Giarmata (; until 1925 Iarmata; hu, Temesgyarmat; german: Jahrmarkt) 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, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. It is composed of two villages, Cerneteaz and Giarmata (commune seat).
History
Traces of a
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
settlement and materials of
Daco-Roman
The term Daco-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Dacia under the rule of the Roman Empire.
Etymology
The Daco-Roman mixing theory, as an origin for the Romanian people, was formulated by the earliest Romanian scholars, beginning with Doso ...
origin were discovered on the territory of the commune. During the formation of the Romanian people, on the territory of the commune the native Daco-Roman population continued to live in the form of a village community, and at the beginning of
feudalism
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
there was even a fairly strong voivodeship, recorded in the few narrative sources of that time. Thus, on the occasion of the
great Mongol invasion of 1241, the Giarmata Voivodeship is mentioned.
Giarmata is first mentioned in the
registers of papal tithes from 1332–1337 with the names of ''Garmad'' and ''Carmad''.
With the names of ''Zamar'' and ''Garmat'', the locality is mentioned in 1334, so that a year later it would be designated as ''Germad''. Later, in 1428, the locality is recorded as ''Giarmath''.
The fact that in a relatively short period, of about 100 years, the name of the locality appears several times mentioned in the official documents of the time reveals that this settlement knew, at that time, a high level of development. The variation of the name under which the locality appears is due to the fact that the state authorities were interested in keeping the exact name of the localities, and those who made these records were often unfamiliar with these names.
The modern history of the locality begins with the conquest of
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 ...
by the Austrians, in 1717. The census of the same year records two distinct villages: ''Veliki Đarmat''/Велики Ђармат ("Great Iarmata") with 36 houses and ''Mali Đarmat''/Мали Ђармат ("Little Iarmata") with 28 houses (both being inhabited by Romanians and Serbs). Under the new administration, Giarmata is colonized by Germans, who will form the majority of the population for almost two centuries. Already in 1720–1723 the first colonists settled here,
which makes Giarmata one of the first German colonies 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 ...
. The Germans formed the village of ''Neujarmat'' ("New Iarmata") as opposed to the old settlement called ''Altjarmat'' ("Old Iarmata"). In 1754 the Germans built their Roman Catholic church, and in 1764 , an administrative officer of the Crown and Chamber domains, settled many German colonists here. The colonization lasted until around 1800 and made Giarmata a strong rural center of the
Banat Swabians. Between 1769–1772, 327 families lived in Giarmata, entirely German settlers, the Romanian and Serbian population being deported in 1765 to
Checea and Peterda (today
Radojevo,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
).
Starting with 1778, the Romanian inhabitants of Giarmata are mentioned again in the church registers.
In the 19th century, the locals changed its name to ''Jahrmarkt'', meaning "annual fair" in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, probably after it was granted fair rights in 1807.
Demographics
Giarmata had a population of 6,502 inhabitants at the 2011 census, up 20% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Roman ...
(88.63%), with a minority of
Roma (1.65%). For 7.84% 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 ...
(80.27%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement s (6.31%) and
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 let ...
s (2.6%). For 7.95% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat