Nădlac
| Nădlac Nadlak | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town | ||
 | ||
| ||
  Nădlac | ||
| Coordinates: 46°10′0″N 20°45′2″E / 46.16667°N 20.75056°ECoordinates: 46°10′0″N 20°45′2″E / 46.16667°N 20.75056°E | ||
| Country |
 Romania | |
| County | Arad County | |
| Status | Town | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Vasile Ciceac (Democratic Liberal Party) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 133 km2 (51 sq mi) | |
| Population (2002) | ||
| • Total | 8,422 | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| Website | http://www.primaria-nadlac.ro/ | |
Nădlac (Hungarian: Nagylak, Slovak: Nadlak) is a town in western Romania, Arad County. A former part of the town lies across the border with Hungary; this village is called Nagylak. An international border town, Nădlac is the main border crossing into western Romania from Hungary. It is also a centre of the Lutheran Slovakian community in Romania. Situated in the western part of Arad County, 50 km far from the county capital, at the western border of Romania, Nădlac is the main entrance gate from Western Europe. The administrative territory of the town is 132,5 square km and according to the last census its population counts 8144 inhabitants.
Nădlac was first mentioned in documents in 1313 when it was known as Noglog. The traces of inhabitancy in this region are lost on the darkness of time.
The town's name in Hungarian language means "big place". The Romanian and Slovakian names derive from that.
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1977 | 8,405 | — |
| 1992 | 8,458 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 8,422 | −0.4% |
| 2011 | 7,185 | −14.7% |
| Source: Census data | ||
According to the 2011 census, Nădlac had 7,185 inhabitants. The ethnic breakdown was then as follows:
- Romanians: 47.26%
- Slovaks: 43.85%
- Romani: 5.1%
- Hungarians: 2.37%
- others: 1.75%
History
Archaeological excavations have brought to the surface traces of existence of the Dacian-Romans. Throughout times Nădlac, a castle with wooden and soil fortification, was invaded by the Tartars, was possessed by Hunyadi János, was donated to the commanding officers Gyorgy Istvan and Dmitar Jakšić who laid the foundation of a new fortification. Besides, it was ravaged for several times by the Turks, it was razed to the ground by the rebels led by György Dózsa, but every time it was rebuilt. In 1685 the town was conquered by the Austrian royal army and it was integrated in the border disposition in the Mureș valley.
One of the most important moments of the history of Nădlac took place in the early 19th century, when the colonization process of the Slovaks started. This nationality has contributed to a great extent to the development of the settlement.
Tourist attractions
Among the town's tourist sights are the Saint Nicholas Church and the Slovak Lutheran church. As well, there is a park called "Lunca Mureșului".
