Bistra (german: Bistrau; hu, Bisztra) is a commune located in Alba County,

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. It has a population of 5,066. It is composed of 35 villages: Aronești, Bălești, Bălești-Cătun, Bârlești, Bistra, Cheleteni, Ciuldești, Crețești, Dâmbureni, Dealu Muntelui, Durăști, Gănești, Gârde, Hodișești, Hudricești, Lipaia, Lunca Largă, Lunca Merilor, Mihăiești, Nămaș, Novăcești, Perjești, Poiana, Poiu, Rătitiș, Runcuri, Sălăgești, Ștefanca, Țărănești, Tolăcești, Tomnatec, Trișorești, Vârși-Rontu, Vârșii Mari and Vârșii Mici. The commune is situated in the northwest corner of Alba County. It covers a surface of 138 km² (about 1.8% of the total area of the county), making it the largest commune in Romania by surface area. Bistra is crossed from West to East for a length of 7 km by the

Arieș The Arieș ( hu, Aranyos) is a left tributary of the river Mureș in Transylvania, Romania. It discharges into the Mureș in Gura Arieșului, southwest of Luduș. Its total length (including its headwater Arieșul Mare) is , and its drainage ba ...

river. It is surrounded to the SE by the

Trascău Mountains The Trascău Mountains ( ro, Munții Trascăului) are located in the Apuseni mountain range of the Western Romanian Carpathians, in Romania. The Trascău Mountains are crossed by the picturesque Arieș River valley. The highest elevation in the ...

, the SW by the Metaliferi Mountains and to the NE by the Gilău Mountains, with Muntele Mare as the highest peak (1,826 m).

Natives

Petru Pavel Aron Petru Pavel Aron (1709–1764) was Bishop of Făgăraş and Primate of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1752 to his death in 1764. He also translated the Biblia Vulgata into Romanian (1760–1761). Life Petru Pavel Aron was born Bis ...

References

Communes in Alba County Localities in Transylvania {{Alba-geo-stub