Semlac ( hu, Szemlak) 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 ...
located in
Arad County
Arad County () is an administrative division ( judeţ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative center ...
, in the western part of
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 ...
, near 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 ...
, is situated in the south-western part of the Arad Plateau, in the large valley of 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, Salina ...
. Its territory occupies . It is composed of a single village, Semlac, situated from
Arad.
Population
According to the 2011 census, the commune has 3,667 inhabitants, out of which 78.4% are
ethnic 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 ...
, 8.4%
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 ...
, 2.67%
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 ...
, and 2.32%
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
.
History
It is first mentioned in 1326. It was ravaged by the Turks in 1552, but later survived the occupation. In 1910, out of 5,676 inhabitants, there were 2,475 Romanians, 1,899 Germans, 601
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 ...
, 278 Slovaks and 272 Ruthenians. Until 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
, Arad County belonged to the district of Pecica. In 1992, out of 3787 inhabitants, there were 2947 Romanians, 286 Germans, 233 Gypsies, 181 Hungarians and 140 others. To the south of the village, on the banks of the Mureş, lay the medieval village of ''Deușu'', which has left no trace. The economy of the commune is mainly agrarian, the locality is well known in the region as an important grain-bearing vegetable-growing place. The livestock is based on pig and cattle raising.
Tourism
Semlac contains a nature park.
Natives
*
Helmuth Duckadam
Helmut Robert Duckadam (; born 1 April 1959) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He was dubbed "the Hero of Seville" due to his performance in the 1986 European Cup Final, won by his club Steaua București, where he sa ...
(born 1959),
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
* (1895–1958), lawyer, executed by the
Communist authorities
* (1881–1960), priest and teacher, delegate at the
Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia
The Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia ( ro, Marea Adunare Națională de la Alba Iulia) was an assembly held on 1 December 1918 in the city of Alba Iulia in which a total of 1,228 delegates from several areas inhabited by ethnic Romanians de ...
of 1918
*
Otmar Szafnauer
Otmar Szafnauer (born 13 August 1964) is a Romanian-American engineer.
Biography
Szafnauer was born in Semlac, a small village in Western Romania to an American father of German descent and a Romanian mother. His family moved to Detroit in th ...
(born 1964), former CEO and team principal of the
BWT Alpine F1 Team
Alpine F1 Team, competing as BWT Alpine F1 Team, is a Formula One constructor which made its debut at the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renaul ...
References
{{LocalitiesArad
Communes in Arad County
Localities in Crișana