Surduc

For the village in Bihor County, see Copăcel. For the village in Cluj County, see Iara, Cluj.

Surduc
—  Commune  —
Location within Sălaj County
Surduc Location within Romania
Coordinates: 47°15′18″N 23°20′52″E
Country	Romania
County	Sălaj County
Documentary attestation	1554 (Naghzwrdok)
Government
• Mayor	Chira Ionel Danil (PNL)
• Deputy	Drăgan Teodor Ioan (PSD)
Area	71.42 km2 (27.6 sq mi)
Elevation	607 m (1,991 ft)
Population (2002)	4,026
• Density	53.7/km2 (139.1/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Surduc (Hungarian: Szurduk) is a commune located in Sălaj County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Brâglez (Tótszállás), Cristolţel (Kiskeresztes), Solona (Szalonnapatak), Surduc, Teştioara (Kőszénbányatelep), Tihău (Tihó) and Turbuţa (Turbóca).

Demographics

At the census of March 18, 2002, the population of Surduc was 4,026, ranking sixth in Sălaj County. Since the 1990s, residents have migrated to urban areas, but the population has nevertheless risen slightly due to natural increase. Additionally, there has been significant emigration to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries in Western and Southern Europe. In terms of population stratification by gender, the commune of Surduc integrates 1.937 men (48.11%) and 2.089 women (51.89%). People under 15 years constituted 16.99%, while people over 59 years formed 27.72% of total population, denoting an acute enhancement of the senescence of population. In 2002, population density in the commune was 48.8 inhabitants per km².

Village	Population (2004)	Percentage
Surduc	1,437	33.95%
Tihău	1,113	26.82%
Cristolţel	533	11.42%
Turbuţa	378	9.38%
Brâglez	353	8.76%
Solona	288	7.15%
Teştioara	100	2.52%
Commune of Surduc	4,202	100%

Religious structure

Most inhabitants (3588) are Romanian Orthodox. In the 19th century, the Greek-Catholic Church was predominant, with 605 adherents in 1900. That church was banned under the Communist regime from 1948 to 1989, and has not regained its former position.

Religious structure
Religion			Percentage
Orthodox			89.12%
Pentecostal			4.35%
Other religion			3.18%
Uniate			2.48%
Baptist			0.27%
Reformed			0.20%
Seventh-day Adventist			0.15%
Old-Rite Christian			0.10%
Roman Catholic			0.07%
Without religion			0.07%

Ethnic structure

At the 2002 census, 97.07% of inhabitants were Romanians, 2.63% Roma, 0.27% Hungarians and 0.02% Poles. Jews and Germans formerly resided there as well. Likewise, the population of commune includes several unsettled Romanian Italian residents, that return, for a short period of time, in places of origin.

Tourism

"Garden of Ogres" Natural Reserve (Gâlgău Almaşului)

The commune of Surduc is an exponent for cultural tourism, strictly linked to the presence in the county of cultural values that can take different forms. Worthy of interest are folkloric festivals, rustic and pastoral celebrations organized in Sălaj County, that attract thousands of spectators annually. Location of the commune in a picturesque and clean environment, as well as varied relief and unmistakable hospitality confer it an inimitable tourist dowry. Valea Hrăii area is renowned nationally and disposes of a high tourism potential conferred by the landscape, flora and especially fauna. The Sălaj County is nicknamed Wooden Churches County (Romanian: Judeţul Bisericilor de Lemn, Hungarian: Fa Megyei Egyházak) and includes many protected areas of national interest, so this is an area of substantial attraction, due to landscape areas, churches, monasteries, and other attractive sights.

Notable figures

• Miklós Jósika (1794 - 1865), Hungarian writer
• Vasile Puşcaş (b. 1952), Romanian professor, diplomat, and politician
• Adrian Sînă (b. 1977), member of Romanian dance-pop act Akcent

External links

(Romanian) Broad overview of the commune of Surduc