Şiria

Şiria
—  Commune  —
Surrender of the Hungarian army, 1849
Şiria
Coordinates: 46°15′53″N 21°39′49″E / 46.26472°N 21.66361°E / 46.26472; 21.66361
Country	Romania
County	Arad County
Population (2002)[1]	8,140
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
– Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Şiria (German: Hellburg; Hungarian: Világos) is a commune in Arad County, Romania. According to the 2002 census it had 8,140 inhabitants.

The administrative territory of the commune is 12,106 hectares (29,910 acres) and it lies in the contact zone of the Arad Plateau and Zărandului Mountains. It is composed of three villages: Galşa, Mâsca and Şiria (situated at 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Arad).

Population

According to the last census, the population of the commune counts 8,140 inhabitants, of which 81.3% are Romanians, 4.4% Hungarians, 12.0% Roms, 1.8% Germans, 0.2% Ukrainians and 0.3% are of other or undeclared nationalities.

History

The first documentary record of Șiria dates back to 1169. Galșa was attested documentarily in 1202 or 1203, and Mîsca in 1331.

In 1785 it was destroyed by the troops of the Habsburg Empire.

In 1849, the village was part of the Kingdom of Hungary and it was a venue for the Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas, including the Surrender at Világos: on 13 August 1849 the Hungarian army led by Artúr Görgey surrendered to the Russian general Rüdiger on the field below Șiria Castle, which brought an end to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.

Economy

Şiria is a very poor village and currently the Non-profit organization (NetWorks) has its base of operations there.

Although the economy of the commune is prevalent agricultural, the secondary and tertiary economic sectors have also developed recently. Șiria commune is known as an important viticultural centre of the region. Its resources include granite and limestone, mined in Galșa.

Tourism

The ruin of Șiria's castle dates to the 13th century. Over time, it was possessed by John Hunyadi (1444), then was occupied by the rebels led by György Dózsa and it was Michael the Brave's military garrison. It was considered to be an important strategic point of the region.

Other tourist sights are the church in Șiria built between 1700 and 1750, Emil Monţia's grave, the "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" built in 1746 and the 7th-century Baroque castle in Galșa, the "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" in Mîsca dating back to 1703, and the Feredeu monastery.

Notable people

The name of the commune is marked by two illustrious personalities: Ioan Slavici, Romanian writer (1848 – - 1925) and Emil Monţia, famous Romanian composer. Their memory is evoked by the permanent expositions of the "Ioan Slavici" Memorial Museum installed in the "Bohuș" castle, an architectural monument built in neoclassic style in 1838. Here, in front of the museum can be seen the busts of Ioan Slavici, Mihai Eminescu and Ioan Rusu Șirianu, as well as the statue of baroness Antonia Bohuș.

Şiria transmitter

Şiria transmitter (Romanian: Releul Şiria) is a facility for FM/TV-broadcasting situated at 46°15′53″N 21°39′49″E / 46.26472°N 21.66361°E / 46.26472; 21.66361 (Siria transmitter). It uses a guyed lattice steel mast with an unusually large rectangular cross section.

Coordinates: 46°16′N 21°38′E / 46.267°N 21.633°E / 46.267; 21.633

References

1. ^ Romanian census data, 2002; retrieved on March 1, 2010