Avram Iancu (until 1932 Chemenfoc, from 1932 to 1950 Regina Maria; German: Kemmen; Hungarian: Keményfok) is a commune in Bihor County, in Crișana, Romania. The commune is composed of three villages: Ant (Ant), Avram Iancu and Tămașda (Tamáshida). The majority of the population (96%) in Avram Iancu village is Romanian. Overall, the commune is 74.7% Romanian, 15.6% Roma, and 9.6% Hungarian. The architecture of the commune is typical for a Romanian field village: the main street traverses the village, houses being equally distributed along it.

Avram Iancu
The Orthodox Church in Avram Iancu
The Orthodox Church in Avram Iancu
Location in Bihor County
Location in Bihor County
Avram Iancu is located in Romania
Avram Iancu
Avram Iancu
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°40′10″N 21°31′27″E / 46.66944°N 21.52417°E / 46.66944; 21.52417
CountryRomania
CountyBihor
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Dan Chirla[1] (PNL)
Area
82.16 km2 (31.72 sq mi)
Elevation
84 m (276 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
3,043
 • Density37/km2 (96/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
417035
Area code+40 x59
Vehicle reg.BH
Websitewww.primaria-avram-iancu.ro

Location edit

Geographically, it is situated at the border of Bihor County with Arad County and with Hungary, at exactly the same distance, 60 km (37 mi), from the capital cities of the two counties, Oradea and Arad. The commune is crossed by the European road E671. The nearest city is Salonta, 18 km (11 mi) to the north.

History edit

 
The Monument of Avram Iancu

The first official documentation of human settlement in the area dates back to 1169. The document mentions a very small village called Villa Tamasd, which in fact is the village Tămașda, a component of the today commune. In the early 1600 the establishment was destroyed being caught in a battle between the Turkish and Hungarian armies. In 1700 the establishment and its surroundings were transformed in a fiefdom for a Hungarian noble.

The today's village of Avram Iancu was founded in the early 1900s by Romanian colonists who came from the eastern region of Bihor County. They received here land from King Ferdinand I of Romania, the village being named Regina Maria after Ferdinand's wife, Queen Marie. In 1950, under the Communist regime, it was renamed after the 1848 Revolution Romanian hero Avram Iancu.

Economy edit

 
Eggplant crop in Avram Iancu

Due to its fertile lands Avram Iancu is one of the biggest producers of agricultural products (vegetables) within Bihor County, supplying the markets for the neighboring cities with fresh high-quality vegetable products. During the communist times, there were just a few households doing intensive production on very small surfaces of land. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 the proportion of households employed in this activity boosted to over 80%, more than a half being specialized in extensive cultures on large areas of land.

Natives edit

  • Iosif Matula (born 1958), engineer and politician
  • Dănilă Papp (1868–1950), Romanian officer who served in World War I and the Hungarian–Romanian War

References edit

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
 
Ruins of medieval church in Tămașda