Tălmaciu (German: Talmesch; Hungarian: Nagytalmács) is a town in Sibiu County, in central Romania, 20 km (12 mi) south of the county seat, Sibiu. It lies on the eastern end of the Mărginimea Sibiului area.

Tălmaciu
Coat of arms of Tălmaciu
Location in Sibiu County
Location in Sibiu County
Tălmaciu is located in Romania
Tălmaciu
Tălmaciu
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°40′0″N 24°15′40″E / 45.66667°N 24.26111°E / 45.66667; 24.26111
CountryRomania
CountySibiu
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Ioan Oancea[1] (PNL)
Area
128.29 km2 (49.53 sq mi)
Elevation
378 m (1,240 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
6,711
 • Density52/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
555700
Area code(+40) 02 69
Vehicle reg.SB
Websitetalmaciu.ro

Geography edit

Tălmaciu is situated at the confluence of the Sadu and Cibin rivers, 2 km (1.2 mi) before the confluence of the Cibin with the Olt River. It lies on one of the main access routes between Transylvania and Wallachia, at the northern entrance of the Turnu Roșu Pass; the European route E81 passes through it. The town administers two villages:

  • Colonia Tălmaciu (Feltrinellitelep), 3 km (1.9 mi) to the north;
  • Tălmăcel (Kistalmács), 3 km (1.9 mi) to the west.

It also administered four other villages until 2004, when they were split off to form Boița Commune.

Demographics edit

At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 6,527; of those, 95.3% were Romanians, 3.3% Roma, 0.8% Hungarians, and 0.6% Germans. At the 2021 census, Tălmaciu had 6,711 inhabitants.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1992 9,369—    
2002 9,147−2.4%
2011 6,527−28.6%
2021 6,711+2.8%
Source: Census data

History edit

The first documents referring to Tălmaciu (Tholmach) are from 1318. After the Saxon colonisation of Transylvania, Tălmaciu was the administrative center for the settlements of Tălmăcel, Boița, Turnul Roșu, Racovița, Sebeșul de Jos, and Plopi. After 1453 the administrative center was moved to Sibiu. It officially became a town in 1989, as a result of the Romanian rural systematization program.

Because using the Olt Pass to the south requires passing through Tălmaciu, it has witnessed numerous historical events:

On 29 August 1916, during the Battle of Transylvania, Tălmaciu (then part of the Hungarian half of Austria-Hungary) was occupied by General Ioan Culcer's Romanian 1st Army. The most powerful unit of the 1st Army was the I Corps. It was its only army corps and as such the only unit of the 1st Army to comprise multiple divisions. The I Corps was commanded by General Ioan Popovici. In the middle of September, Culcer moved the I Corps headquarters to Tălmaciu, to direct the operations of the two divisions located there. Popovici arrived in Tălmaciu along with his staff on 16 September. Tălmaciu was evacuated by the Romanians on 28 September, towards the end of the Battle of Nagyszeben.[3] Tălmaciu also served as the air base for the 1st Army's squadron, consisting of (depending on source) 3 or 6 aircraft.[4][5]

Economy edit

Industrially, Tălmaciu is home to one of the most important thread manufacturers and spinners in Romania. There are also textile and lumber products manufacturers. The water flowing from the mountains is used for one of the most popular brand of bottled water in Romania: Fântâna.

Image gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ^ Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania, pp. 21-23, 103-104 and 111
  4. ^ Prit Buttar, Bloomsbury Publishing, Sep 22, 2016, Russia's Last Gasp: The Eastern Front 1916–17, p. 341
  5. ^ Ronald L. Tarnstrom, Trogen Books, 1998, Balkan Battles, p. 328 (wrongly written as "Taluiaci" in this source)

External links edit