Maramureș County

Maramureș County () is a county (județ)
in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.

Name

In Hungarian it is known as ''Máramaros megye'', in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, in German as ''Kreis Marmarosch'' and in Yiddish as מארמאראש.

Demographics

In 2011, the county had a population of 461,290 and a population density of .

* Romanians - 82.38% (or 380,018)
* Hungarians - 7.53% (or 34,781)
* Ukrainians (including Hutsuls and other Rusyns) - 6.77% (or 31,234)
* Romani - 2.73% (or 12,638)
* Germans (Zipser Germans and Transylvanian Saxons) - 0.27% (or 1,243)
* Others - 0.32%

Geography

Maramureș County is situated in the northern part of Romania, and has a border with Ukraine. This county has a total area of , of which 43% is covered by the Rodna Mountains, with its tallest peak, Pietrosul, at altitude. Together with Gutâi and Țibleș mountain ranges, the Rodna mountains are part of the Eastern Carpathians. The rest of the county are hills, plateaus, and valleys. The county is crossed by Tisa River and its main tributaries: Iza, Vișeu, and Mara rivers.

Neighbours

* Suceava County to the East.
* Satu Mare County to the West.
* Ukraine to the North - Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and Zakarpattia Oblast.
* Sălaj County, Cluj County and Bistrița-Năsăud County to the South.

Economy

Maramureș is known for its pastoral and agricultural traditions, largely unscathed by the industrialisation campaign that had been carried on during Romania's communist period. Ploughing, planting, harvesting, and hay making and handling are mostly done through manual labour.
The county is also home to a strong mining industry of extraction of metals other than iron. The industrial plants built around Baia Mare during the communist period heavily polluted the area in the past, but recently, due to the decline of the city's industrial activity, the area is less polluted.

Tourism

The region is known for its beautiful rural scenery, local small woodwork and craftwork industry as well as for its churches and original rural architecture. There are not many paved roads in rural areas, and most of them are usually accessible.

The county's main tourist attractions:

* The cities of Baia Mare and Sighetu Marmației.
* The villages on the Iza, Mara, and Vișeu Valleys.
** The Wooden churches of Maramureș
** The Wooden churches of Lăpuș
** The Wooden churches of Chioar
** The Merry Cemetery of Săpânța
* The Rodna Mountains.
* The landscape of Cavnic.

Politics

The Maramureș County Council, elected at the 2020 local elections, consists of 34 councillors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Maramureș County has 2 municipalities, 11 towns and 63 communes.
*Municipalities
**Baia Mare - county seat; population: 114,925 (as of 2011)
**Sighetu Marmației

*Towns
** Baia Sprie
** Borșa
** Cavnic
** Dragomirești
** Săliștea de Sus
** Seini
** Șomcuta Mare
** Târgu Lăpuș
** Tăuții-Măgherăuș
** Ulmeni
** Vișeu de Sus

*Communes
**Ardusat
** Ariniș
** Asuaju de Sus
** Băița de sub Codru
** Băiuț
**Bârsana
**Băsești
** Bicaz
** Bistra
** Bocicoiu Mare
**Bogdan Vodă
** Boiu Mare
** Botiza
** Breb
**Budești
** Călinești
**Câmpulung la Tisa
** Cernești
** Cicârlău
** Coaș
** Coltău
** Copalnic-Mănăștur
** Coroieni
** Cupșeni
** Desești
** Dumbrăvița
** Fărcașa
** Gârdani
**Giulești
**Groși
**Groșii Țibleșului
** Ieud
** Lăpuș
** Leordina
**Mireșu Mare
** Moisei
** Oarța de Jos
** Ocna Șugatag
** Onceşti
** Petrova
** Poienile de sub Munte
** Poienile Izei
** Recea
** Remetea Chioarului
** Remeți
** Repedea
**Rona de Jos
** Rona de Sus
** Rozavlea
** Ruscova
** Săcălășeni
** Săcel
**Sălsig
** Săpânța
** Sarasău
** Satulung
** Șieu
** Șișești
** Strâmtura
** Suciu de Sus
**Vadu Izei
** Valea Chioarului
** Vima Mică
** Vișeu de Jos

Historical county

History

* In 1199, the region is first attested.
* In 1241 the Tatar invasion decimated about half of the local population.
* In the 14th century Duke (knyaz) Bogdan of Maramureș said to be founder of Moldavia. That century it is reorganized to Máramaros County
* In the Middle Ages, the historical region of Máramaros (Maramureș) was known for its salt mines and later for its lumber.

In 1920 after the Treaty of Trianon, the northern part of the county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia. The southern part (including Sighetu Marmației) became part of the Kingdom of Romania.

After the administrative unification law in 1925, the county remained as it was, with an identical name and territory.

In 1938 King Carol II promulgated a new Constitution, and subsequently he had the administrative division of the Romanian territory changed. 10 (approximate translation: "lands") were created (by merging the counties) to be ruled by (approximate translation: "Royal Residents") - appointed directly by the King - instead of the prefects. Maramureș County became part of Ținutul Crișuri.

In 1940 the county was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of Northern Transylvania under the Second Vienna Award. Beginning in 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the ceded territory and reintegrated it into Romania, re-establishing the county. Romanian jurisdiction over the county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947. The counties of Romania, including Maramureș, were disestablished by the communist government of Romania in 1950 in favour of regions, and re-established in 1968 when Romania restored the county administrative system.

Administration

In 1930, the county was originally divided into three districts ('' plăși''):Portretul României Interbelice - Județul Maramureș
/ref>
#Plasa Iza
#Plasa Sighet (headquartered at Sighet)
#Plasa Vișeu (headquartered at Vișeu de Sus)

Subsequently, the Iza and Sighet districts were reorganized into three districts, adding one:

4. Plasa Şugatag (headquartered at Ocna Şugatag)

Population

According to the 1930 census, the county's population was 194,619, 57.9% Romanian, 20.9% Jews, 11.9% Ruthenians (including Ukrainians), 6.9% Hungarians, 2.0% Germans, as well as other minorities.Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 276-277 The following composition was recorded from the religious point of view: 64.4% Greek Catholic, 21.0% Jewish, 6.4% Roman Catholic, 5.3% Eastern Orthodox, 1.8% Reformed, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930 the county's urban population ethnically consisted of 38.6% Jews, 35.4% Romanians, 19.9% Hungarians, 4.5% Ruthenians (including Ukrainians), as well as other minorities. Yiddish was spoken by 36.6% of the urban population, followed by Romanian (33.7%), Hungarian (25.7%), Ukrainian (2.3%), as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban inhabitants were Jewish (38.9%), Greek Catholics (38.0%), Roman Catholics (12.8%), Reformed (5.7%), Eastern Orthodox (3.5%), as well as other minorities.

People

Natives of the county include:
* Augustin Buzura
* Ștefan Hrușcă
* Gheorghe Pop de Băsești
*Paula Seling
*Elie Wiesel

External Links

English translation of the Máramaros Yizkor Book ''Sefer Marmarosh; mea ve-shishim kehilot kedoshot be-yishuvan u-ve-hurbanan'' published in 1983 and 1996 (history and remembrance book of the approximately 160 Máramaros area Jewish shtetls and communities, and their destruction in the Holocaust)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maramures County

Counties of Romania
Geography of Transylvania
1925 establishments in Romania
1938 disestablishments in Romania
1944 establishments in Romania
1950 disestablishments in Romania
1968 establishments in Romania
States and territories established in 1925
States and territories disestablished in 1938
States and territories established in 1944
States and territories disestablished in 1950
States and territories established in 1968
Rusyn communities