Craiva ( hu, Bélkirálymező) is a commune in

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( judeţ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative center ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. The commune Craiva is situated in the contact zone of the Susag's high plateau with Mărăuș Hills and Codru-Moma Mountains, along the river

Sartiș The Sartiș is a right tributary of the river Beliu in Romania. Formerly a right tributary of the Teuz, its flow was intercepted by the canalized lower course of the Beliu near Cermei in 1914–1919. Its length is and its basin size is . Its dis ...

, having an administrative territory of 11,490

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s. It is composed of ten villages: Chișlaca (''Kislaka''), Ciuntești (''Csontaháza''), Coroi (''Bélkaroly''), Craiva (situated at 85 km from Arad), Mărăuș (''Bélnagymaros''), Rogoz de Beliu (''Bélrogoz''), Stoinești (''Bélkismaros''), Susag (''Pusztaszuszág''), Șiad (''Sajád'') and Tălmaci (''Bántolmács'').

Population

According to the last census, the population of the commune counts 2880 inhabitants, out of which 81.77% are Romanians, 10.93% Roma, 1.18% Ukrainians and 6.04% are of other or undeclared nationalities.

History

Craiva's first documentary record dates from 1344. Chișlaca, Coroi, Mărăuș, Stoinești, Susag and Tălmaci were first mentioned in 1828, Ciuntești in 1587, Rogoz de Beliu in 1552 and Șiad in 1344.

Economy

Although the economy of the commune is prevalent agricultural the secondary and tertiary economic sectors have also developed recently. Possessing a forest-land stretching over 4000 ha, the activities connected to lumbering and procession of timber are well represented in the local economy.

Tourism

The picturesque scenery of the Mărăuș Valley, the Gârbei Peak and the wooden church in Ciuntești called "Buna Vestire" dating from 1725 and painted its interior in Byzantine style, the pictures being painted on canvas or lime and glued on the plank walls are the most important attractions of the commune.

References

External link

Communes in Arad County Localities in Crișana {{Arad-geo-stub