protected by the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
that prevent cold air from north and northeast and allow hot air from southwest and west.
This makes winters milder, with a positive mean temperature (0.3 °C). The mean annual temperature is 10.8 °C.
The mean multiannual amount of precipitations is 536.5 mm, with the most abundant precipitations in May and June (23–25% of the mean annual amount); rainfall oscillations are rather high from one year to another (with a limit of 250 mm); crops are stressed by moisture excess particularly during the first part of vegetation, while during the latter vegetation period (after August) humidity is insufficient.
History
Beba Veche is one of the oldest settlements in
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
. Archaeological discoveries have led Swabian historiographer
Felix Milleker
Felix Milleker ( Serbian- Cyrillic: Феликс Милекер, Serbian-Latin: Feliks Mileker, Hungarian: Felix Mil(l)eker; pronounced Feliksz Mileker or magyarised Bódog Milleker; 14 January 1858, Vršac, Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of ...
to conclude that it dates back to the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
.
Judging by the
tumuli
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...
discovered here, it can be said that it dates at least from the time of the
Agathyrsi
The Agathyrsi ( Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a people belonging to the Scythian cultures. The Agathyrsi were a people of mixed Iranian Scythic and Geto-Thracian origin whose bulk were Thracian while their aristocracy was closely related to ...
(6th century BC).
Historian claims that until the 5th century, it was called ''Vitoliu'', after the name of the Roman emperor
Vitellius
Aulus Vitellius (; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius was proclaimed emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of ci ...
.
The first document attesting Beba Veche dates from 1247, during the reign of
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...
. It was mentioned as ''Béb'' in a chronicle preserved at the Museum of History in
Cluj-Napoca. The settlement was originally owned by the Csanád clan; the name comes from one of the family members.
At the end of the 13th century, due to repeated attacks of the
Cumans
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many so ...
, the village was depopulated.
According to the Turkish census of 1557–1558, only 15 houses inhabited by Hungarians were registered in the settlement.
In 1647,
Rascian shepherds began to settle here, but they did not stay here for a long time either.
After the
Treaty of Passarowitz
The Treaty of Passarowitz, or Treaty of Požarevac, was the peace treaty signed in Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, german: Passarowitz), a town that was in the Ottoman Empire but is now in Serbia, on 21 July 1718 between the Ottoman ...
and the establishment of Austrian rule in Banat, it seems that Beba Veche was no longer inhabited, because on
Mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...
's map from 1723 to 1725, Beba is no longer mentioned.
![Banat Josephinische Landaufnahme pg005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Banat_Josephinische_Landaufnahme_pg005.jpg)
In 1773, the
Csanád
Csanád, also Chanadinus, or Cenad, was the first head ''(comes)'' of Csanád County in the Kingdom of Hungary in the first decades of the 11th century.
Csanád defeated and killed Ajtony who had ruled over the region now known as Banat (in Rom ...
ministry settled two villages on the site of the old locality: ''Kisbéba'', where it invited Hungarian tobacco growers from
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...
area and ''Óbéba'', which it handed over to Romanian-speaking settlers. In 1779, both settlements were annexed to
Torontál County
Torontál (, , , ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Serbia and Romania, except for a small area which is part of Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagybecskerek (, , ), t ...
. By 1779, around 300 families of
Swabians settled in Beba, as a result of the so-called "
Theresian colonization" of Banat.
Hungarian families re-settled in ''Óbéba'' only in 1782, thanks to Count
Ignác Batthyány
Ignác Batthyány (born 30 June 1741, Németújvár (present-day Güssing), Kingdom of Hungary; died 17 November 1798, Gyulafehérvár (present-day Alba Iulia), Principality of Transylvania) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Transylvania.
He was l ...
, Bishop of Transylvania.
His estate at Beba also included
Oroszlámos (beyond today's border),
Valcani, Cherestur and
Cociohat. In 1838, German colonists settled into
Valcani, forming the village of ''Battyánháza'', a name given in honor of the count-bishop. In time, the village merged with Beba Veche.
After the establishment of the
Austro-Hungarian dualism in 1867, the administration of the commune was ensured by the servants of the Court. Among other things, the loss of the cultural identity of the Romanians in the commune was sought, by imposing the Hungarianization of the name and surname.
This lasted until after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, many inhabitants emigrated to America, and some of them returned with important capitals, helping economic development.
After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, according to the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
of 1920, the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
was given Beba Veche, but in 1924, it was transferred to Romania, following a protocol concluded between Romania and Yugoslavia on 24 November 1923 for the rectification of the border.
Demographics
Beba Veche had a population of 1,539 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 4% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
(61.79%), larger minorities being represented by
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
(32.36%),
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
(1.3%) and
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(1.17%). For 3.18% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.
By religion, most inhabitants are
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
(57.24%), but there are also minorities of
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(35.87%) and
Reformed (1.95%). For 3.38% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
Economy
![BebaVeche3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/BebaVeche3.jpg)
The main area of the economy is
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
, section that ensures the work of over the 60% of the commune's inhabitants. The commune has a total area of 8,818 hectares of agricultural land.
The main crops cultivated in the commune are
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
rye,
corn, and
sunflower cultivated on 90% of the arable area, while only 10% is cultivated with vegetables and
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
.
As for livestock, the main species are
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
,
swine, and
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...
due to the grain crops and
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
due to the pastures representing 11% of the agricultural land.
In 2007, in the commune of Beba Veche, there were 14 firms with a turnover of 2,401,875
lei, which places Beba Veche within the communes with a low degree of economic development.
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat
Romania–Serbia border crossings
Hungary–Romania border crossings
Hungary–Serbia border crossings
Extreme points of Romania