Măerişte

Măerişte
—  Commune  —
Coordinates: 47°19′N 22°48′E / 47.317°N 22.8°E / 47.317; 22.8Coordinates: 47°19′N 22°48′E / 47.317°N 22.8°E / 47.317; 22.8
Country	Romania
County	Sălaj
First attested	1351
Component villages	Criştelec, Doh, Giurtelecu Şimleului, Măerişte, Mălădia, Uileacu Şimleului
Area
– Total	74.97 km2 (28.9 sq mi)
Population (2002)
– Total	3,504
– Density	46.7/km2 (121.1/sq mi)
Postal code

Măerişte (Hungarian: Krasznahidvég) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Romania.

Geography

The commune, with an area of 74.97 km² (7500 ha), is in the north-west part of the county, in the hydrographic basin of the Crasna River. It is composed of six villages: Criştelec, Doh, Giurtelecu Şimleului, Măerişte (located at 43 km from Zalău), Mălădia and Uileacu Şimleului.

Tourism

Among the commune's tourist sites are the Reformed church (a former Benedictine monastery), an architectural monument dated from 1260-1300, as well as other churches.

It is 21 km from the projected Transylvania Highway.

Population

According to the census in 2002, the commune population is 3,762, of which 87.78% are Romanians, 11.24% Hungarians, 0.79% Roms, 0.11% Slovakians and 0.08% other nationalities.

Economy

The economy of the commune is mainly agricultural, based on cereal, potato and vegetable growing. In the last few years livestock-breeding has developed.

History

Maeriste was first mentioned in 1351 under the name Hydveg. The other settlements were mentioned a little earlier (Cristelec - 1257, Doh - 1338, Giurtelecu Simleului - 1259, Maladia - 1259 and Uileacu Simleului - 1240).

References