Bistra ( ro, Bistra; uk, Бистрий; rue, Быстрый; hu, Petrovabisztra) 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 ...

Maramureș County Maramureș County () is a county (județ) in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare. Name In Hungarian it is known as ''Máramaros megye'', in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, in German as ''Kreis Marmarosch' ...

Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpathians, alon ...

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 ...

. The

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

border is located to the north of the commune. It is made up of three villages: Bistra (commune seat), Crasna Vișeului ( hu, Petrovakraszna; rue, Красна Вишовська) and Valea Vișeului ( hu, Visóvölgy; uk, Вишiвска Дοлина; rue, Вишовська Долина). The first documentary mention of the settlement dates to 1411.

Etymology and History

The name Bistra comes from the Valea Bistrei river, with its spring in the Hodea (Hovdea) mountain peak. The first documented mention of the village's population was in 1882, with 550 people living there. By 1896, the population had grown to 661, out of which 470 were

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 Ca ...

, 38

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and 153

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 ...

. In 1913, the village had a recorded population of 672, 511 being

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

. The settlement continues to have a Ukrainian majority, the biggest demographic shift being the diminishing of the

Jewish 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 ...

population. The name Crasna Vișeului is believed to derive from the Ukrainian words for beautiful (krasnein, krasna, krasne), tied with the name of the river Crasna Frumuseaua. The river consists of two streams, one with its spring in Pop Ivan mountain Peak, and the other in Șerban-Topolev-Polonica peak. The two merge, forming a fast flowing clear river, hence the name, which eventually flows into the

Vișeu The Vișeu ( hu, Visó) in northern Romania is a left tributary of the river Tisza. Its source is in the Rodna Mountains. It passes through the following villages, communes and cities: Borșa (city), Moisei (commune), Vișeu de Sus (city), Vișe ...

river. The first mention of Crasna Vișeului village dates back to 1411 in the "Diploma of Robert, King of Hungary", which calls it the domain of the successors of Dragoș and Bogdan. According to documents of the time, the village bore the name of Frumosava in 1882. Between the XIV and XIX centuries the settlement belonged to the nearby village of Petrova. Between 1945 and 1968 the village was autonomous, but ever since 1968, Crasna Vișeului has been part of Bistra commune. As a settlement, Valea Vișeului's existence has been documented since the beginning of the XV century. Its name derives from the Vișeu river and the word Valea (''Valley in

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 ...

, Долина ( r. Dolyna) in

''). Throughout its history, the village went through numerous name changes: Viso-Vișeu, Visovelidi, Valea-Vișeului, Fehei Potoc. Despite the lack of clear information, it is believed the original settlers in this area of the

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders. The Tisza be ...

river bank were

Hutsuls The Hutsuls (sometimes the spelling variant: Gutsuls; uk, Гуцули, translit=Hutsuly; pl, Huculi, Hucułowie; ro, huțuli) are an ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș). They ...

. Early in their history, all three villages were assigned under Petrova, as the locals were likely the slaves (robi) of Petrovan nobles. Between 1985 and 1989, a group of archeologists uncovered, in a place called Uloha, objects made of bronze that date back to the XI century. These objects are now in the custody of the

Sighetu Marmației Sighetu Marmației (, also spelled ''Sighetul Marmației''; german: Marmaroschsiget or ''Siget''; hu, Máramarossziget, ; uk, Сигіт, Syhit; yi, סיגעט, Siget), until 1960 Sighet, is a city (municipality) in Maramureș County near the ...

Museum of History and are the oldest records of human settlement in the area.

Geography

The commune has an area of 132.39 km²(15.12 sq mi) and is mostly mountainous and forested. It is bordered by

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

to the north, Repedea commune to the east, Ruscova commune to the south-east, Petrova commune to the south-west and Rona de Sus commune to the west.

Villages

Bistra

Despite having the smallest population of the three, Bistra village is the commune's administrative center. It is home to the commune's town hall and police department, and the Bistra I-VIII Grade School. The County Road DJ185 runs through the settlement, on the western part, near the bank of the

river.

Crasna Vișeului

Often shortened to Crasna, Crasna Vișeului village is located close to the bank of the Vișeu river, near the neighboring commune of Petrova. Because of its proximity to ethnically Romanian villages such as Petrova, the settlement is a mixed community, ethnically and linguistically. Young people are more likely to be bilingual.

Valea Vișeului

Valea Vișeului village is located in the north part of the commune. The

border with

is located north of the village. In the north-west of the village the river

joins the

. The Vișeu also separates the village into two important areas: the main part of the village - on the right bank of the Vișeu - and ''Zaveschiva'' - on the left bank of the river.

Maramureș Mountains Natural Park

A majority of the commune's territory falls under the

Maramureș Mountains Natural Park The Maramureș Mountains Natural Park ( ro, Parcul Natural Munții Maramureșului) is a protected area ( natural park category V IUCN) situated in Romania, in the north part in the Maramureș County. The main activity of the residents is

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

, the main crops being potatoes, corn, oat, beans, onions, carrots, parsley, garlic and cucumbers. Woodcutting and woodworking have also been important activities for the locals throughout history, with the activity expanding in scale in recent years. A large part of the population also works in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...

, in education, health, administration, telecommunications and rail. Valea Vișeului railway station is an important railway station in Maramureș County, the village having direct links with some of the main cities of

, like

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

, Cluj-Napoca or

Mangalia Mangalia (, tr, Mankalya), ancient Callatis ( el, Κάλλατις/Καλλατίς; other historical names: Pangalia, Panglicara, Tomisovara), is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanța County, Northern ...

(only in summer). A railway line connecting with

Rakhiv Rakhiv ( uk, Рахів, ; yi, ראַכעוו, hu, Rahó, ro, Rahău, rue, Рахово; see below) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Rakhiv Raion (district). Population: ...

closed in 2011, but, following the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, which hindered the country's ability to export by sea, CFR began work on restoring the railway line, reopening it in October 2022.

Demographics

The population is divided by village as follows:Final results of the 2011 Census: *1017 in Bistra *1491 in Valea Vișeului *1666 in Crasna Vișeului

Ethnicity

According to the 2011 census, the commune has a population of 4,174 inhabitants, of which 89% are

and 10.5%

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 Roman ...

. Because Ukrainians make up the majority of the population, the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...

is used beside Romanian, with signage, education, access to justice and public services being provided in both languages.

Religion

The Majority of the population is

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Christian,Final results of the 2011 Census: and has been since the arrival of the first settlers, as outlined by Alexandru Filipașcu in 'The History of Maramureș'. The first wooden church built in Bistra dates back to 1856. Between 1960 and 1965 it was renovated and modified, and in 1992, it was destroyed following a fire. The first church in Valea Vișeului was built in 1880, and the first in Crasna Vișeului in 1882. The commune's 3 churches are headed by Priests Săcăluș (Valea-Vișeului), Ardelean Ion (Bistra) and Ardelean Vasile (Crasna Vișeului).

Administration and politics

Current

Vasile Duciuc of the National Liberal Party was re-elected as mayor of Bistra commune for a third term in the

2020 Romanian local elections Local elections were held in Romania on 27 September 2020. Initially planned for June 2020, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led the Government of Romania to postpone the elections to a date no later than 31 December 2020, and extending all ...

Historical

Bistra became a commune in 1913. List of mayors: * Dutciuc Feodor * Mascaliuc Mihai * Ciubica Dumitru * Marchis Mihai * Cocerjuc Nicolae * Anisorae Vasile * Maricee Petru * Roman Stefania * Coreniue Dumitru * Onujec Vasile Crasna Vișeului was autonomous between 1945 and 1968, then incorporated into Bistra commune. List of mayors: * Baraniuc Ivan * Romaniuc Nicolae * Bilcee Nicolae * Gredjuc Dumitru Valea Vișeului was historically either administered by Rona de Sus or autonomous. List of mayors: * Stefan Soriceae (1918) * Nicolae Frasin (1926-1940) * Petrut Iurcut (1940-1944) * Petru Papariga (1944-1950)

Natives

*Bistra ** Vasile Marchiș, football player *Valea Vișeului **Havrelo Clempuș, writer **Vasile Luțac, musician and teacher

Image gallery

Image:vviseului1.jpg, Vișeu River in Valea Vișeului Image:vviseului2.jpg, The village pictured from the left bank of the Vișeu River Image:vviseului3.jpg, Landscape Image:Bistra.jpg, Bistra village

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bistra, Maramures Communes in Maramureș County Localities in Romanian Maramureș Place names of Slavic origin in Romania Ukrainian communities in Romania