Rășinari (; ) is a commune in

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county () of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat () is the namesake town of Sibiu (). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Hermannstadt''. Under the ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

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 has a population of 5,362 inhabitants as of 2021 and is composed of two villages, Prislop (''Priszloptelep'') and Rășinari. Until 2012, Rășinari was connected to

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

by a roughly 8-km

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

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 A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

. The trams in use since the mid-1990s were formerly used in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and retained their

French-language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-Romance, a descendant of the Latin spoken in ...

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 5,281 inhabitants, of which 5,229 were Romanian, 32 Gypsies, 13 Germans, and 4 Hungarians. At the 2002 Census, roughly the same percentages were maintained, with 5,529 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: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

. 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, traditional ...

and not

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

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

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

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, Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary – 28 June 1873, Nagyszeben, Kingdom of Hungary (1867–1918), Hungary) was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of ...

monument * St. Parascheva Church *

Octavian Goga Octavian Goga (; 1 April 1881 – 7 May 1938) was a Romanian far-right politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Biography Early life Octavian Goga was born on 1 April 1881 in the village of Rășinari, on the northern sl ...

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 Uni ...

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 aphorism ...

(1911–1995), philosopher and essayist *

(1881–1938), poet, playwright, and politician *

Ioan Ilcuș Ioan Ilcuș (February 22, 1882 – March 31, 1977) was a Romanian general, who served as minister of war in 1939–1940. Biography He was born on February 22, 1882, in the village of Rășinari (at the time in Austria-Hungary, now in Sibiu County ...

(1882–1977), lieutenant general and Defense Minister * (1842–1904), military doctor and explorer *

Nicolae Ștefănuță Nicolae-Bogdănel Ștefănuță or Nicu Ștefănuță (born 3 January 1982) is a progressive Romanian politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. Political career In 2007, Ștefănuță was a member of the ...

(born 1982), politician * (1876–1956), engineer and Mayor of Timișoara

References

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