Gherla
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Gherla (Hungarian: Szamosújvár or Ormenyvaros, Armenian: Հայաքաղաք Hayakaghak, German: Neuschloss or Armenierstadt) is a city in Cluj County, Romania, located 45 km from Cluj-Napoca, with a population of 24,083.
History
A reference to village was first recorded in 1291 under the name Gherlahida, probably derived from the Slavic word grle, meaning "ford". The second name was Armenian, Hayakaghak, meaning "Armenian city"; that gave the Latin official name Armenopolis. Later, the name of Szamosújvár was used in official Hungarian records, meaning "the new town on the Someş".The modern city was built by Armenians in the early 1700s. In the center of the city lies the St Gregory the Illuminator and the Holy Trinity Armenian Cathedral.
A fortress was built here and in 1785, it was transformed into a prison, which, during the Communist regime, was used for political detainees. Today it is the main objective in city being one of the high security prisons in Romania.
The town is often visited by Orthodox pilgrims passing through toward the nearby village of Nicula, where the Nicula Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos is located.
Population
As of 2002 there are the following population indices:- 19243 or 79.9% Romanians
- 4086 or 17.0% Hungarians
- 657 or 2.7% Roma
- 97 others
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