Vinţu de Jos

Vinţu de Jos
—  Commune  —
Location in Alba County
Vinţu de Jos Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°59′N 23°30′E / 45.983°N 23.5°E / 45.983; 23.5
Country	Romania
County	Alba County
Population (2002)[1]
- Total	5,295
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Coordinates: 45°59′N 23°30′E / 45.983°N 23.5°E / 45.983; 23.5

Vinţu de Jos, also known as Vinţ (German: Unter-Wintz, Winzendorf, Weinsdorf; Hungarian: Alvinc; Latin: Binstum) is a commune located in the centre of Alba County, Romania. It is composed of eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii (Unter-Eisenberg), Ciocaşu (Zoggesch), Crişeni (Krieschen), Dealu Ferului (Eisenberg), Gura Cuţului (Gurrenkutz), Haţegana (Hetzingen), Inuri (Lilienfeld), Laz (Slawendorf), Mătăcina (Mattatschin), Mereteu (Merethof), Pârău lui Mihai (Michelsdorf), Poieniţa (Pojenitz), Stăuini (Stabing), Valea Goblii (Goblsdorf), Valea lui Mihai (Michaelsdorf), Valea Vinţului (Wintzbach), Vinţu de Jos and Vurpăr (Burgberg-Walbersdorf).

Geography

Vinţu de Jos has a surface of 8,527 hectares and is located on the Mureş River, in the centre of Alba County, approximately 10 km from the city of Sebeş on the Romanian National Road DN7, and 15 km from the county capital, Alba Iulia on the Romanian County Road 107C and the Romanian National Road DN1.

The commune is bordered by the city of Alba Iulia in the north-east, the city of Sebeş in the south-east, the communes of Pianu and Săliştea in the south, and the commune of Blandiana in the west.

Economy

The centre of the commune, Vinţu de Jos, has a large train station and houses a shoe factory. The train station is an important connection station that links the CFR-Romanian Railways main lines 200 and 300 via the line 200A. It is also on the route of the original Orient Express.

Demographics

The 2002 census recorded 5,295 people living at the time in the commune, of which 5,108 (96.5%) Romanians, 90 (1.7%) Roma, 76 (1.4%) Hungarians and 8 (0.2%) Germans.^[1]

Local administration

The current mayor of the commune, as of 2006, is Alexandru Danciu (Democratic Party of Romania).

Tourist attractions

Ruin of the fortified church of Vurpăr

• Vinţu de Jos' touristical objectives are the ruins of George Martinuzzi's Renaissance castle and of a former Dominican monastery.
• The ruin of the fortified church of Vurpăr.

Natives

• Joseph Alvinczy
• János Csató
• Zsigmond Kemény

External links

• (Romanian)Vinţu de Jos Archaeological Site

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Romanian) "Vinţu de Jos", at the Erdélyi Magyar Adatbank's Recensământ 2002; Retrieved on September 4, 2009