Zalău

Zalău (Hungarian: Zilah, German: Zillenmarkt or Waltenberg) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2004, its estimated population was 62,900.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Population
4 Sports
5 Photos
6 References

[edit] History

Zalău lies in the Zalău Valley, at the junction of the Apuseni mountains and the Eastern Carpathians, in Sălaj County. It neighbours Ţara Maramureşului and the county of Satu Mare, in the northwestern part of the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It lies along the bank of the small river Zalău, between three narrow valleys in the Meseş mountains. It is the county seat and the largest city in Sălaj County.

Zalău is 8 km away from the Roman Castrum of Porolissum historical landmark, a well preserved city with an imposing fortress, an amphitheater, temples, houses and a customs house in the ancient Roman province of Dacia. In medieval times, Zalău was the crossing point between central Europe and Transylvania, along the so-called Salt Route. She was belonged to Principality of Transylvania between 1526-1660. She also was managed by Ottomans between 1660-1692.

Before the Treaty of Trianon, Zalău was one of the most important urban centers in the region. It had a Reformed, a college (Wesselényi college), a township school for civil service (for boys only), and a national civil school (for girls only). It had the largest hospital in the region and a tax revenue office.^{[citation needed]} It was occupied by Hungary between 1940-1944.

In 1850, its population was 4,294 and, in 1910 -- 8,062 (7,477 Hungarians, 19 Germans, 529 Romanians and 23 belonging to other ethnic groups). By religion, there were 1,333 Roman Catholics, 873 Greek-Catholics, 5,363 members of the Reformed Church, and 415 Jews. The city had 1,427 households, and most of its inhabitants were working in manufacturing. The Reformed church was built in 1246. It is one of the city's oldest buildings and one of the largest in Eastern Europe. In 1711, Charles XII of Sweden rested one night on Király street (now named after Corneliu Coposu).

It was after 1960s when the city became a regional industrial center for the first time. Industrial corporations like Armatura Zalău, Silcotub Zalău and Silvania Michelin Zalău hired thousands of workers, which also that sparked an increase in population.^{[citation needed]}

Zalău is connected to European road E81 and the national road DN 1F. A new motorway is being built to connect Zalău to Western Europe. The town has two nationally accredited University colleges, a public library, a museum, an art gallery, three hotels, a motel, and two student hostels.

[edit] Sights

Zalău hosts lively pageants each year, including a summer festival "Zalău Days". There is a statue of Baron Wesselényi in the town center; the Tuhutum memorial (both made by János Fadrusz in 1902); the "historical" branch of the Zalău County Museum of History and Art displays artifacts ranging from neolithic times to modern times, with a focus on the Roman period; the "art" branch of the Museum hosts works of modern art. There are several churches, including the Calvinist cathedral, which is one of the largest in Transylvania.

[edit] Population

2002:^[1]

Romanians — 80.9%
Hungarians — 17.5%
Roma — 1.36%, and others.

1992:

Romanians 78.8%;
Hungarians 20.1%;
Other 1.1%

1910:

Hungarians 92.8% ^[2];
Romanians 6.6%;
Other 1.2%.

Note that in the 1910 census, the population of the district around the city was 37,644, including 64.82% Romanians and 33.57% Hungarians^[3]

[edit] Sports

Zalău also had a great handball team, coached by Gheorghe Tadici until 2006, who is also the head coach of Romania's national handball team.

[edit] Photos

Orthodox Cathedral	Calvinist Cathedral 1.	Calvinist Cathedral 2.	City Hall
Catholic Church	"Silvania" College	Roman relics	Modern Theatre

[edit] References

^ 2002 census results
^ Atlas and Gazetteer of Historic Hungary 1914, Talma Kiadó
^ 1910 census results, Szilágy County

v • d • e Municipalities and Towns of Sălaj County (alphabetical order by locality)

Cehu Silvaniei • Jibou • Şimleu Silvaniei • Zalău

v • d • e County seats of Romania (alphabetical order by county)

Alba Iulia • Arad • Piteşti • Bacău • Oradea • Bistriţa • Botoşani • Braşov • Brăila • Buzău • Reşiţa • Călăraşi • Cluj-Napoca • Constanţa • Sfântu Gheorghe • Târgovişte • Craiova • Galaţi • Giurgiu • Târgu Jiu • Miercurea Ciuc • Deva • Slobozia • Iaşi • Buftea • Baia Mare • Drobeta-Turnu Severin • Târgu Mureş • Piatra Neamţ • Slatina • Ploieşti • Satu Mare • Zalău • Sibiu • Suceava • Alexandria • Timişoara • Tulcea • Vaslui • Râmnicu Vâlcea • Focşani Bucharest (national capital)