Săliște ( or ''Selischte''; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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 ...

, in the centre of

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 ...

, west of the county capital,

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 ...

. Declared a town in 2003, it is the main locality in the Mărginimea Sibiului area.

Geography

The town is situated at the edge of the Cindrel Mountains, on a series of river valleys which flow into the Cibin River, in the southwestern part of the

Transylvanian Plateau The Transylvanian Plateau (; ) is a plateau in central Romania. Description The plateau lies within and takes its name from the historical region of Transylvania, and is almost entirely surrounded by the Eastern Carpathians, Eastern, Southern ...

. The main town of Săliște has a population of 2,830; it also administers nine villages: * Aciliu (; ) – 268 inhabitants, 8 km away. * Amnaș (; ) – 369 inhabitants, 9 km away;

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

fortified church A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such church (building), churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as t ...

. * Crinț () – 2 permanent inhabitants, 18 km away; military base. * Fântânele (until 1964 ''Cacova Sibiului''; ; ) – 251 inhabitants, 6 km away. * Galeș (; ) - 331 inhabitants, 2 km away. * Mag () – 439 inhabitants, 9 km away. * Săcel (; ) – 520 inhabitants, 4 km away. * Sibiel (; ) – 402 inhabitants, 6 km away. * Vale (; ) – 384 inhabitants, 2 km away.

Demographics

Originally all the localities, except the village of Amnaș, were inhabited by Romanians. As of 2011, 95.7% of inhabitants 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, ...

, 3.3% Roma, and 0.6%

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. Most Romanians are Orthodox and the Germans still living in Amnaș are Lutheran Evangelical. There are also some small

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Churches.

Economy

Traditionally the main occupation was

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

ing and related activities. Today this occupies a smaller percentage of the workforce, but remains important alongside other agricultural activities. Light industry was developed in the recent period and there are some textile workshops. Commerce and services are also an important activity. The area around Aciliu and Amnaș is well suited for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

s and around Mag and Săcel there are a series of artificial lakes for fish farming. The film Blestemul pământului, blestemul iubirii was shot in the village of Fântânele in 1978–1979.

History

The area was inhabited for a very long time, and on a hill between Sălişte and the nearby commune of Tilișca there are the ruins of an old

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 thus ro ...

n citadel. The first document mentioning the town is from 1354 and refers, in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, to ''Magna Villa''. Early names would be ''Nogfalu'' in Hungarian and ''Grossdorf'' in German. Later, in 1383 the village is known as ''Magna Villa Valachiealis'' (Big Village of the

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

), denoting its ethnically Romanian population. Still later, it was one of the villages in the Țara Amlașului (Omlás), a Transylvanian fiefdom granted by the kings of Hungary during the 14th and 15th centuries to the Wallachian rulers. Around 1485 it was included in one of the seven seats of Saxondom. In the late 18th century Săliște became an important village of the Romanian community and the most important cultural centre in the Mărginimea Sibiului area. In 1774 an important local revolt of the Romanian population took place; members of this community also participated in the revolution of 1848, the Transylvanian Memorandum movement, and almost every important event in the National awakening of the Romanians in Transylvania.

Personalities

Some of the most notable personalities born in Săliște are: * (1875–1959), Romanian academic * , Confessor priest, celebrated on the Feast Day of October 21 * Onisifor Ghibu (1883–1972), teacher, organiser of the Romanian educational system in

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 ...

* (1871–1949), Romanian general in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the Hungarian–Romanian War * Marina Hociotă (1896–1977), Romanian nun and nurse during World War I * Nicolae Ivan (1855–1936), Bishop of Cluj, Feleac and Vad * Michael Klein (1959–1993), Romanian footballer * Ioan Lupaș (1880–1967), Romanian historian * Andrei Oțetea (1894–1977), Romanian historian * (1806–1873), Bishop of

Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...

, theologian and writer * Dumitru D. Roșca (1895–1980), Romanian academician and philosopher * Ilie Șteflea (1887–1946), Romanian general, Chief of the General Staff (1942–1944)

Image gallery

File:Gallusdorf.jpg, The village of Galeș nestled in the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains File:Galeş Church from above.jpg, The village church of Galeș File:Gales church approach2.jpg, A typical village street - the approach to the church File:Schitul Foltea.jpg, A small church and nuns' retreat File:Amnas.jpg, Main street of Amnaș village with the

in the background File:Niculae2.jpg, A local resident File:Gales eg house 4.jpg, A typical village house façade File:Gales eg pargeting 1.jpg, Carving on a house façade in the centre of the village

References

External links

Săliște Town Hall Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saliste Towns in Romania Populated places in Sibiu County Localities in Transylvania