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| Zărnești | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Town square, Zărnești | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Brașov County | |
  ZărneștiLocation in Romania | |
| Coordinates: 45°34′N 25°20′E / 45.567°N 25.333°E / 45.567; 25.333 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Brașov |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2024) | Alexandru-Lucian Igrișan (PSD) |
| Area | 204.75 km (79.05 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 692 m (2,270 ft) |
| Population | 21,624 |
| • Density | 110/km (270/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 505800 |
| Area code | (+40) 02 68 |
| Vehicle reg. | BV |
| Website | www |
Zărnești (Romanian pronunciation: [zərˈneʃtʲ]; German: Molkendorf, Zernescht; Hungarian: Zernest) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 21,624 as of 2021. It administers one village, Tohanu Nou (Neu-Tohan; Újtohán).
The town is located near the Piatra Craiului Mountains, which are part of the Southern Carpathians mountain range. Its close proximity to these mountains make it a common start point for tourists and hikers wishing to explore the Piatra Craiului National Park.
History
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 6,673 | — |
| 1966 | 17,628 | +164.2% |
| 1977 | 23,288 | +32.1% |
| 1992 | 26,319 | +13.0% |
| 2002 | 26,520 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 21,681 | −18.2% |
| 2021 | 21,624 | −0.3% |
| Source: Census data | ||
During the Roman period, soldiers of the Legio XIII Gemina were buried in the territory that is modern day Zărnești. It is first mentioned in the year 1373 under the name Zârna and also referred to as "possessio regalis Zerne" in 1395. Other names that appeared after 1437 are Zerna, Villa Czerne, and Zernyest.
Modern day Zărnești developed in the same location as the historic one. The commune of Tohan, which is now part of the town, was first mentioned in the year 1294, and remains among the oldest settlements in Romanian which have kept their name and location unchanged.
In the 1690 Battle of Zernest, Ottoman ally Imre Thököly (in cooperation with Wallachian Voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu) defeated Habsburg forces, which enabled him to become Prince of Transylvania for a short time.
Due to the topographical diversity of Zărnești and surrounding area, agriculture became the primary occupation for its residents until not too long ago. Industrialization began sometime in the 1800s, with the construction of the paper manufacturing plant in 1852, then called Celuloza, now called Celohart – EcoPaper"), and the weapons plant "6 Martie" in 1936. These projects turned Zărnești from a predominantly rural to an urban town.
In December 1939, disaster hit the town as 24 tons of chlorine gas were spilled, killing 60 people, even at considerable distance from the plant where a storage vessel failed.
The town of Zărnești developed largely in the communist era, bringing its population to 25,000 people, which contributed to the addition of a few neighborhoods of communist era blocs. In 1951, Zărnești was declared a town, of which Tohanul Vechi (Old Tohan) became a part of. In 1968, the commune of Tohanul Nou (New Tohan) was included in Zărnești proper. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the industrial plants closed, only to be sold piece by piece to private buyers.
Currently, Zărnești enjoys a spike in tourism, relieving some of the pressure of unemployment which followed the revolution.
Name
The Romanian name "Zărnești" is a derivation from zârnă (Black Nightshade), a word of Slavic origin (from Old Church Slavonic зрьно, grain) and suffix -ești.
Climate
Zărnești has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb in the Köppen climate classification).
| Climate data for Zărnești | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.2 (31.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
6.1 (43.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
17 (63) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
1.4 (34.5) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.2 (24.4) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
1.6 (34.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
13.2 (55.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8 (18) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
2.3 (36.1) |
7.6 (45.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
3.9 (39.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
3.2 (37.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 45 (1.8) |
45 (1.8) |
62 (2.4) |
94 (3.7) |
135 (5.3) |
139 (5.5) |
137 (5.4) |
118 (4.6) |
78 (3.1) |
60 (2.4) |
53 (2.1) |
52 (2.0) |
1,018 (40.1) |
| Source: https://en.climate-data.org/europe/romania/brasov/zarnesti-15498/ | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Ioan Bran de Lemény, lawyer, revolutionary, and Transylvania's first Romanian civil servant
- Gheorghe Crăciun, writer and translator
- Eduard-Michael Grosu, professional racing cyclist, born in Zărnești
- Alexandru Ilie, professional footballer
- Ioan Mețianu, cleric of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Traian Moșoiu, World War I general, born in Tohanul Nou
- Ion Monea, boxing champion, born in Tohanul Vechi
References
- "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
- "Celohart Zarnesti". Celohart Zărnești. Archived from the original on 21 May 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- Gheorghe, A. V.; Nicolet-Monnier, M. (29 June 2013). Integrated Regional Risk Assessment, Vol. II. ISBN 9789401704816. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- "zârnă". Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române (in Romanian). Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică "Iorgu Iordan", Editura Univers Enciclopedic. 1988.
Photo gallery
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The cliffs of Zărnești
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The valley of Zărnești
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View of the Piatra Craiului Mountains from Zărnești
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Zărnești railway station
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Saint Nicholas Church
