Rășinari (german: Städterdorf; hu, Resinár) 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 ...

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben m ...

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, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. It has a population of 5,280 inhabitants (2011 census) and is composed of two villages, Prislop (''Priszloptelep'') and Rășinari. Until 2012, Rășinari was connected to

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

by a roughly 8-km

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

line through the Dumbrava Forest, but regular service ended in 2011''

Tramways & Urban Transit ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...

'', May 2011, p. 194. UK: LRTA Publishing. and since 2013 much of the line has since been dismantled.

History

In the second half of the 18th century, the Rășinari Orthodox bishops' residence was built - the first one of its kind in

. Today the pastoral traditions of the village are incorporated in the new modern rhythm of life.

Tram line

From 1947, Rășinari was linked to

by an electric

line which crossed Dumbrava Forest, but service became sporadic in the late 2000s and ceased entirely on 28 February 2011. Very limited operation that took place later – mainly only for visiting tourist groups – ended in 2012,''Blickpunkt Straßenbahn'' issue "4/2013" (July–August 2013), pp. 142–143 (in German). . followed in 2013 by the start of work to dismantle the line. It is hoped to reopen a portion as a heritage tramway. The trams in use since the mid-1990s were formerly used in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and retained their French-language signs. In 2013, they were sold to Rășinari for a low price and moved to the Rășinari end of the tram line, just before work to remove the tracks and overhead trolley wires began. Officials in Răşinari are attempting to obtain funding to build a small depot (carhouse) and to reopen a portion of the line as a tourist attraction. In 2018, the tram line between Rășinari and Dumbrava Zoo was reopened for visitors' use.

Demographics

The 1930 Census registered 5281 inhabitants, of which 5229 were Romanian, 32 Gypsies, 13 Germans, 4 Hungarians. At the 2002 Census, the same percentages were maintained, with 5529 inhabitants registered.

Prislop

Prislop village has around 300 residents (as of 2010), of whom about 15 are ethnic Romanians and the rest

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 ...

. However, at the 2002 census, the latter declared as Romanians, as they speak

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, tradition ...

and not

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

. This caused the village to miss out on the opportunity to apply for

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

funds for Roma integration. There is one school from kindergarten to 4th grade; pupils who finish can go on through 8th grade in Răşinari."Culture and Education"
at Rășinari Town Hall; accessed September 3, 2011

Sights

Andrei Șaguna Andrei Șaguna (; 20 January 1808, Miskolc, Hungary – 28 June 1873, Nagyszeben, Hungary) was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg monarchy, ...

monument * "St. Parascheva" Church *

Octavian Goga Octavian Goga (; 1 April 1881 – 7 May 1938) was a Romanian politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Life and politics Goga was born in Rășinari, near Sibiu. Goga was an active member in the Romanian nationalisti ...

memorial house * The ruins of the medieval fortress of Cetățuia Citadel * Ethnographic Museum * Ward Museum (set up in the former residence of the bishops)

Natives

* Daniil Popovici-Barcianu (1847–1903), teacher, naturalist, and political activist * (1814–1879), priest, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy * Traian Bratu (1875–1940), scholar of German language and literature * (1850–1912),

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

and politician *

Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (, ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorisms. ...

(1911–1995), philosopher and essayist *

(1881–1938), poet, playwright, and politician * (1882–1977), lieutenant general and Defense Minister * (1842–1904), military doctor and explorer * (1876–1956), engineer and Mayor of Timișoara

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasinari Communes in Sibiu County Localities in Transylvania