Otelec (known as Ungureni in the interwar period; hu, Ótelek) is a commune 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 are ...

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 ...

. Established in 1856, it was abolished in 1968 and absorbed into

Uivar Uivar ( hu, Újvár; german: Neuburg an der Bega) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Pustiniș, Răuți, Sânmartinu Maghiar and Uivar (commune seat). Two other villages, Otelec and Iohanisfeld, which had been ...

. It was recreated in 2008. It is composed of two villages, Iohanisfeld and Otelec (commune seat).

History

Otelec was first mentioned in 1452 as ''Feltelek'', when it belonged to Keve County. During the Ottoman period (16th–17th centuries) the locality was depopulated, and the uncultivated lands were transformed into swamps. It was not until 1793–1795, under the Habsburgs, that the settlement was re-established with families of colonists, mostly Hungarians, brought by Count Johann von Buttler from the southern counties of the empire. From 1856 it became an independent commune. At the same time, the first state school was opened (extended in 1885) and the construction of the Roman Catholic church was completed. Iohanisfeld was founded by German (

Banat Swabian The Banat Swabians are an ethnic German population in the former Kingdom of Hungary in Central-Southeast Europe, part of the Danube Swabians. They emigrated in the 18th century to what was then the Austrian Empire's Banat of Temeswar province, l ...

) settlers in 1805, about 90 years after the beginning of the colonization of

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...

. They came mostly from neighboring localities, such as Jimbolia, Lenauheim or other Swabian communes, on the estates of Count Johann von Buttler with whom they concluded leases. In honor of the tenant Johann, German peasants called the locality ''Johannisfeld'' ("John's field"). The colonists settled here quickly and, only two years after the construction of the first houses, they started the construction of the first school. Later, the colony became the property of the state, and the inhabitants were able, between 1865–1875, to buy back their properties from it. The Roman Catholic church was built in 1833. Both Otelec and Iohanisfeld were severely affected by the floods of April–May 2005, with most of the built-up areas being covered for months by the overflowing waters of the

Timiș River Timiș may refer to: *Timiș County, a county in western Romania *Timiș (river), a river in western Romania and Serbia * Ținutul Timiș, a former administrative unit of Romania * Temes County, a former administrative county (comitatus) in the hi ...

. About two-thirds of the households were totally or partially destroyed. The houses were rebuilt following the reconstruction program coordinated and financed by the Romanian Government. Also, during 2006, from budgetary funds and from aid from the country or abroad, most of the public buildings (kindergarten, school, dispensary, community center, etc.) were rehabilitated or rebuilt.

Demographics

Otelec had a population of 1,499 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 12% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...

(57.24%), with a minority of

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 ...

(37.83%). For 3.8% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (50.37%), but there are also minorities of

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 let ...

s (38.09%),

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movementReformed (1.47%) and

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

(1.27%). For 3.94% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.

References

{{Authority control Communes in Timiș County Localities in Romanian Banat