Avrig (; german: Freck/Fryck,
Transylvanian Saxon
The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ...
: ''Freck/Fraek'', hu, Felek) is a town in
Sibiu County,
Transylvania, central
Romania. It has a population of 12,815 and the first documents attesting its existence date to 1346. It officially became a town in 1989, as a result of the
Romanian rural systematization program.
Demographics
At the
2011 census, 95.6% of inhabitants were
Romanians, 2.1%
Hungarians, 1.5%
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
, and 0.5%
Germans (
Transylvanian Saxons).
Administration and local politics
Town council
The town's current local council has the following multi-party political composition, based on the results of the votes cast at 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 ...
:
Geography
The town administers four villages: Bradu (''Gierelsau''; ''Fenyőfalva''), Glâmboaca (''Hühnerbach''; ''Glimboka''), Mârșa and Săcădate (''Sekadaten''; ''Oltszakadát''). It is situated in the historical region of
Transylvania.
It lies on the left bank of the
river Olt
The Olt (Romanian and Hungarian; german: Alt; la, Aluta or ', tr, Oltu, grc, Ἄλυτος ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average disch ...
(at the mouth of the
Avrig River), close to the
Făgăraș Mountains, at about from
Sibiu on the road towards
Brașov. It is the main starting point for the trekking routes in the western part of the mountains, and also on access point at a great number of chalets in the mountains: ''Cabana Poiana Neamțului'', ''Cabana Bârcaciu'', ''Cabana Ghiocelul''.
Economy
Avrig SA Glass Factory, a company specialized in lime mouthblown glass, started its origins in Avrig in the 17th century.
Mârșa village is the site of the
Mecanica Mârșa Works, which manufactures auto-trailers and military vehicles.
Tourism
The most important objective in the town is the Brukenthal Summer Palace built in 1771, a baroque summer residence of baron
Samuel von Brukenthal, the governor of
Transylvania. Also two old churches can be found there: the evangelical church, built in the 13th century and fortified in the 16th century and the orthodox church, built in the 18th century.
Bradu village features a fortified church first attested in 1315, with the last major modification in 1804.
Natives
*
Gheorghe Lazăr, founder of the first Romanian-language school
*
Vasile Stoica, diplomat
Image gallery
File:FreckBrukenthal.jpg, Brukenthal Summer Palace
File:Brukenthal'sche Sommerresidenz Stadt.jpg, Avrig
File:Biserica evanghelică.JPG, The medieval fortified Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon church of Avrig
File:Gierelsau.jpg, The medieval Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon fortified church of Bradu village
File:Gory Fogaraskie (Fagaras Mountains) 25.jpg, Avrig Lake
File:Josephinische Landaufnahme pg238.jpg, Avrig in the Grand Duchy of Transylvania, 1769-1773
File:Avrig jud Sibiu.png, Avrig in Sibiu County
References
External links
Avrig Town Hall Official Site
Brukenthal Palace Avrig
Towns in Romania
Populated places in Sibiu County
Localities in Transylvania
{{Sibiu-geo-stub