Ghilad ( hu, Gilád; german: Gilad or ''Kilatt'') 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 ...
,
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 is composed of two villages, Gad ( hu, Gád; sr, Гад, Gad) and Ghilad. These were part of the commune of
Ciacova
Ciacova ( hu, Csák; german: Tschakowa; sr, Чаково, Čakovo; tr, Çakova) is a town in Timiș County, Romania. It administers four villages: Cebza, Macedonia, Obad and Petroman. When it was declared a town in 2004, the villages of Gad and G ...
until 2004, when they were split off.
History
The first recorded mention of Ghilad dates from 1212, when
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II ( hu, II. András, hr, Andrija II., sk, Ondrej II., uk, Андрій II; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 ...
donated ''Gyad'' to ''
Terra Sebus'', responsible for the transfer of possession being the prefect of
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 ...
, Nicolae Csáky.
It was not mentioned in documents until the second half of the 16th century, then it is said that it was inhabited by Romanians, brought from
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 ...
by Rami Pasha.
In 1717, when the Austrians conquered
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 ...
from the Turks, they conducted a census showing that the locality then called ''Donji Gilad''/Доњи Гилад in
Serbian had 100 houses, and a few kilometers away, the locality of ''Gornji Gilad''/Горњи Гилад had 80 houses.
Under Empress
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, the population of the smaller Ghilad was moved to the larger village. By this time the first Germans had moved here, and in 1842 Hungarian families also settled here.
A new wave of Hungarian and German settlers arrived here between 1856 and 1860, mostly from
Krassó County.
In the interwar period it was part of Plasa Ciacova,
Timiș-Torontal County
Timiș-Torontal was a county ( ro, județ) in the Kingdom of Romania. Its capital was Timișoara. The territory of the county had been transferred to Romania in 1920 from the Kingdom of Hungary under the Treaty of Trianon.
Geography
Timiș-Toro ...
. Until 2004, Ghilad belonged to the commune of
Ciacova
Ciacova ( hu, Csák; german: Tschakowa; sr, Чаково, Čakovo; tr, Çakova) is a town in Timiș County, Romania. It administers four villages: Cebza, Macedonia, Obad and Petroman. When it was declared a town in 2004, the villages of Gad and G ...
(now a town), after which it was split off and together with the village of Gad it forms the commune of Ghilad.
The first documentary mentions about Gad are the records of the papal tithes from 1332–1337.
Gad is still much older. Traces of
Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
Age habitation have been discovered on the territory of the village. Oral tradition claims that on this place Duke
Glad faced the Hungarians of , around 895. The village was established after the withdrawal of the armies, being named in honor of the duke. An important event for the village took place in 1788, when Emperor
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
and Prince Francis, on their way to
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
(where a strong Turkish
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
was taking place), stopped in Gad, in the house of Petru Miloș. For his hospitality, Petru Miloș was given a purebred stallion from
Mezőhegyes
Mezőhegyes is a town in Békés county, in the Southern Great Plain region of south-east Hungary. It is home to the Hungarian State Stud ( hu, italic=no, Mezőhegyesi Állami Ménes), founded in 1784 and famous for its Nonius, Furioso-North Sta ...
. Hungarian historians say that the Serbs from Gad were brought from
Montenegro
)
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, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
, without mentioning when they came. The coexistence of Romanians with Serbs dates back to ancient times and was also linked to the fact that the two Orthodox communities were in hierarchical communion until 1924. Only in 1929 did Romanians build their own church. In the 19th century it had several owners. The last of these were Hugo and Bela Gudenus, whose mansion (Gudenus Mansion, a
historical monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
) has been preserved to this day.
Demographics
Ghilad had a population of 2,078 inhabitants at the 2011 census, up 5% 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 ...
(76.32%), larger minorities being represented by
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 ...
(8.47%),
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 ...
(7.75%),
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
(2.26%) and
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
(1.15%). For 3.08% 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 ...
(80.17%), but there are also minorities of
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
s (11.07%) and
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement s (3.37%). For 3.46% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat