Măeriște (; ) is a commune located in

Sălaj County Sălaj County (; ) (also known as ''Land of Silvania'', ''silva, -ae'' means "forest") is a Counties of Romania, county (''județ'') of Romania, located in the north-west of the country, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of ...

Crișana Crișana (, , ) is a geographical and historical region of Romania named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Romania, the term is sometimes extended to include areas ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It is composed of six villages: Criștelec (''Kerestelek''), Doh (''Doh''), Giurtelecu Șimleului (''Somlyógyőrtelek''), Măeriște, Mălădia (''Maladé''), and Uileacu Șimleului (''Somlyóújlak'').

Geography

The commune, with an area of , is in the north-west part of the county, in the hydrographic basin of the river Crasna. It is located north of the town of Șimleu Silvaniei and north-west of the county seat,

Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: (; or , , ) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2021, its estimated population was 52,359. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", away from the h ...

. Măeriște is from the projected Transylvania Motorway.

Tourism

Among the commune's tourist sites are the

Reformed Church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

in Uileacu Șimleului (a former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery), an architectural monument dated from 1260 to 1300. The Doh church dates to 1869. The church in Mălădia was completed in 1908.

Population

According to the 2002 census, the commune had a population of 3,504, of which 87.78% were

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, 11.24%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

, 0.79% Roma, 0.11%

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

, and 0.08% other nationalities. At the 2011 census, there were 3,081 inhabitants; of those, 82.47% were Romanians, 10.48% Hungarians, and 2.63% Roma. At the 2021 census, Măeriște had a population of 2,681; of those, 79.86% were Romanians, 8.36% Hungarians, and 2.39% Roma.

Economy

The economy of the commune is mainly agricultural, based on cereal, potato and vegetable growing. In the last few years livestock-breeding has developed.

History

Măeriște was first mentioned in 1351 under the name ''Hydveg''. The other settlements were mentioned a little earlier (Criștelec - 1257, Doh - 1338, Giurtelecu Șimleului - 1259, Mălădia - 1259 and Uileacu Șimleului - 1240). It was a part of Kraszna County and then

Szilágy County Szilágy (Romanian language, Romanian: Sălaj) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in north-western Romania. The capital of the county was Zilah (present-day Za ...

. According to the database of Lo Tishkach European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, there are Jewish cemeteries in Criștelec, Doh, Giurtelecu Șimleului, Măeriște, and Uileacu Șimleului.

Politics

The mayor Vasile Lazăr was elected for the first time in 2004 as member of the Democratic Liberal Party and re-elected in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

2012 election

Monica Oțelia Pușcaș resigned from the position of secretary of the town hall on March 28, 2012, to run for the mayor's seat as a candidate of the Social Liberal Union in the

local election In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct var ...

. Monica-Oțelia Pușcaș had worked for the town hall for 30 years (of which the last 18 years she had served as the secretary of the town hall). The Măeriște Council, elected in the 2012 local government election, is made up of 13 councilors, with the following party composition: 9- Democratic Liberal Party, 3- Social Liberal Union, 1- Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.

2008 election

The mayor Vasile Lazăr was elected with 70.37% in the first round of election; Alexa Avram ( PNL) - 22.73%, Vasile Mitrașca ( PSD) - 6.89%. The Măeriște Council, elected in the 2008 local election, was made up of 13 councilors, with the following party composition: 8- Democratic Party, 3- National Liberal Party, 1- Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, 1-

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

2004 election

The mayor Vasile Lazăr was elected for the first time. The Măeriște Council, elected in the 2004 local election, was made up of 13 councilors, with the following party composition: 5- Democratic Party, 2- National Liberal Party, 1- Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, 2-

, 2- New Generation Party – Christian Democratic and 1- Romanian Humanist Party.ALEGERI LOCALE 6 IUNIE 2004 CONSILIERI LOCALI
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Gallery

File:Josephinische Landaufnahme pg016.jpg, In the 18th century File:RO SJ Maeriste 1.jpg, Măeriște Orthodox church File:Former Train Station of Giurtelecu Simleului.jpg, Giurtelecu Șimleului File:Somlyóújlak-ref-church tower.JPG, Reformed Church, Uileacu Șimleului File:Mălădia and nearby hills.jpg, Mălădia seen from the west File:Giurtelecu Șimleului.jpg, alt=Giurtelecu Șimleului seen from near Maladia File:Mălădia1.jpg, alt=Maladia seen from south File:Mălădia2.jpg, Mălădia seen from the south

References

External links

Comuna Măeriște
* Biserica de lemn din Criștelec {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeriste Communes in Sălaj County 1351 establishments in Europe Jewish communities in Romania Jewish Hungarian history Jewish Romanian history 14th-century establishments in Romania Localities in Crișana