Bazna
Encyclopedia
Bazna is a commune located in Sibiu County
, Romania
. It is composed of three villages: Bazna, Boian (Bonnesdorf; Bonnesdref; Alsóbajom) and Velţ (Wölz; Welz; Velc or Völc). It lies 13 km northeast of Mediaş
, within the catchment area of the Târnava Mică River
.
Settled by Transylvanian Saxons
in the 13th century, in the late 1870s the Bazna area became part of Austria-Hungary
's Kis-Küküllő County, in the Dicsőszentmárton
subdivision. Following the Union of Transylvania with Romania
in 1918, its villages became part of the Kingdom of Romania
.
At the 2002 census, 65.9% of inhabitants were ethnic Romanians
, 29.9% Roma, 3.5% Hungarians and 0.7% Germans
. 86.6% were Romanian Orthodox, 4% Greek-Catholic
, 3.6% Pentecostal
, 2.2% Reformed
, 1.4% Baptist
and 0.9% Lutheran.
elements, with the enclosure walls dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.
When natural gas and spring water containing salt and iodine were discovered in the 18th century, they drew notice from Transylvanian scientists. Among these were the Sibiu
pharmacist Georg Bette, who studied the springs after 1752. The priest Andreas Caspari left a manuscript containing his observations for the 1762-1779 period. In it, he describes a number of healing springs, with names he gave them such as "Church spring", "Beggars' spring" and "Bitter fountain". In 1808, the Austrian Empire
's officials in Vienna
sent a committee of doctors and chemists to Bazna in order to study the healing properties of its salt waters and climate. In 1843, four inhabitants of Mediaş founded a society aimed at building a spa in Bazna; by 1845, 637 people were being treated there. In 1905, Bazna's Lutheran parishioners took control of the spa and its operations. That year, the spa had a pharmacy and specialist doctor, and began producing salt for distribution.
in the Kingdom of Hungary
, and in 1372, it is mentioned as "Boyan" and "villa Boyum". In 1395, it was part of Cetatea de Baltă
district and remained there for a long time, including when the latter belonged to the voivodes of Moldavia
. Around 1488, during the reign of Stephen III
, King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
donated a number of villages, including Boian, as fiefs to Moldavia, a situation that lasted until the reign of Alexandru Lăpuşneanu
, when the princes of Transylvania decided to reclaim the villages. Today, the coat of arms of Moldavia
appears in the church and on the gate tower.
In 1850 the population of the village was 992, including 568 Romanians, 368 Germans, and 54 Roma; there were 396 Greek Catholics, 368 Lutherans, and 226 Eastern Orthodox. In 1900, there were 1112 inhabitants: 651 Romanians, 421 Germans, and 40 Hungarians; there were 500 Greek Catholics, 423 Lutherans, and 156 Eastern Orthodox. By 2002, the population had fallen to 627, including 344 Romanians, 269 Roma, and 14 Hungarians; there were 470 Eastern Orthodox, 102 Greek Catholics, and 47 Pentecostals.
Sibiu County
Sibiu is a county of Romania, in the historical region Transylvania, with the capital city Sibiu.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 421,724 and the population density was 78/km²....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It is composed of three villages: Bazna, Boian (Bonnesdorf; Bonnesdref; Alsóbajom) and Velţ (Wölz; Welz; Velc or Völc). It lies 13 km northeast of Mediaş
Medias
Mediaș is the second largest city in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania.-Geographic location:Mediaș is located in the middle basin of Târnava Mare River, at 39 km from Sighișoara and 41 km from Blaj. The health resort Bazna, officially recognized for the first time in 1302, is...
, within the catchment area of the Târnava Mică River
Târnava Mica River
The Târnava Mică River is a river in Romania. Its source is in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, in Harghita County. It flows through the Romanian counties Harghita, Mureş, and Alba, more or less parallel to and north from the Târnava Mare River. The cities of Sovata and Târnăveni lie on the...
.
Settled by Transylvanian Saxons
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
in the 13th century, in the late 1870s the Bazna area became part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
's Kis-Küküllő County, in the Dicsőszentmárton
Târnaveni
Târnăveni is a city and municipality in central Romania, Mureş County. It lies on the Târnava Mică River in central Transylvania. The city administers three villages: Bobohalma, Botorca and Cuştelnic; the last was part of Găneşti Commune until 2002....
subdivision. Following the Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.The national holiday of Romania, the Great Union Day occurring on December 1, commemorates this event...
in 1918, its villages became part of the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
.
At the 2002 census, 65.9% of inhabitants were ethnic Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, 29.9% Roma, 3.5% Hungarians and 0.7% Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
. 86.6% were Romanian Orthodox, 4% Greek-Catholic
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language....
, 3.6% Pentecostal
Pentecostal Union of Romania
The Pentecostal Union of Romania is Romania's fourth-largest religious body and one of its eighteen officially recognised religious denominations. At the 2002 census, 330,486 Romanians declared themselves to be Pentecostals; ethnically, they were 85.2% Romanians, 10.6% Roma, 1.9% Ukrainians, 1.8%...
, 2.2% Reformed
Reformed Church in Romania
The Reformed Church in Romania is the organization of the Calvinist church in Romania. The majority of its followers are of Hungarian ethnicity and Hungarian is the main church language...
, 1.4% Baptist
Baptist Union of Romania
The Baptist Union of Romania is an alliance of Baptist churches for cooperative ministry in Romania. Since independent churches have no legal standing in Romania, the Baptist Union also provides a mediatorial relationship between churches and government.The first modern-era Baptists in Romania...
and 0.9% Lutheran.
Bazna
Bazna village is first attested in a document of 1302. Initially, Saxons had settled to the west, near Boian, but due to the scenic aspect of Bazna valley, moved there and built an imposing fortified church. The church is built in Gothic style and incorporates 13th-century RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
elements, with the enclosure walls dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.
When natural gas and spring water containing salt and iodine were discovered in the 18th century, they drew notice from Transylvanian scientists. Among these were the Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
pharmacist Georg Bette, who studied the springs after 1752. The priest Andreas Caspari left a manuscript containing his observations for the 1762-1779 period. In it, he describes a number of healing springs, with names he gave them such as "Church spring", "Beggars' spring" and "Bitter fountain". In 1808, the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
's officials in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
sent a committee of doctors and chemists to Bazna in order to study the healing properties of its salt waters and climate. In 1843, four inhabitants of Mediaş founded a society aimed at building a spa in Bazna; by 1845, 637 people were being treated there. In 1905, Bazna's Lutheran parishioners took control of the spa and its operations. That year, the spa had a pharmacy and specialist doctor, and began producing salt for distribution.
Boian
Boian village is located 4 km from Bazna, along the Boian valley and surrounded by tall hills. First attested in 1309 in a document called "Teodorch de villa Boneti" as the seat of the Târnava Mică archbishop. In 1359, it was part of Kukoliensis (Târnava) comitatusComitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)
A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....
in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, and in 1372, it is mentioned as "Boyan" and "villa Boyum". In 1395, it was part of Cetatea de Baltă
Cetatea de Balta
Cetatea de Baltă is a commune in Alba County, Romania with a population of 3217. It is located between Târnăveni at 15 kilometers and Blaj at 21 kilometers on the county road DJ 117...
district and remained there for a long time, including when the latter belonged to the voivodes of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. Around 1488, during the reign of Stephen III
Stephen III of Moldavia
Stephen III of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mușat.During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the...
, King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
donated a number of villages, including Boian, as fiefs to Moldavia, a situation that lasted until the reign of Alexandru Lăpuşneanu
Alexandru Lapusneanu
Alexandru Lăpuşneanu was Prince of Moldavia between September 1552 and 18 November 1561 and then between October 1564 and 5 May 1568....
, when the princes of Transylvania decided to reclaim the villages. Today, the coat of arms of Moldavia
Flag and coat of arms of Moldavia
The flag and coat of arms of Moldavia, one of the two Danubian Principalities, together with Wallachia, which formed the basis for the Romanian state, were subject to numerous changes throughout their history....
appears in the church and on the gate tower.
Velţ
The name of Velţ village is probably derived from the Hungarian völgy, meaning "valley". It was first mentioned in 1359 under the names of Velz and Veolcz (Völc). In 1372 it was mentioned as Weulcz; in 1861, under the Germanized name Wolzen. One of the smallest villages in the Mediaş area, it was first recognized as a small village in 1876; in 1909 it was deemed a large village. Located along the Velţ valley, it is surrounded by wooded hills with a maximum height of 442 m.In 1850 the population of the village was 992, including 568 Romanians, 368 Germans, and 54 Roma; there were 396 Greek Catholics, 368 Lutherans, and 226 Eastern Orthodox. In 1900, there were 1112 inhabitants: 651 Romanians, 421 Germans, and 40 Hungarians; there were 500 Greek Catholics, 423 Lutherans, and 156 Eastern Orthodox. By 2002, the population had fallen to 627, including 344 Romanians, 269 Roma, and 14 Hungarians; there were 470 Eastern Orthodox, 102 Greek Catholics, and 47 Pentecostals.