Șimleu Silvaniei (; hu, Szilágysomlyó, german: Schomlenmarkt) is a town in

Sălaj County Sălaj County () (also known as ''Land of Silvania'', ''silva, -ae'' means "forest") is a county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers H ...

Crișana Crișana ( hu, Körösvidék, german: Kreischgebiet) is a geographical and historical region in north-western Romania, named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Ro ...

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, a ...

with a population of 14,436 people (2011 census). It is located near the ancient

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 ...

n fortress

Dacidava Dacidava was a Dacian fortified town, located in the North-Western part of present Transylvania, Romania, about 35 km North of the border established on Meseș Mountains, which was separating the dacian territory controlled by the Roman Emp ...

. Three villages are administered by the town: Bic (''Bükk''), Cehei (''Somlyócsehi'') and Pusta (''Csehipuszta'').

History

Ancient times

Before the Roman conquest of

, Șimleu was a political, social and administrative Dacian centre, of high importance. Seven Dacian fortresses, some with associated settlements, were arranged in an arc shape around the hills of Șimleu. They had a strategic role in supervising the trade along the

salt road 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 ...

coming from areas around Napoca,

Potaissa Turda (; hu, Torda, ; german: link=no, Thorenburg; la, Potaissa) is a city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the Europ ...

, and modern Dej, and heading to

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...

. The centre of an early '' Gepidia'', on the plains northwest of the

Meseș Mountains The Meseș Mountains ( ro, Munții Meseșului, hu, Meszes-hegység) are a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Apuseni Mountains. The highest peak is , at . The mountains are located in Sălaj and Cluj counties, south ...

, appears to have been located around Șimleu Silvaniei, where early 5th-century precious objects of Roman provenance have been unearthed.

Middle Ages

The town was mentioned in 1258 as ''Wathasomlyowa.'' The name means "Wata's mountain"; the name Wata is of Old Turkish origin, while ''somlyowa'' is an archaic Hungarian word for mountain(side). The town belonged to the Báthory family, whose ancestral castle stood here. The castle was built by

Miklós Miklós () is a given name or surname, the Hungarian form of the Greek (English ''Nicholas''), and may refer to: In Hungarian politics * Miklós Bánffy, Hungarian nobleman, politician, and novelist * Miklós Horthy, Regent of the Kingdom of Hun ...

, voivode of Transylvania in the early 13th century and was first mentioned in 1319. After the Báthory family built a mansion in the town in 1592, the castle became deserted and today lies in ruins. The

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 ...

was built in 1534 by Transylvania's voivode Báthory István and his wife Telegdy Katalin with the occasion of their son's birth. Holy Trinity Statue was built in 1772. The

Reformed church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

was rebuilt between 1729 and 1736. The synagogue was built in 1876. The

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

was occupied by Giorgio Basta from

Zsigmond Báthory Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

in 1600. It was occupied by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

in 1660 and was part of Varat Eyalet until 1692. In 1703 it was occupied by Kurucs. From 1876 to 1920, Șimleu Silvaniei was part of the Szilágy County of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephe ...

. 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 Ca ...

Vicariate of Șimleu Silvaniei was formed in 1910 and in 1817 the vicariate opened its own school. George Tatu (1810-1824), Georgiu Abraham (1824-1828), Isidor Alpini (1828-1835),

Alexandru Sterca-Șuluțiu Alexandru Sterca-Șuluțiu, also called Alexandru Sterca-Șuluțiu de Cărpiniș (February 15, 1794 – September 7, 1867), was an ethnic Romanian Eastern Catholic cleric in Imperial Austrian Transylvania, and the Metropolitan of the Transy ...

(1836-1850), Demetriu Coroianu (1850-1873),

Alimpiu Barboloviciu Alimpiu Barbuloviciu ( Chilioara, August 6, 1843 – Bocşa, December 10, 1914) was the Vicar Forane of the Greek Catholic Vicariate of Șimleu Silvaniei (1873–1913) and the head of the branch of Astra in Sălaj County. Biography His pa ...

(1873-1914), Alexandru Ghetie (1914-1922), Emil Bran (1926-1932), Petru Cupcea (1932-1940), Cornel Darabant (1940-1945), Gheorghe Țurcaș (2004-2009) served as vicars of Șimleu Silvaniei. The old Greek Catholic church was destroyed by a storm in 1866. Notre Dame Church was built between 1871 and 1873. In 1919, the

Simion Bărnuțiu National College The Simion Bărnuțiu National College ( ro, Colegiul Național Simion Bărnuțiu) is a high school in Șimleu Silvaniei, Romania, that opened on October 1, 1919. The first principal was Ioan Ossian, a Latin and History teacher. In 1948, after th ...

, the first

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in ...

high school in

was founded here, and today the town is home to three high schools. In 1940, Șimleu Silvaniei, along with the rest of

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

, was given to Hungary through the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all o ...

imposed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

; Romania regained the area in 1944. Since 1997, inside

Bic Monastery The Bic Monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Sfanta Treime Bic) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery in Bic, Șimleu Silvaniei, Romania. Since 1997, inside Bic Monastery, there is the wooden church from Stâna; built in 1778 it has a rectangular plan w ...

, there is the wooden church from Stâna; built in 1778 it has a rectangular plan with nave and pronave.

Holocaust

The Cehei ghetto operated within the town's administrative area. The ghetto was one of the Nazi-era ghettos for European Jews during World War II. It was active in the spring of 1944, following

Operation Margarethe Operation Margarethe (''Unternehmen Margarethe'') was the occupation of Hungary by German Nazi troops during World War II that was ordered by Adolf Hitler. Course of events Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Kállay, who had been in office fro ...

. The deportations from Cehei took place in three transports: May 31 (3,106), June 3 (3,161) and June 6 (1,584), with a total of 7,851 Jews sent to Auschwitz. Some 1,200 Sălaj Jews survived the Holocaust but later emigrated from Romania, so that by the 2000s, under fifty Jews remained in the county.

Population

According to the 1910 census, from 6,885 inhabitants 6,030 were Hungarians (87,58%) and 759 were Romanians (11,02%). According to the census from 2011, there were 14,436 people living within the city. Of this population, 66.77% are ethnic

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 ...

, while 22.87% are ethnic

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 Ural ...

, 9.82% ethnic

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 ...

, and 0.51% others.

Politics

2012 election

The Șimleu Silvaniei Council, elected in the 2012 local government election, is made up of 17 councilors, with the following party composition: 7-

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, 4-

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 Fo ...

, 3-

Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; hu, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ; ro, Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian m ...

, 2- National Liberal Party, and 1- People's Party – Dan Diaconescu.Alegerile locale in Sălaj, rezultate finale!
/ref>

2008 election

The mayor Septimiu Țurcaș was elected in the second round of 2008 local government election.

2004 election

The mayor Septimiu Țurcaș was elected for the first time in 2004 local government election as a member of the Democratic Liberal Party and re-elected in 2008 and 2012.

Mayors

* József Udvari * Octavian Guțu (b. February 23, 1946) was elected in 2000. * Septimiu Țurcaș (b. September 6, 1968) was elected in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020. * Mihai-Cristian Lazar was elected in 2021.

Flora and fauna

Cehei Pond Nature Reserve is a protected area with aquatic vegetation and fauna within the town's administrative area.

Sights to see

Cehei Pond Cehei Pond Nature Reserve ( ro, Balta Cehei) is situated in north-western Romania, in Crasna river floodplain, in Sălaj County and is a protected area with aquatic vegetation and fauna specific to such area. Fauna Birds: little bittern (''Ix ...

(18.20 ha) * Castle ruins * Báthory mansion (16th century) *

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 ...

(1532) *

Northern Transylvania Holocaust Memorial Museum The Northern Transylvania Holocaust Memorial Museum is located in Șimleu Silvaniei, Sălaj County, Romania, and was opened September 11, 2005. The museum is operated and maintained by the Jewish Architectural Heritage Foundation of New York and ...

Wooden Church, Cehei The Wooden Church ( ro, Biserica de lemn din Cehei) is a church in Cehei, Romania, built in the 18th century. References External links Historic monuments in Sălaj County 18th-century churches in Romania Wooden churches in Sălaj County ...

Natives

* Liviu Antal *

Andrew Cardinal Báthory Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

Christopher Báthory Christopher Báthory ( hu, Báthory Kristóf; 1530 – 27 May 1581) was voivode of Transylvania from 1576 to 1581. He was a younger son of Stephen Báthory of Somlyó. Christopher's career began during the reign of Queen Isabella Jagiellon, who ...

* Sophia Báthory *

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory ( hu, Báthory István; pl, Stefan Batory; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1 ...

György Bölöni György () is a Hungarian version of the name ''George''. Some notable people with this given name: * György Alexits, as a Hungarian mathematician * György Almásy, Hungarian asiologist, traveler, zoologist and ethnographer, father of László ...

* Zoltan Farmati * Elly Gross *

Gisella Grosz Gisella Grosz, originally ''Gizella Grosz'' (26 November 1875, Szilágysomlyó, Austria-Hungary – 1942, Riga Ghetto, Latvia) was a Hungarian classical pianist. Grosz was born into a Jewish family in Szilágysomlyó, then Austria-Hungary, tod ...

* Miklós Nyiszli *

Joe Pasternak Joseph Herman Pasternak (born József Paszternák; September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-American film producer in Hollywood. Pasternak spent the Hollywood "Golden Age" of musicals at MGM Studios, producing many successf ...

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Șimleu Silvaniei is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with:

Climate

Șimleu Silvaniei 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 ...

Gallery

File:Șimleu Silvaniei-church1.jpg, Greek Catholic Church File:Szilágysomlyó-ref church2.jpg, Reformed Church File:Szilágysomlyó-cat church-Bathory.jpg, Roman Catholic Church File:RO SJ Simleu 2.jpg, Orthodox Church File:Szilágysomlyó-park.jpg, Central park File:ASTRA in Simleu Silvaniei, August 1908.jpg,

ASTRA Astra may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became the asteroid belt Ent ...

group picture at

Notre Dame Church, Șimleu Silvaniei The Notre Dame Church ( ro, Intrarea în Biserică a Maicii Domnului) is a church in Șimleu Silvaniei, Romania. The church was built by the Romanian Greek Catholic community between 1871 and 1873. The iconostasis and peinture were completed in ...

, August 1908

Notes

References

* * *

Note

''This article is based on a translation of the equivalent article from the Hungarian Wikipedia on 18 March 2007''.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simleu Silvaniei Towns in Romania Shtetls Czech communities in Romania Populated places in Sălaj County Localities in Crișana Holocaust locations in Romania