Bălan (german: Kupferbergwerk; hu, Balánbánya, ) is a town in

Harghita County Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county (județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a populatio ...

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 A ...

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 has historically been one of Transylvania and Romania's most important centers for

copper mining Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...

, but its mines are no longer operational. Its

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

name means "blond", the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

name means "copper mine" while the Hungarian name means "Balán mine".

Geography

The town lies in the

Ciuc Depression Ciuc may refer to: * Ciuc Mountains, a mid-high range of mountains of Harghita County in Transylvania * Ciuc County, a former county in the Kingdom of Romania * Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; hu, Csíkszereda, ; german: Szeklerburg) is the ...

(

Depresiunea Ciucului, hu, Csíki-medence). It is surrounded by the

Hășmaș Mountains The Hășmaș Mountains (Romanian: ''Munții Hășmaș''; Hungarian: ''Hagymás-hegység'') are limestone and sandstone massifs located in Romania, in the Inner Eastern Carpathians group of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. They belong to the ...

(Hășmașul Mare and Hășmașul Mic). The town's altitude is ; this rises to at the highest peak of the Hășmaș Mountains. Bălan is crossed by the Olt River.

Climate

The temperate continental climate has an average temperature of , falling to in winter. There are 1,300–1,400 sunny hours per year. Wind gusts are rare due to the surrounding mountains and forests.

Flora and fauna

Most of the forests around Bălan are spruce forests, but there are also fir, larch and maple forests. There are some flowers species in the area like edelweiss and sweet pea which are protected by law. In the forests there are some edible mushrooms species and fruits like blueberries, raspberries and cranberries.

Demographics

According to the census from 2011 the town had a population of 5,864 of which 3,625 (61.82%) were Romanians, and 2,124 (36.22%) were Hungarians.Romanian Census 2011
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History

Bălan was the site of iron mining during the 17th century, but by 1702 the iron stores had been depleted. The copper deposits were discovered in 1785 by János Opra; production began in 1803, and by 1853 six mines were in operation. From that period, the village gradually began to develop into a town. Until 1967, Bălan remained part of the commune of Sândominic, finally gaining official town status in 1968. In 2006 all mining-related activities were stopped by the Romanian government and nowadays the city is counting on ecotourism and small businesses as main economical activities.

Points of interest

Bălan's main architectural site is the Roman Catholic Church, consecrated in 1869. Despite the environmental blight of the mining, the surrounding area is uncommonly beautiful, taking in the nearby mountains of Hășmașul Mare and Tarcău, the former a popular hiking destination. The river Olt, one of Romania's most significant, originates in the mountains near the town.

References

Towns in Romania Populated places in Harghita County Localities in Transylvania Mining communities in Romania Monotowns in Romania {{Harghita-geo-stub