Saravale (colloquially Sarafola; hu, Sárafalva; german: Sarafol; sr, Саравола, Saravola) 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 a single village, Saravale. It was part of
Sânpetru Mare
Sânpetru Mare ("Greater St. Peter"; hu, Nagyszentpéter or ''Rácszentpéter''; german: Großsanktpeter or ''Ratzsanktpeter''; sr, Велики Семпетар, Veliki Sempetar) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of two vill ...
commune until 2004, when it was split off.
Etymology
The Hungarian name of the village can be translated as "mud village": ''sár'' ("mud") + ''falva'' ("village"). Historically, the Romanians called the village ''Sarafola'', a name that is still used today by some inhabitants. The name ''Saravale'' has been used since 11 September 1926, when the communal council unanimously decided that in the future the village should have this name.
According to the local tradition, the foundations of this settlement were laid by the Roman colonists who, arriving in these parts of
Dacia
Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It ...
, at dusk one day, towards evening, stopped in this valley watered by
Aranca River and, delighted by the beauty of the place, gave it the name of ''Saravale'' (a corruption of Romanian expression ''seara-n vale'' ("evening in the valley").
Geography
Relief
Aranca Plain is located in the westernmost part of Romania, between the
Mureș River Mureș may refer to:
* Mureș County, Romania
* Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'')
* Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania
See also
* Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County
* Ocna Mureș
Ocna Mureș (; la, Sali ...
and the Jimbolia Plain, being the newest and lowest Mureș plain. The territory lies within the Mureș Plain which is a typical form of fluvio-lacustrine subsidence, with shallow valleys with abandoned riverbeds resulting from the regularization of watercourses and drainage, having an altitude between 80–85 m. The northern part is located in the former meadow of Mureș, and the southern part in the former meadow of the old Aranca stream.
Climate
Due to its position, Saravale is in the conditions of the temperate
continental climate of transition with the predominance of maritime and continental air masses of eastern origin, to which are added the warm air masses that cross the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
and some polar air masses. The western circulation persists both in the cold period and in the warm period of the year and is characterized by mild winters with liquid precipitation. The polar circulation is determined by cyclones in the
North Atlantic and is characterized by decreases in temperature, increased cloudiness and precipitation in the form of showers, and in winter the snow is accompanied by wind intensifications. The tropical circulation determines mild winters and significant amounts of precipitation, and in summer an unstable weather with showers and electric discharges.
Flora
Human activities have produced major changes in the physiognomy of the vegetation by expanding agricultural land and reducing natural vegetation. In the Aranca meadow there is a lacustrine vegetation formed by
bulrush
Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland grass-like plants
*Sedge family (Cyperaceae):
**''Cyperus''
**'' Scirpus''
**''Blysmus''
**''Bolboschoenus''
**'' Scirpoides''
**'' Isolepis''
**'' Schoenoplectus''
**'' Trichophorum''
* T ...
,
club-rush,
sedge
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...
,
reed
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* ...
, etc. Meadow pastures are valuable, comprising many fodder species, such as
meadow foxtail
''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia.
This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...
,
meadow grass,
ryegrass
''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.
They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' i ...
,
white clover
''Trifolium repens'', the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles,Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg., E.F. 1968. ''Excursio ...
,
alsike clover and others. The tree vegetation, mostly planted by man, consists, among others, of
black locust
''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known in its native territory as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is endemic to a few small areas of the United States ...
,
mulberry and ''
Sophora japonica'', which before 1970–1975 was cultivated along the streets and in people's backyards. Other common species include
horse chestnut
The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with species called buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with six species n ...
,
poplar,
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...
and, quite rarely,
Norway maple
''Acer platanoides'', commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to ...
,
ash and
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
. As
fruit tree
A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, t ...
s,
plums,
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
s,
pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...
s,
apricots,
cherries and
sour cherries are spread in the gardens of the locals.
History
The first recorded mention of Saravale dates from 1333, being mentioned in the papal tithe records as ''Zarafolua''. It had two priests, which indicates that it was a large and important locality. In the Middle Ages, the hearth of the village was closer to
Mureș and only later was it moved to its current location.
In 1508 the locality became the property of the Patócsi family. At that time it was inhabited by Romanians, but only until 1529, when a Turkish incursion of Bali Bey resulted in the total destruction of the village, the inhabitants having to take refuge. Later, Ferenc Patócsi repopulated the settlement with Serbian serfs, who settled here permanently.
They changed its name to ''Saravola'', as evidenced by a Turkish document showing the collection of tithes from Ottoman villages. In 1647, during the Turkish occupation of Banat, it was inhabited by Serbs. In 1718, following the conquest of Banat by the Austrians, Saravale was annexed to the
Banat of Temeswar. Between 1723–1725, it seems that the Serbs left the settlement. It is not known when the Romanians settled, but Hungarian historians claim that they came around 1725. Later, German settlers arrived from
Tomnatic and
Gottlob.
Demographics
Saravale had a population of 2,628 inhabitants at the 2011 census, up 4% 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 ...
(64.46%), larger minorities being represented by
Roma (20.66%) 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 ...
(7.38%). For 5.94% 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 ...
(80.06%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement s (5.82%) and
Serbian Orthodox
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches.
The majori ...
(5.78%). For 5.9% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.
References
{{Authority control
Communes in Timiș County
Localities in Romanian Banat