Blaj

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Blaj (Hungarian: Balázsfalva; German: Blasendorf) is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,758 inhabitants.

Contents

1 Administration
2 Population breakdown

2.1 by Ethnicity
2.2 by Religion

3 Geography
4 History
5 Tourism
6 See also

Administration

The municipality of Blaj is made up of the city proper and of 6 localities - Tiur, Petrisat, Mănărade, Spătac, Deleni and Obârşie.

Population breakdown

According to the 2002 census:

by Ethnicity

Romanians - 17,099
Hungarians - 1,675
Romas - 1,911
Germans - 60

by Religion

Geography

Blaj lies at the confluence of the two Târnava Rivers, in a wine-growing region. The city has a continental temperate climate, characteristic for the Transylvanian Plateau, with moderate precipitations of around 550 mm/mp.

History

Blaj is first mentioned in 1271 as Villa Herbordi, after the deed of a Count Herbod. In 1313, the domain passed to Herbod's son Blasius Cserei. Started as a hamlet for the twenty families of servants of the noble's court, it was awarded town status on May 19 1737. The first public school in Romanian was established in Blaj in 1754. Blaj was the first place to have Romanian written with Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet in which it had traditionally been written. Blaj was also a center for the Romanian Age of Enlightenment, being the founding site of the Şcoala Ardeleană society.

Tourism

The castle of the Bethlen dynasty is a popular tourist site near Blaj. Other sights worth visiting include the Metropolitan Palace, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the "Buna Vestire" Monastery, the Greeks' Church, the "Liberty Field", Mihai Eminescu's linden tree, and Avram Iancu's oak.