Făget

Coordinates: 45°51′6″N 22°10′28″E / 45.85167°N 22.17444°E / 45.85167; 22.17444
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Făget
Cassina Casino
Cassina Casino
Coat of arms of Făget
Location in Timiș County
Location in Timiș County
Făget is located in Romania
Făget
Făget
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°51′6″N 22°10′28″E / 45.85167°N 22.17444°E / 45.85167; 22.17444
CountryRomania
CountyTimiș
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Marcel Avram[1] (PNL)
Area150.86 km2 (58.25 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[3]
6,595
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
305300–305310
Vehicle reg.TM
Websitewww.primariafaget.ro

Făget (Romanian pronunciation: [fəˈdʒet]; Hungarian: Facsád; German: Birkendorf or Fatschet) is a town in Timiș County, Romania, with a population of about 6,600. The town administers ten villages: Bătești, Begheiu Mic, Bichigi, Brănești, Bunea Mare, Bunea Mică (depopulated), Colonia Mică, Jupânești, Povârgina and Temerești.

Name[edit]

The name Făget literally means 'beech forest' in Romanian.[4]

Romanian Hungarian German
Bătești Vadpatak Battiescht
Begheiu Mic [Băsești] Bázosd Kleinbegau
Bichigi [Bichiș] Kisbékés Wallachisch Bikisch
Brănești Avasfalva Branest
Bunea Mare [Bunea Română] Bunya Wallachisch Bunia
Bunea Mică [Bunea Ungurească] Bunyaszekszárd Ungarisch Bunia
Colonia Mică Kistelep Kleinsiedel
Făget Facsád Birkendorf or Fatschet
Jupânești Zsupánfalva Schupanescht
Povârgina Porzson Powerschin
Temerești Temeres Temerest

Geography[edit]

Făget is located in the southwest of Romania, in the contact area of the Lugoj Plain with the Lugoj Hills, on the upper course of the Bega River. Within Timiș County, it is located in its eastern part, 98 km (61 mi) from Timișoara and 33 km (21 mi) from Lugoj, to which it is connected by national road 68A. The same road to the east connects the town with Deva, 68 km (42 mi) away. The town is also crossed by CFR line 212 (Lugoj–Făget–Ilia).

History[edit]

Făget (Facshet) on the Josephinische Landesaufnahme of 1769–1772

Făget Fortress is documented for the first time in 1548, as the property of Jakab Békés and bearing the name Fagyath.[5] Between 1594–1602 Făget was the property of the Ban of Lugoj. In 1602 it was besieged and destroyed by the Turks, after which it fell into ruin.[6] For 150 years it has been the subject of fierce confrontations between Romanians, Turks and Austrians, which is also confirmed by archaeological excavations. The picturesque landscape of Făget, the intense spiritual activity and its famous fairs attracted the attention of some foreign travelers who passed through Transylvania and Banat. In 1660, Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi, passing through Făget, described the medieval fortress:[7]

It was built by a woman named Tilen... It is a square-shaped building, beautiful and strong. To the west is a gate facing the plain. It has a dizdar, three hundred chosen soldiers and enough war material; it is entirely covered with shingles, but it has no market and bazaar or anything. It is just a serhat tower.

Along with the military fortress, the civilian settlement also evolved, becoming in a relatively short period of time the most important locality in the area. The fortress was finally demolished by the Turks in 1699. Immediately after Banat was conquered by the Austrians in 1717, Făget had only 20 houses left, but it was the center of a district with 42 communes. After this period of decline, the town began to grow again and in 1787 received the right to hold eight fairs a year. At the end of the 18th century, Johann Lehmann wrote:[7]

Făget is a beautiful country town. The place is rich because of the animal fairs that are held here. The town is Romanian, has over 200 houses and two churches. The inn in Făget is the most beautiful and the cleanest and most spacious on the whole Timișoara–Sibiu line and this inn is the property of Mrs. Soro [the wife of the commander of the Timișoara Fortress]. There are eight guest rooms in the inn. The travelers are well served, but a very expensive price.

On the same note, Italian traveler Domenico Sestini [it] noted that, at the beginning of the 19th century, Făget had "200 Romanian houses with two churches and over 30 German houses with a small but clean church, served by the Minorite monks from Lugoj". Făget was also an important connection point between Banat and Transylvania, here being a "custom house for Transylvania and Hungary".[7]

In the 17th and 18th centuries, attempts were made to colonize workers of other nationalities to work on forest exploitations, but the impact is small and Făget remains a center of Romanianism at a time when western Banat was intensely colonized. In 1900, attempts were made to settle the first families of Hungarian settlers in Colonia Mică.

On 5 July 1994, Făget was declared a town, with 10 villages subordinated to it.[6]

Demographics[edit]

Ethnic composition (2011)[8]

  Romanians (89.34%)
  Hungarians (3.85%)
  Ukrainians (2.09%)
  Unknown (3.03%)
  Others (1.69%)

Religious composition (2011)[9]

  Orthodox (72.71%)
  Pentecostals (13.28%)
  Roman Catholics (4.17%)
  Baptists (2.43%)
  Adventists (2.41%)
  Reformed (1.52%)
  Unknown (3.17%)
  Others (0.31%)

Făget had a population of 6,761 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 6% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians (89.34%), larger minorities being represented by Hungarians (3.85%) and Ukrainians (2.09%). For 3.03% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.[8] By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (72.71%), but there are also minorities of Pentecostals (13.28%), Roman Catholics (4.17%), Baptists (2.43%), Adventists (2.41%) and Reformed (1.52%). For 3.17% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.[9]

Census[10] Ethnic composition
Year Population Romanians Hungarians Germans Ukrainians
1880 6,516 5,576 482 401
1890 6,882 5,856 548 428
1900 7,642 6,217 900 468
1910 8,724 6,532 1,755 383
1920 7,920 6,122 1,356 287
1930 8,024 6,290 1,343 265 1
1941 7,769 6,230 1,086 295
1956 7,833 6,800 861 126 1
1966 8,276 7,388 740 121 1
1977 7,868 7,011 529 104 138
1992 7,722 6,888 437 113 186
2002 7,213 6,589 335 62 203
2011 6,761 6,040 260 44 141

Economy[edit]

The economic sector of production is represented by companies active in the field of leather processing in footwear and leather goods, exploitation and processing of wood of various essences, from lumber to furniture, a section for exploitation and processing of quartz sand and companies active in various branches of the food industry, especially milk processing and pastry production. In the village of Jupânești, there is a tradition in pottery, which is declining as an economic activity, but with a high potential.

Twin towns[edit]

Făget is twinned with:[11]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Primăria Făget". Ghidul Primăriilor.
  3. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  4. ^ Iordan, Iorgu (1963). Toponimia românească. Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Române. p. 66. OCLC 460710897.
  5. ^ Pesty, Frigyes (1884). Krassó vármegye története (PDF). Vol. II. Budapest: Athenaeum R. Társ. Könyvnyomdája.
  6. ^ a b Tomoni, Dumitru; Căliman, Ion (2017). Monografia Făgetului (PDF). Timișoara: Eurostampa.
  7. ^ a b c "Istorie". Primăria orașului Făget.
  8. ^ a b "Tab8. Populația stabilă după etnie – județe, municipii, orașe, comune". Institutul Național de Statistică. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  9. ^ a b "Tab13. Populația stabilă după religie – județe, municipii, orașe, comune". Institutul Național de Statistică. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  10. ^ Varga, E. Árpád. "Temes megye településeinek etnikai (anyanyelvi/nemzetiségi) adatai 1880-2002" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Informații generale". Primăria orașului Făget.