Vințu de Jos, also known as ''Vinț'' (german: Unter-Wintz, Winzendorf, Alvinz, Weinsdorf; hu, Alvinc; la, Binstum; tr, Aşağı Vinçazvar), 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 the centre of Alba County,

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 ...

. It is composed of eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii (''Unter-Eisenberg''; ''Telekvinc''), Ciocașu (''Zoggesch''; ''Csókás''), Crișeni (''Krieschen''), Dealu Ferului (''Eisenberg''; ''Vashegy''), Gura Cuțului (''Gurrenkutz''), Hațegana (''Hetzingen''), Inuri (''Lilienfeld''; ''Borsómező''), Laz (''Slawendorf''), Mătăcina (''Mattatschin''), Mereteu (''Merethof''; ''Merítő''), Pârău lui Mihai (''Michelsdorf''), Poienița (''Pojenitz''), Stăuini (''Stabing''), Valea Goblii (''Goblsdorf''; ''Goblipatak''), Valea lui Mihai (''Michaelsdorf''), Valea Vințului (''Wintzbach''; ''Valye Vinci''), Vințu de Jos and Vurpăr (''Burgberg-Walbersdorf''; ''Borberek'').

Geography

Vințu de Jos has a surface of 8,527

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s and is located on the river Mureș, in the centre of Alba County, approximately 10 km from the city of

Sebeș Sebeș (; German: ''Mühlbach''; Hungarian: ''Szászsebes''; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Melnbach'') is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania. Geography The city lies in the Mureș River valley and straddles the rive ...

on the Romanian National Road

DN7 DN7 ( ro, Drumul Național 7) is a national road in Romania which links Bucharest with the Banat region, in western Romania, and further to the eastern European capitals Budapest and Belgrade via the border with Hungary at Nădlac. It is a high- ...

, and 15 km from the county capital,

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...

on the Romanian County Road 107C and the Romanian National Road DN1. The commune is bordered by the city of

in the north-east, the city of

in the south-east, the communes of

Pianu Pianu (german: Pien; hu, Felsőpián) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 3,390 and is composed of five villages: Pianu de Jos (''Alsópián''), Pianu de Sus (the commune center), Plaiuri (''Plainte ...

and

Săliștea Săliștea (german: Tschorren; hu, Alsócsóra), known as ''Cioara'' until 1965, is a commune located in Alba county, Transylvania, Romania. The old name of ''Cioara'' is still widely used, especially by local residents. It is composed of four ...

in the south, and the commune of

Blandiana Blandiana (german: Stumpach; hu, Maroskarna) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 1,187 and is composed of five villages: Acmariu (''Akmár''), Blandiana, Ibru, Poieni and Răcătău (''Rakató''). ...

in the west.

Economy

The centre of the commune, Vințu de Jos, has a large

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

and houses a shoe factory. The train station is an important connection station that links the CFR-Romanian Railways main lines 200 and 300 via the line 200A. It is also on the route of the original

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe and int ...

Demographics

The 2002

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

recorded 5,295 people living at the time in the commune, of which 5,108 (96.5%)

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 ...

, 90 (1.7%)

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 ...

, 76 (1.4%)

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 8 (0.2%)

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

."Vințu de Jos"
at th
Erdélyi Magyar Adatbank

''Recensământ 2002''
Retrieved on April 16, 2016.

Tourist attractions

Vințu de Jos' tourist objectives include: *The

Martinuzzi Castle Martinuzzi Castle, also known as Alvinc Castle,István Keul (2009). Early Modern Religious Communities in East-Central Europe: Ethnic Diversity, Denominational Plurality, and Corporative Politics in the Principality of Transylvania (1526–169 ...

– the ruins of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

castle where

George Martinuzzi George Martinuzzi, O.S.P. (born Juraj Utješenović, also known as György Martinuzzi, Brother György, Georg Utiessenovicz-Martinuzzi or György Fráter, hu, Fráter György; 1482 – 16 December 1551), was a Croatian nobleman, Pauline m ...

was assassinated in 1551. *The ruins of a former Dominican

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. *The ruin of the

fortified church A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedra ...

of Vurpăr. *The Monument of Romanian Heroes from

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 ...

, built in 1920.

Notable people

Stephen Pongracz Stephen Pongracz ( hu, Pongrácz István; 1584–1619) was a Hungarian Jesuit priest, martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. Biography Stephen Pongracz was born in Alvincz Castle in Principality of Transylvania, entered the Society of Jesus ...

(1584–1619) a Hungarian Jesuit priest, martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. *

Joseph Alvinczy Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1735–1810) a soldier in the Habsburg Army and a Field Marshal of the Austrian Empire. *

Zsigmond Kemény Baron Zsigmond Kemény (June 12, 1814December 22, 1875) was a Hungarian author. Life and work Kemény was born in Alvincz, Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Vințu de Jos, Romania) to a distinguished noble family, but famil ...

(1814–1875) a Hungarian author. * (1833–1913) botanist and ornithologist. * Lajos Horváth (1872–?) an Hungarian fencer, competed at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vintu De Jos Communes in Alba County Localities in Transylvania