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AIUD - ROMANIA
Aiud is a large town located in Alba county,
Transylvania, Romania. The town has a population of 31,894 people. It
has the status of municipality (municipiu) in Alba county and is the
second-largest city in the county after Alba Iulia. The Aiud
administrative region has is 142.2 square kilometres in area.
Administration
The municipality of Aiud is made up of the town proper and of 3 urban
localities and 6 localities which are located outside the town proper
but belong to the municipality. The three urban localities are: Gâmbas,
Magina and Padiga. The rural localities are: Ciumbrud (0.81 km˛),
Sincrai (0.65 km˛), Gârbova de Jos (1.04 km˛), Tifra (0.06 km˛), Gârbova
de Sus (0.52 km˛) and Gârbovita (0.28 km˛).
Population Breakdown
As of 1992, the total population is 31,894, made up of 17,287 males and
14,607 females. 54% of the population are males.
Localities
The total population of 31,894 is made up of the population of the following
town proper, localities, villages, etc:
Aiud Town Proper - 24,618
Aiudul de Sus - 2,276
Ciumbrud - 1,504
Sincrai - 1,023
Magina - 628
Gâmbas - 578
Gârbova de Jos - 464
Gârbova de Sus - 357
Pagida - 165
Gârbovita - 164
Tifra - 116
Ethnicity
Romanians - 24,880 (78% of total population)
Hungarians - 5,699 (17.9%)
Germans - 55 (0.2%)
Roma - 1,214 (3.8%)
Religion
Orthodox - 18,000 (62.5% of the total population)
Reformed - 3,402 (12.07%)
Greek Catholics - 1,175 (4.0%)
Roman Catholics - 738 (2.5%)
Unitarian - 299 (1.03%)
Other - 5174 (17.9%)
Climate
The town is located in the Aiud Valley and therefore has a mountain-type
climate. It has a characteristic Transylvanian continental temperate climate.
The average winter temperature is -2.6°C and the average summer temperature
is 19.2°C.
Famous People from Aiud
Due to its favourable location and its good education facilities, Aiud bred
many Romanian famous people. They include Mihail Halici, Francisc Papai
Pariz, Bolyai Farkas, Ion Barac, Ovidiu Hulea, Naftali Simion, Romulus Rusan,
Adalbert Vikler, Bazil Gruia, Kovacs Gyorgy, Suto Andras, Alexandru Domsa
and Ion Horea.
Tourism
Aiud is an important tourism centre in terms of agrotourism, ecotourism and
cultural tourism.
Cultural Attractions
The town centre is historical and is home to many majestic buildings, such
as the Aiud Citadel, Town Hall, museums and churches.
Aiud Citadel
Aiud Citadel (Cetatea Aiudului in Romanian) is located in the centre of Aiud,
and was built during medieval times (14th century), comprising of many
buildings. It is the main tourist attraction of Aiud. The citadel is fairly
small, with a perimeter of 350 metres, and it is in the form of a pentagon.
The Students' Monument
Due to its strong educational culture, which dates back to the foundations
of the city, the Students' Monument (Monumentul studentesc) is the oldest
monument in Aiud. It is located in the beautiful City Park, and was erected
in memory of the students who fought against the Hapsburg invasion in 1704.
The monument was erected in 1904, 200 years after the invasion.
The "Calvarul Aiudului" Monument
The "Calvarul Aiudului" Monument is a modern monument in remembrance of the
suffering and deaths during the Communist regime of Romania. The monument,
started in 1992, is made up of many crosses (6 metres tall), symbolising the
traditions of Romania. In the Communist era, Aiud was an important centre
where the elite of the Communist resistance were buried, and the "Calvarul
Aiudului" monument seeks to remember those. The monument is located just
outside the town centre, in the southwest.
The Town Hall
The Town Hall of Aiud is located right in the centre of the town, at No. 1
Cuza Vodă street, close to the Aiud Citadel. The edifice, built in the
1890s, is built in the majestic style of those times, with balconies,
statues, decorations and wonderful interiors.
Museums
Aiud is home to two major, public museums. They are the Museum of History
and the Museum of Natural Sciences. The history museum was built in 1796 and
is housed in a historical building. There is a large collection of coins, as
well as medieval and pre-medieval artefacts. The collection of the Museum of
Natural Sciences dates back from 1720. It is based mainly on zoology, as
well as botany, paleontology and geology.
Churches
Most of Aiud's population are Christian, but they also come from a variety
of denominations, including Catholicism and Orthodoxism and well as Reformed,
Unitarian, Baptist and Evangelical faiths. Therefore, there are places of
worship for all these religions.
The Orthodox Cathedral is located in the southeast of the city, and is an
impressive building with high ceilings and wonderful domes. It was built
after the unification of Transylvania with the rest of Romania (Wallachia
and Moldavia) in 1 December 1918. The construction started in 1927 and went
on for some decades. The architecture was inspired from the St. Sofia church
in Istanbul, and is built in Byzantine style.
The Roman Catholic Church, albeit being smaller and less imposing that the
Orthodox Cathedral, is still very beautiful, built in baroque style. Also,
it is situated in Cuza Vodă Square, surrounding the medieval Aiud Citadel,
making the Church very ideal in terms of surroundings. The church contains a
large organ as well as stained glass windows which were painted by an artist
from Budapest.
The Reformed Church mainly serves the Hungarian minority of Aiud, which
played a big role in the identity of the city in terms of education, art,
architecture and more. Their church is arguably the most memorable of the
three main churches, because it is located right in the Aiud Citadel, and is
medieval in architecture style, being the oldest church in Aiud.
Monasteries
The most famous monastery in Aiud is the Râmet monastery, which was
built in the 15th century. Its architecture is classically Romanian,
resembling the painted monasteries of Moldavia such as Voronet. In the
monastery there is also a museum. In addition to Râment monastery,
there are also monasteries at Magina and Cicau.
Historical Colleges
The "Bethlen Gabor" college, with 1011 students today and a rich history, is
Aiud's most important educational institution. The college was founded in
1622 in Alba Iulia, the capital city of Alba, and it was then moved to Aiud.
Later on, it was also moved to Cluj-Napoca for a short time. Today, the
institution is located in a 19th century historical building, and it is also
home to an important library.
Natural Attractions
As well as rich culture, Aiud is also littered with wonderful scenic tourist
attractions in terms of the environment. There are also many activities
available throughout the year, especially in fishing and hunting. This
provides a strong base for ecotourism in the area, as there are beautiful
forests, hills and mountains and fresh air.
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