Beiuş

Infobox Settlement
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = ROU
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3

map_caption = Location of Beiuş

official_name=Beiuş

image_shield=Beius_COA.jpg
subdivision_type1=County
subdivision_name1=Bihor County
subdivision_type2=Status
subdivision_name2=Autolink|Municipality
settlement_type=Municipality|
leader_title=Mayor
leader_name=Domocos Adrian Nicolae
leader_party=National Liberal Party
|area_total_km2=24.46
population_total=12089
population_density_km2=494|latd=46|latm=39|lats=|latNS=N|longd=22|longm=21|longs=|longEW=E|
website=http://www.beius.ro/

Beiuş (Hungarian: "Belényes", German: "Binsch") is a city in Bihor County, Romania near the Apuseni Mountains. The river Crişul Negru flows through Beiuş.

Population

According to the 2002 Census, Beiuş has a population of 10,996 inhabitants.

The ethnic structure of the population is:

* Romanian 89.56%

* Hungarian 8.45%

* Rroma 1.53 %

* Others 0.46 %

History

Beiuş's earliest mention in recorded history was in the year 1263, where it was mentioned as being burned down during a Mongol invasion in 1241. During the time of the Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire, between the late 18th and very early 20th centuries, Beiuş constituted one of the most important learning centers of the Romanian language in Transylvania . This occurred during a period when Romanians had little or no political rights and their representation was very poor, including in religion.

Time line

* Estate of the Oradea Bishopric is mentioned for the first time in the "Regestrum Varadiensis". It was mentioned under "Benenus" in 1291, "Belinis" in 1300 and "Benenes" in 1309.
* 1451 Became a free royal city under John Vitez of Zredna.
* Seal of Beiuş showing Ladislaus I of Hungary inscribed around: "Sigillum Oppidi Belenes"
* 1552 Oradea Bishopric tithe list counts more than 420 settlement houses.
* 1570 Under the "Speyer Agreement", the Prince of Transylvania ruled this region.
* 1660 The Ottoman Empire conquered Beiuş.
* 1691 The Austrian Empire conquered Beiuş.
* 1692 A census mentions 9 Hungarian families.
* 1715 A census mentions 29 Hungarian families.
* 1720 52 Hungarians families and 22 Romanian families lived in the city.
* 1754 A Romanian secondary school opens, the second in Transylvania after the one at Blaj.
* 1777 Maria Theresa of Austria founded Greek Catholic Bishopric with the residence in Oradea and endowed the Bishopric with an estate in Beiuş.
* Bishop Samuil Vulcan (1806-1893) built up a Greek Catholic Church, set up the Greek-Catholic secondary school in Beiuş and endowed it with everything necessary.
* 1850 1250 Romanian and 950 Hungarian families lived in the city.
* 1914 2134 Hungarians and 1974 Romanians lived in Beiuş.
* 2002 Around 9,800 Romanians and around 900 Hungarians live in Beiuş [ [http://www.edrc.ro/recensamant.jsp?regiune_id=2140&judet_id=2141&localitate_id=2145 2002 data census] ] .

Places to see

Today, Beiuş is a peaceful place, combining few ethnicities and three times as many religions as in previous times. The city contains superb architectural edifices, including a few old churches and the "Samuil Vulcan" highschool, built in 1828, which obtained the "National College" designation in 1998. The city is a key point in reaching the Apuseni Mountains and their rich mines, or mountain resorts like Stâna de Vale or Arieşeni through smaller but picturesque communities and villages like Budureasa or Vascau. The nearby mountains are hosts to some of the most dense and spectacular limestone cave systems in the world. These caves contain remains of the extinct cave bear (Ursus speleus) and prehistoric humans, huge colonies of bats, subterranean lakes, unbelievable calcareous formations or simply giant earthworms that live in the guano-flooded cave floor.

As would be expected in a place with a rich heritage and long history, Beius has its own city museum which houses over 3,000 pieces. The museum exhibits reflect its natural history, military history and art, but most famous are its folkloric artifacts: peasant tools, pottery, garments and folk art gathered from the entire central and southern county of Bihor. The underground tunnels in the city are also famous, as they are believed to link together and act as escape routes used during the Medieval Age. Their construction began during the rule of Hungarian king Bela IV. The nearby landscape includes: agricultural hills with crops ranging from corn, wheat and potato to fruit orchards like apple, pears, plums and strawberries. A long stretch of wildlife depleted forest that is rich in flora begins in the north-east of the city. Industry is represented mainly through production of furniture and fashion destined for European markets. The nearby distillery and beverage factory of Sudrigiu also employs a large part of the city's labour force.

Available or popular sports in or around Beiuş are: fresh water fishing (trout, catfish, carp, barbel chub dace and at least a dozen other edible species), speleology (spelunking), soccer (Sunday soccer is a local ritual for all ages), skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tennis, hiking, camping, backpacking and rock climbing. Hunting for species like: wild boar, roe deer, rabbit, pheasant, dove, partridge or ducks (mainly mallards) is also popular.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.beius.ro/ Official Website of Beiuş]
* [http://binsh.ro/ Binsh.ro. News from Beiuş]
* [http://www.beiusonline.ro/ Other website with content about Beiuş]
* [http://www.primariabeius.ro/ Beiuş Mayory's WebPage]
* [http://www.habitatbeius.ro/ Habitat for Humanity Beiuş]
* [http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/pinkas_romania/rom1_00286.html Beiuş Jewish community history]