Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: ro, Zălau (; german: Zillenmarkt or , hu, Zilah, tr, Zile) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2011, its estimated population was 56,202.

History

Ancient times

Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "

Free Dacians The so-called Free Dacians ( ro, Daci liberi) is the name given by some modern historians to those Dacians who putatively remained outside, or emigrated from, the Roman Empire after the emperor Trajan's Dacian Wars (AD 101-6). Dio Cassius named t ...

", away from the historical landmark of Porolissum, a well-preserved Roman Castrum with an imposing fortress, an amphitheater, temples, houses and a customs house in the ancient

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It ...

. Zalău was the crossing point between

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

and

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 ...

, along the so-called "

Salt Route A salt road (also known as a salt route, salt way, saltway, or salt trading route) refers to any of the prehistoric and historical trade routes by which essential salt was transported to regions that lacked it. From the Bronze Age (in the 2nd ...

Archaeological discoveries revealed evidence of human existence in this area since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

, approx. 6500 years ago. Dacian coins found in archaeological perimeters of the city central area and on the Valea Mâții, west of the city, plus important items belonging to Roman culture, are evidence of free Dacian continuity in this area and of developing economic relations with the Roman ancient city of Porolissum. After the conquest of Dacia by

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

(106), the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

border stood atop the Meseș Mountains, just away from the city. Just north from the border, on the actual Zalău city area were the free

Dacians The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often consi ...

tribes, and to the east, south-east (of Meseș Mountains) were Roman border fortifications, towers, walls, ditches and defense sides. Zilah 021

Middle Ages

The first written mention about Zalău, was in the " Gesta Hungarorum", also called the "Chronicle of Anonymous" (probably notary of the King Béla III of Hungary), published around year 1200. According to this source, Zalău settlement would have been there as early as around 900. Later, Zalău is referred to as ''Villa Ziloc'' in 1220, ''Zylac'' in 1246, ''Zylah'' in 1282, ''Zyloh'' and ''oppidum Zylah'' in 1318, ''Zila'' in 1601, ''Zilahu'' in 1808, ''Sziláj'' / ''Szilágyi'' in 1839, ''Szilaju'' in 1850, and ''Zalău'' / ''Sziláju'' / ''Walthenberg'' in 1854. After the great

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

, which destroyed the city in 1241, Zalău came in 1246 under the administration of the Catholic Bishopric of Oradea. The trusteeship was maintained until 1542, when Zalău became part of Principality of Transylvania. On 1 August 1473

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

, king of Hungary and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, acknowledged Zalău as a market town for the first time (called '' oppidum Zilah'' – Zilah fort), a privilege that freed the city from the county domination, granted its citizens the right of free trade and gave it a larger degree of economic autonomy. At the end of the 16th century, the city had an independent administrative leadership, composed of 33 elected senators (one of whom was the mayor), a notary, a registrar and a treasurer. Other important events in the development of the city occurred in 1571 during the reign of Prince Istvan Bathory and in 1600 under the reign of Michael the Brave. After Transylvania had been annexed to the Habsburg Empire, the city experienced an economic decline due to the infusion of products from

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. After Michael the Brave's victory in the Battle of Guruslău on 3 August 1601, Zalău received administrative, legislative, fiscal and military own rules, which provided real autonomy freedoms to citizens. A chronicle from the 17th century, first mentioned the main crafts of city residents: belt-makers, potters, wheelwrights, shoemakers, butchers, tailors, blacksmiths, carpenters, hat makers and armorers. The city was under the rule Principality of Transylvania between 1526 and 1660. It was also controlled by the Ottomans between 1660 and 1692, the city being part of Varat Eyalet. The Calvinist college was formed in the first half of the 17th century. On 9 November 1714, Charles XII of Sweden rested for a night in a building on ''Király'' street (now named after Corneliu Coposu) with an acquaintance György Zoványi as is indicated by a notice still on the house. Until the administrative reform of 1876, the city had been the seat of Közép-Szolnok for centuries.

Modern times

Zalău is one of the most important urban centers in the region. It had a Reformed college (Wesselényi College), a township school for civil service (for boys only), and a national civil school (for girls only). It had the largest hospital in the region and a tax revenue office. In 1850, it held a population of 4,294 and, in 1910–8,062 (7,477 Hungarians, 19 Germans, 529 Romanians and 23 belonging to other ethnic groups). By religion, there were 1,333

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, 873 Greek Catholics, 5,363 members of the Reformed Church, and 415

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. The city had 1,427 households, and most of its inhabitants were employed by the manufacturing industry. The Reformed Church was built in 1246. It is one of the city's oldest buildings and one of the largest in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

. In 1876, Zalău became the seat of the Szilágy County. After the proclamation of the Union of Transylvania with Romania (1 December 1918), by the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...

Zalău has been part of

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 ...

– except between 1940 until the end of

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when Northern Transylvania became part of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

as a result of the Second Vienna Award. On 8 September 1940, upon arrival in Zalău, the Hungarian Army killed 10 people just outside the city; in the following days, the Nușfalău,

Treznea Treznea ( hu, Ördögkút, lit. "The Devil's Fountain"; german: Teufelsbrunnen) is a commune in Sălaj County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Bozna (''Szentpéterfalva'') and Treznea. These were part of Agrij Commune until 19 ...

, and Ip massacres were perpetrated in nearby villages. Between 1892 and 1896, one of the most famous Hungarian poets

Endre Ady Endre Ady (Hungarian: ''diósadi Ady András Endre,'' archaic English: Andrew Ady, 22 November 1877 – 27 January 1919) was a turn-of-the-century Hungarian poet and journalist. Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century ...

attended the Protestant school in Zalău (since 1957, there has been a statue of Endre Ady in front of the school). The poet also published his first poem in the local newspaper " Szilágy" on 22 March 1896. A memorial plaque on the frontage of the building where he lived reminiscents of Ady Endre's time spent there. At the end of the 19th century, Lajos Szikszai donated his private collection to the municipality and the first museum in Zalău was created. An exhibition was also organized in 1926, but the

Zalău County Museum The County Museum of History and Art ( ro, Muzeul Județean de Istorie și Artă) is a museum in Zalău, Romania, established in 1951. Archaeologists from the museum took part in excavations in the region. In 2015, a stone sarcophagus was disco ...

was officially inaugurated in 1951. On 9 July 1981, a new section of the

was inaugurated and was named the " Ioan Sima" Arts Gallery. The "Central Library," owning 7,000 Romanian and Hungarian books, was opened on the 23 August 1950. In 1952 it became "Rayon Library," coordinating all the Zalău Rayon libraries. In 1957 it took the name of Ioniță Scipione Bădescu. It became the "County Library" with the administrative reform of February 1968. As of the end of the 1960s, the city became a regional industrial center for the first time, which was heavily impacted by the Systematization process. Industrial factories like Armătura Zalău, Silcotub Zalău and Anvelope Silvania (recently bought by Michelin) hired thousands of workers, which sparked an increase in population as a result. The population influx gradually led to changes in the ethnic structure with the Romanians being now the majority and the Hungarians reduced to a minority. However, in many of the surrounding communes, the ethnic structure still remained unchanged (for example

Vârșolț Vârșolț ( hu, Varsolc) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Recea (''Krasznarécse''), Recea Mică (''Kisrécsepuszta'') and Vârșolț. At the 2002 census, 64.1% of inhabitants were Hungar ...

) are still populated by Hungarians; on the other hand, nearby villages such as Marin have a 100% ethnic Romanian population, basically unchanged for more than a century. In the 1970s with the working-class population expanding, housing estates of high-rise blocks of flats were built in both the centre and the outskirts of the town. In 2007, due to the negligence of the local natural gas distributor, a gas accumulation produced an explosion that led to casualties and significant material damage. Today Zalău is crossed by European road E81 and the national road DN1F. A new motorway (the Transylvania Highway) is being built to connect Zalău to Western Europe. The town has two nationally accredited University colleges, a public library, one

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

, an art gallery, more than four hotels, a motel, and two student halls of residence.

Geography

Zalău lies in the Zalău Valley, at the junction of the Apuseni Mountains and the Eastern Carpathians, in Sălaj County, at . Zalău is in the central part of Sălaj County, in Zalău watershed where the depression of the same name and the Meseș Peak meet. It neighbours Țara Maramureșului and the county of Satu Mare, in the northwestern part of the historical region of

, which in the past was a mainly independent small state but since 1918 has belonged to Romania (except between September 1940 and October 1944, when it was under the administration of

following the Second Vienna Award). Whether Zalău lies in Crișana or Transylvania is still a matter of debate because, geographically, Zalău lies on the eastern border of Crișana. It lies along the bank of the small river Zalău, between three narrow valleys in the Meseș Mountains. It is the county seat and the largest city in Sălaj County. The city includes a total surface of . This includes the one village it administers, Stâna (''Felsőnyárló''), situated south-east of Meseș, in the hydrographic basin of

Agrij Agrij ( hu, Felsőegregy) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Agrij and Răstolțu Deșert (''Pusztarajtolc''). It was called ''Treznea-Agrij'' from 1988 to 1995, when Treznea and Bozna village ...

. Măgura Stânii has .

Sights

The most important of the 24 monuments and buildings in the county capital of Zalău are: " Transilvania" (theatre in 1895), the city hall (court and seat of the prefects office in 1889), the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(1878), the reformed church (1904–1907), the

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine C ...

" Dormition of the Theotokos Church" (1930–1934), the Orthodox deanery (built in the late 19th century), the

Historical Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

(built about 1900 – casino of the artisans fellowship), the primary school "Simion Bărnuțiu" (girls' school in 1895) and the National College Silvania (Reformed College in 1860), all these being valuable urbanistic elements for the historical and cultural patrimony of the land. The famous statuary group

Wesselényi Monument The Wesselényi Monument ( ro, Monumentul Wesselényi; hu, Wesselényi szobra) is a monument in the Zalău, Romania. This classified historic monument, conceived by János Fadrusz and opened on September 18, 1902, represents Miklós Wesselényi ...

of the heroic Hungarian nobleman with the same name (1902) by János Fadrusz, and the bust made in the honour of Simion Bărnuțiu by Romul Ladea are worth visiting as well. Zalău hosts lively pageants each year, including a summer festival known as the "Zalău Days". There is a statue of Baron Wesselényi in Iuliu Maniu Square of the town center; the Tuhutum Memorial (both made by János Fadrusz in 1902); the Zalău County Museum of History and Art displays artifacts ranging from neolithic times to modern times, with a focus on the Roman period and hosts works of modern art. There are several churches, including the Calvinist Cathedral, which is one of the most beautiful and largest in Transylvania.

Population

The population of Zalău went through important evolutions throughout times (see above), and at present the data indicated by the 2011 census are the following: 56,202 inhabitants.Tab8. Populaţia stabilă după etnie – judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune
2011 census results,

Institutul Național de Statistică The National Institute of Statistics ( ro, Institutul Național de Statistică, INS) is a Romanian government agency which is responsible for collecting national statistics, in fields such as geography, the economy, demographics and society. The i ...

, accessed 3 March 2020. From an ethnic point of view, according to the census in 2002 the population had the following structure: 80.89%

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 ...

, 17.50%

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 ...

, 1.36%

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 ...

, 0.25% others. At the 2011 census, Zalău had 76.5% Romanians, 15.4% Hungarians and 1.4% Romani. For 6.5% no ethnicity information was available.

Ethnic structure

Confessional structure

Etymology

The location had various names: "Ziloc" in 1220, "Oppidum Zilah" in 1473, "Zila" in 1601, and "Zilahu" and "Zalahu" in the 19th century, or forms of German toponimy "Waltenberg" and "Zillenmarkt".

Politics

At the end of the 16th century, the town had an independent administrative rule made of 33 elected senators, from whom one of them was the mayor. There were also a notary, an archivist and a treasurer. Formed by 21 members, the Local Council has the following attributes: to approve the local budget, loans, credit transfers and the means of the use of the budgetary reserve; it establishes local taxes as well as special taxes; to elect the vice-mayors, to decide on the staff of attendants number.

2012 election

The Zalău Council, elected in the 2012 local government elections, was made up of 21 councilors, with the following party composition: 3- Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, 12- Social Liberal Union, 3- Democratic Liberal Party, 3-

People's Party – Dan Diaconescu The People's Party – Dan Diaconescu ( ro, Partidul Poporului – Dan Diaconescu; abbreviated PP-DD) was a populist political party in Romania created in 2011 by television presenter Dan Diaconescu. In June 2015 it merged into the National Uni ...

. Mayor Radu Căpîlnășiu was re-elected.

2008 elections

Mayor Radu Căpîlnășiu was elected first time in 2004 as member of Democratic Party (PD) and re-elected in 2008 and 2012 as member of National Liberal Party (PNL). The Zalău Municipal Council, elected in the 2008 local government elections, was made up of 21 councilors, with the following party composition:

2004 elections

The Zalău Municipal Council, elected in the 2004 local government elections, was made up of 21 councillors, with the following party composition:

Sports

The city has a women's handball team, named HC Zalău, that is coached by Gheorghe Tadici, the former head coach of Romania's national handball team.

Media

''Graiul Sălajului'', ''Magazin Sălăjean'', ''Sălajeanul'', ''Țara Silvaniei'' (1940, 1989), ''Năzuința'' (1960–1989), ''Sălajul Orizont'', ''Gazeta de Duminică'', ''Glasul copilăriei'', '' Repere transilvane'', ''Sălajul european'', ''Acta mvsei porolissensis'', ''Caiete silvane'', '' Limes'', ''Árkád'', '' Szilágy'', ''Szilágyság''.

Online media

* Zalau24.ro On scene news reports happening in Zalau or in Salaj county

Notable natives and residents

(1877–1919), Hungarian poet * Dacian Cioloș (born 1969), politician, Prime Minister of Romania *

Alexandru Dragomir Alexandru Dragomir (November 8, 1916 in Zalău – November 13, 2002 in Bucharest) was a Romanian philosopher. He made his doctoral studies under Martin Heidegger's direction, in 1940. Philosophy Dragomir refused to publish any of his writing. He a ...

(1916–2002), Romanian philosopher * Ramona Farcău (born 1979), Romanian handball player * Virgil D. Gligor (born 1949), Romanian-American professor of electrical and computer engineering * Eduard Hellvig (born 1974), director of the Romanian Intelligence Service * Iuliu Maniu (1873–1953), Romanian politician * Florian Pop (born 1952), Romanian-American mathematician * Codruț Șereș (born 1969), Romanian engineer and politician * Gheorghe Tadici (born 1952), Romanian handball coach * Talida Tolnai (born 1979), Romanian handball player *

Miklós Wesselényi Baron Miklós Wesselényi de Hadad (; archaically English: Nicholas Wesselényi;Robert J. Hunter : Racing Calendar - Page xxv 1842 20 December 179621 April 1850) was a Hungarian statesman, leader of the upper house of the Diet, member of the Bo ...

(1796–1850), Hungarian statesman *

Gyula Zilahy Gyula Zilahy (22 January 1859, Zilah – 16 May 1938, Budapest) was a Hungarian stage and film actor. He co-directed several films with Alexander Korda in 1914-1915 including Korda's first film '' Watchhouse in the Carpathians''. Zilahy wa ...

(1859–1938), Hungarian stage and film actor

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Zalău is twinned with: * Imola, Italy * Sandwell, United Kingdom *

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

, Ukraine *

Szentendre Szentendre () is a riverside town in Pest County, Hungary, between the capital city Budapest and Pilis- Visegrád Mountains. The town is known for its museums (most notably the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum), galleries, and artists. Due to its ...

, Hungary

Climate

Zalău has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

Photo gallery

File:Zilah 012b.jpg, Reformed Church, Zalău File:Josephinische Landaufnahme pg039.jpg, Stâna in Josephinische Landaufnahme File:Josephinische Landaufnahme pg027.jpg, Zalău in Josephinische Landaufnahme

Works

* János Kovács Kuruc, Zilah vallási életéről, In: Limes, 2000, 3, nr. 1–2, p. 138–143. * Éva Lakóné Hegyi; Wagner, Ernő. A zilahi kalandosok, In: EM, 2001, 63, nr. 1–2, p. 30–41. * Florin Mirgheșiu, Modernitatea Zalăului. In: AMPZ, 2001, 2, nr. 4, p. 11–19. * Moroti, Elisabeta. Scurtă privire istorică asupra dezvoltării economice a orașului Zalău. In: AMPZ, 2001, 2, nr. 4, p. 36–39. * Municipiul Zalău. Prezentare. In: AMPZ, 2002, 3, nr. 7–8, p. 154–161. * Elena Muscă, Meșteșugari zălăuani și locul lor în structurile administrației publice locale, In: AMP, 2003, 25, p. 325–332. * L. Nicoară; Pușcaș, Angelica. Rolul municipiului Zalău în zona de contact dintre depresiunea Transilvaniei și Dealurile de Vest. In: Studia geogr., 1999, 44, nr. 1, p. 99–112.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090117041059/http://www.salaj.insse.ro/main.php * http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/pdf/ro/cap2.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Zalau Cities in Romania Populated places in Sălaj County Capitals of Romanian counties Localities in Crișana