Someș County is one of the historic counties of

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 ...

. The county seat was

Dej Dej (; hu, Dés; german: Desch, Burglos; yi, דעעש ''Desh'') is a municipality in Transylvania, Romania, north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the river Someșul Mic meets the river Someșul Mare. The city administers four vill ...

. In 1938, the county was disestablished and incorporated into the newly formed Ținutul Crișuri, but it was re-established in 1940 after the fall of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

's regime, only to be abolished 10 years later by the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

Geography

Someș County covered and was located in

. The territory that comprised Someș County is now located in the Bistrița-Năsăud,

Maramureș Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpath ...

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

, and Sălaj counties. It neighbored

Satu Mare Satu Mare (; hu, Szatmárnémeti ; german: Sathmar; yi, סאטמאר or ) is a city with a population of 102,400 (2011). It is the capital of Satu Mare County, Romania, as well as the centre of the Satu Mare metropolitan area. It lies in the ...

and Maramureș counties to the north,

Năsăud County Năsăud County is one of the historic counties of Transylvania, Romania. The county seat was Bistrița. Geography Năsăud County was located in the north-central part of Greater Romania, in the north of Transylvania, covering . Currently, the te ...

to the east, Cluj County to the south, and Sălaj County to the west.

Historical County

Prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the territory of the county belonged to

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, identical with the

Szolnok-Doboka County Szolnok-Doboka was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Romania (northern Transylvania). The capital of the county was Dés (now Dej, Romania). Geography Szolnok-Doboka county shared ...

of Hungary. During the

Hungarian–Romanian War The Hungarian–Romanian War was fought between Hungary and Romania from 13 November 1918 to 3 August 1919. The conflict had a complex background, with often contradictory motivations for the parties involved. The Allies of World War I intended ...

of 1918–1919 the area passed under Romanian administration. The territory was transferred to the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

from the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

in 1920, under 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 ...

. The Romanian name of the county became Someș-Dăbâca County. After the administrative unification law in 1925, the county was renamed to Someș County, and its territory was reorganized. In 1940, it was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

under the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...

. Beginning in 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the territory and re-established jurisdiction in 1945. The transfer of the county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the

Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princi ...

. The county was finally disestablished by the communist government of Romania in 1950.

Administrative organization

Administratively, Someș County was divided originally into six districts ('' plăși''): # Plasa Beclean (headquarters at

Beclean Beclean (; Hungarian and German: ''Bethlen'') is a town in Bistrița-Năsăud County, in north-eastern Transylvania, Romania. The town administers three villages: Coldău (''Goldau''; ''Várkudu''), Figa (''Füge''), and Rusu de Jos (''Alsóoros ...

) # Plasa Dej (headquarters at

) # Plasa Gârbou (headquarters at

Gârbou Gârbou ( hu, Csákigorbó) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Bezded (''Bezdédtelek''), Călacea (''Kiskalocsa''), Cernuc (''Csernek''), Fabrica (''Cukorgyártelep''), Gârbou, Poptelea ...

) # Plasa Gherla (headquarters at

Gherla Gherla (; hu, Szamosújvár; german: Neuschloss) is a municipality in Cluj County, Romania (in the historical region of Transylvania). It is located from Cluj-Napoca on the river Someșul Mic, and has a population of 20,203. Three villages are a ...

) # Plasa Ileanda (headquarters at

Ileanda Ileanda ( hu, Nagyilonda) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of thirteen villages: Bizușa-Băi (''Büdöspataka''), Bârsăuța (''Kisborszó''), Dăbiceni (''Kisdoboka''), Dolheni (''Ilondapatak''), Ilea ...

) # Plasa Lăpuș (headquarters at

Lăpuș Lăpuș (formerly ''Lăpușul Românesc''; hu, Oláhlápos) is a commune in Maramureș County, Transylvania, Romania, on the Lăpuș River, at 12 km from the town of Târgu Lăpuș. It is composed of a single village, Lăpuș. Etymologicall ...

) Later, a seventh district was added:

Plasa Chiochiș (headquarters at
Chiochiș Chiochiș ( hu, Kékes) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of ten villages: Apatiu (''Dellőapáti''), Bozieș (''Magyarborzás''), Buza Cătun (''Buzaifogadók''), Chețiu (''Ketel''), Chiochiș, Jimbo ...
)

Population

According to the 1930 census, the county counted 219,335 inhabitants, of which 77.5% were Romanians, 15.4% Hungarians, and 4.8% Jews, and other smaller minorities. From a religious point of view, the population was mostly Greek Catholics (63.5%), followed by Eastern Orthodox (15.0%), Reformed (12.8%), Roman Catholics (3.2%), and other smaller minorities.Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 728-731

Urban population

The urban population consisted of 41.3% Romanians, 33.0% Hungarians, 20.1% Jews, 1.7% Armenians, and other smaller minorities. As a mother tongue in the urban area Romanian predominated (41.4%), followed by Hungarian (36.8%), Yiddish (18.3%), German (1.0%) and others. From the religious point of view, the population was made up of Greek Catholics (33.2%), followed by Reformed (22.6%), Jews (20.2%), Roman Catholics (11.9%), Eastern Orthodox (8.6%), Armenian-Catholic (2.3%), and other smaller denominations.

References

External links

*
Someș County on memoria.ro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somes County Former counties of Romania Geography of Transylvania 1925 establishments in Romania 1938 disestablishments in Romania 1945 establishments in Romania 1950 disestablishments in Romania States and territories established in 1925 States and territories disestablished in 1938 States and territories established in 1945 States and territories disestablished in 1950