Maramureș County


Maramureș County is a county of Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.

Name

In Hungarian it is known as Máramaros megye, in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, and in German as Kreis Marmarosch.

Demographics

In 2011 the county had a population of 461,290 and a population density of.
In 1910, 18.4% of the county were Jewish.
YearCounty population
1948321,287
1956 367,114
1966 427,645
1977 492,860
1992 538,534
2002 510,110
2011 461,290

Geography

Maramureș County is situated in the northern part of Romania, and has a border with Ukraine. This county has a total area of, of which 43% is covered by the Rodna Mountains, with its tallest peak, Pietrosul, at altitude. Together with Gutâi and Țibleș mountain ranges, the Rodna mountains are part of the Eastern Carpathians. The rest of the county are hills, plateaus, and valleys. The county is crossed by Tisa River and its main tributaries: Iza, Vișeu, and Mara rivers.

Neighbours

Maramureș is known for its pastoral and agricultural traditions, largely unscathed by the industrialisation campaign that had been carried on during Romania's communist period. Ploughing, planting, harvesting, and hay making and handling are mostly done through manual labour.
The county is also home to a strong mining industry of extraction of metals other than iron. The industrial plants built around Baia Mare during the communist period heavily polluted the area in the past, but recently, due to the decline of the city's industrial activity, the area is less polluted.

Tourism

The region is known for its beautiful rural scenery, local small woodwork and craftwork industry as well as for its churches and original rural architecture. There are not many paved roads in rural areas, and most of them are usually accessible.
The county's main tourist attractions:
The Maramureș County Council, elected at the 2016 local government elections, is made up of 35 councilors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Maramureș County has 2 municipalities, 11 towns and 63 communes.

History

In 1920 after the Treaty of Trianon, the northern part of the county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia. The southern part became part of the Kingdom of Romania.
After the administrative unification law in 1925, the county remained as it was, with the identical name and territory.
In 1938 King Carol II promulgated a new Constitution, and subsequently he had the administrative division of the Romanian territory changed. were created to be ruled by rezidenți regali - appointed directly by the King - instead of the prefects. Maramureș County became part of Ținutul Crișuri.
In 1940 the county was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of Northern Transylvania under the Second Vienna Award. Beginning in 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the ceded territory and reintegrated it into Romania, re-establishing the county. Romanian jurisdiction over the county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947. The county was disestablished by the communist government of Romania in 1950, and re-established in 1968 when Romania restored the county administrative system.

Administration

In 1930, the county was originally divided into three districts :
  1. Plasa Iza
  2. Plasa Sighet
  3. Plasa Vișeu
Subsequently, the Iza and Sighet districts were reorganized into three districts, adding one:

  1. Plasa Şugatag

Population

According to the 1930 census, the county's population was 194,619, 57.9% Romanian, 20.9% Jews, 11.9% Ruthenians, 6.9% Hungarians, 2.0% Germans, as well as other minorities. The following composition was recorded from the religious point of view: 64.4% Greek Catholic, 21.0% Jewish, 6.4% Roman Catholic, 5.3% Eastern Orthodox, 1.8% Reformed, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930 the county's urban population ethnically consisted of 38.6% Jews, 35.4% Romanians, 19.9% Hungarians, 4.5% Ruthenians, as well as other minorities. Yiddish was spoken by 36.6% of the urban population, followed by Romanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban inhabitants were Jewish, Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Reformed, Eastern Orthodox, as well as other minorities.

People

Natives of the county include: