Șandra
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Șandra (until 1882 Alexandria; hu, Sándorháza; german: Alexanderhausen, locally ''Schanderhaas'') 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 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 two villages, Șandra and Uihei (''Újhely''; ''Neusiedel''). These were part of Biled commune until 2004, when they were split off.


Geography

The total area of Șandra commune is about 5,486 ha, of which 492.23 ha represents the built-up area. Local natural resources are
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
,
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
and
hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s. The neighboring localities of the commune are
Variaș Variaș ( hu, Varjas; german: Warjasch; sr, Варјаш, Varjaš) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Gelu, Sânpetru Mic and Variaș (commune seat). Etymology The name of the locality comes from ''varjú' ...
, Biled, Iecea Mare, Satchinez, Bulgăruș and
Lovrin Lovrin (german: Lowring, formerly ''Lorandhausen''; hu, Lovrin, formerly ''Lóránthalma'') is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Lovrin. It also included three other villages – Gottlob, Tomnatic and Vizejdi ...
.


Climate

The climate is
continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...
with weak Mediterranean influences. It has a temperate character (the annual average being 10.5 °C), with warm summers, not too cold winters, quite early springs and sometimes very long autumns. The average annual rainfall is 520 mm, with variations from 366 to 732 mm. Most of the precipitation falls in the spring–summer period, in the months of May–August. The prevailing wind is the austru, which blows almost all year round, felt acutely by both residents and crops, especially due to the lack of a forested area of protection.


Flora and fauna

The plain area is used for various crops:
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
,
barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
,
oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...
, rye, legumes, textiles, oilseeds and other industrial plants, vegetables and fodder plants, orchards with
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, ...
s and
vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
s. The dominant vegetation is grassy. The tree vegetation is characterized by the presence 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 ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...
and poplar, and that of shrubs by
blackthorn ''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. The species is native to Europe, western Asia, and regionally in northwest Africa. It is locally naturalized in New Zealand, Tasmania, ...
and
hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
. The most common and harmful to crops weeds are: field thistle,
blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
,
cornflower ''Centaurea cyanus'', commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Europe. In the past, it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of "corn", referring to Foo ...
,
poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia'' *"Poppies", th ...
,
orache ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...
, and lately
sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
has spread. In terms of fauna, this area is suitable for
ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents ( Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...
,
hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The b ...
, steppe polecat,
hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
, and among the bird species can be mentioned:
skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
,
quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...
,
partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...
,
pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
,
starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
and roller.


History


Șandra

In 1801 the territory of today's Șandra was mentioned in Austrian documents as an abandoned village, praedium, under the control of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Zagreb The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb ( hr, Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, la, Archidioecesis Zagrebiensis) is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, a ...
. The colonization of the praedium began in 1833; it was initially called ''Alexandria'', after the Roman Catholic bishop of Zagreb, , who had a property of almost 7,000 jugers there. On 1 January, the bishop signed a contract allowing the 140 families of German settlers from neighboring localities to settle on his estate and establish the locality that would bear his name. Shortly afterwards, work began on the construction of the settlement, following the canons of the German settlements with straight and perpendicular streets. Of the 146 allocated house plots there were 101 farmhouses built, two houses for the bishop's administration, 38 cottages without fields, one presbytery, one school, one pub and two mills. The 140 families represented a total of about 700 settlers and came from Biled, Bulgăruș, Carani, Cenad, Comloșu Mic, Gottlob, Grabaț, Iecea Mare, Iecea Mică, Lenauheim,
Lovrin Lovrin (german: Lowring, formerly ''Lorandhausen''; hu, Lovrin, formerly ''Lóránthalma'') is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Lovrin. It also included three other villages – Gottlob, Tomnatic and Vizejdi ...
,
Nakovo Nakovo ( sr-cyr, Наково) is a village located in the Kikinda municipality of the North Banat District of Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. It is situated near the border with Romania. The population of the village numbers 2,4 ...
(Serbia), Nerău,
Nițchidorf Nițchidorf (literally " Niczky's village"; german: Nitzkydorf; hu, Niczkyfalva, originally ''Kutas'') is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Blajova ( hu, Balázsd or ''Balázsfalva''), Duboz ( hu, Temesdoboz) a ...
,
Sânandrei Sânandrei (formerly Sântandraș; hu, Szentandrás; german: Sanktandreas; sr, Светандраш, Svetandraš) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Carani, Covaci and Sânandrei. Name Geography Sâna ...
,
Sânnicolau Mare Sânnicolau Mare (; hu, Nagyszentmiklós; german: Großsanktnikolaus; sr, Велики Семиклуш, Veliki Semikluš; Banat Bulgarian: ''Smikluš'') is a town in Timiș County, Romania, and the westernmost of the country. Located in the Ba ...
,
Tomnatic Tomnatic ( hu, Nagyősz; german: Triebswetter) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Tomnatic. It was part of Lovrin commune until 2004, when it was split off. History Near Tomnatic took place the last bat ...
,
Variaș Variaș ( hu, Varjas; german: Warjasch; sr, Варјаш, Varjaš) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Gelu, Sânpetru Mic and Variaș (commune seat). Etymology The name of the locality comes from ''varjú' ...
and Vizejdia. Three years later, in 1836, the church was built. In 1842 there were already 1,231 Germans, 16 Serbs and Romanians. In 1884 the village got a railway connection (Timișoara–Cenad). In 1893 it was granted the right to hold a weekly fair. In 1929, the Volunteer Fire Brigade was established. In 1933, a monument dedicated to those who fell in
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 ...
was inaugurated in the center of the village. With the retreat of the German army, Șandra was the scene of fighting during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In 1945, 174 people were deported to the Soviet Union; 29 died there. A total of 217 people lost their lives in World War II (i.e., 163 in the German army, 37 in the Romanian army and 17 civilians) and all ethnic Germans were expropriated. Another consequence of the war was the deportation of many inhabitants from the Yugoslavian border area, to which Șandra belonged, to the Bărăgan Steppes. The deportation took place during the night of 17/18 June 1951. The number of deportees was largely dependent on the local authorities. Seventeen families were deported from Șandra. During the second half of 1955 some families were allowed to leave their enforced imprisonment and return home. Electricity was introduced in 1955, and drinking water in 1974. Crude oil was discovered here in 1968; soon the first
drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill wat ...
s and
pumpjack A pumpjack is the overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. It is used to mechanically lift liquid out of the well if there is not enough bottom hole pressure for the liquid to flow all the way to the surface. The arra ...
s appeared.


Uihei

Uihei is one of the newest settler villages in Banat. It was founded in 1844, more than a hundred years after the beginning of the colonizations, by the inhabitants of other surrounding villages ( Grabaț, Bulgăruș, Lenauheim, Iecea Mare, Șandra), but also from other villages in Banat. Most of the early settlers were
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
growers. From the very beginning, the construction plans of the village were very specific, the lots for houses were divided equally, the houses had to be neatly arranged and subject to strict rules, with the typical facades of Swabian houses facing the street. The land areas were quite limited and were leased under fairly strict conditions. These conditions were eliminated with the
revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, which allowed the development of the settlement. A period of prosperity followed, which remained relatively constant, independent of the political changes in Banat. It was abruptly interrupted by
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Deportations to USSR followed, then deportations to Bărăgan and finally
collectivization Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member ...
. This dealt a severe blow to locals, mostly Germans, who were successfully engaged in agriculture. Both their houses and their lands became state property. Shortly afterwards, however, the ownership of the houses was again recognized to the rightful owners. A period of relative growth followed, the village was connected to the electricity grid, the roads were repaired, the infrastructure was generally improved. Between 1951–1956, 22 people were deported from Uihei to Bărăgan, relatively few compared to other localities in Banat. In the 1980s, the situation began to deteriorate again, culminating in the 1989 revolution. Immediately after the revolution, there was a massive emigration of ethnic Germans to
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Four years later, in 1994, on the 150th anniversary of its founding, only one ethnic German lived in Uihei. The German population was gradually replaced by the Romanian population, but the evolution of the population remained steadily declining. The 2000s brought a trend reversal. The 2002 census saw the first increase in population in almost 50 years.


Demographics

Șandra had a population of 2,882 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 languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
(94.69%). For 3.26% 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 ...
(85.18%), but there are also minorities of
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
s (9.23%) 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 lette ...
s (1.11%). For 3.33% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandra Communes in Timiș County Localities in Romanian Banat Former Danube Swabian communities in Romania