Beclean
Beclean (also Beclean pe Somes, German and Hungarian Bethlen ) is a town in the district Bistrita-Nasaud in Romania. At her next to the city proper Beclean includes the villages Coldau, Figa and Rusu de Jos.
Location
Beclean located in the north of Transylvania by the river Somesul Mare ( Big Somes ). The district capital Bistrita is located approximately 25 km to the east.
History
The place is first mentioned in 1235. As a defense against Tatar incursions a castle was founded, which later initially consisted of earthen walls of stone walls. 1438, the castle was the headquarters of the Hungarian noble family Bethlen, who came among others, the Transylvanian prince Bethlen Gábor. During the Kuruzenkriege at the beginning of the 18th century Beclean was conquered by Habsburg troops and razed the castle to prevent further surveys.
After Bethlen / Beclean had heard since its inception the Kingdom of Hungary, it came after the First World War to Romania. From 1940 to 1944, the place came as a result of the Second Vienna Award temporarily back to Hungary. 1968 Beclean became a town.
Population
Beclean was initially characterized by its predominantly Hungarian population. With the increasing colonization of Transylvania by Romanians came in place no later than the 19th century to a Romanian majority. In the official census in 1850, about 60 percent of the inhabitants were Romanians, 20 percent of Hungary, the rest of the Jews, Gypsies and German. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it came in Transylvania to a pronounced Magyarize, which was reflected in Beclean in the census of 1910 in a relative Hungarian majority. After the Second World War, the proportion of Romanians rose steadily. As of the 2002 census described themselves at the time of 10,878 inhabitants as 8,700 Romanians, 1,814 as Hungary, 328 as gypsies, 19 as German, 8 as Ukrainians, 3 as Italians, 1 as a Turk; 5 more tasks to another nationality. In 2002 lived in the city itself, population 9,330, in the three cadastral 1548.
Traffic
Beclean is located on the National Road 17, which leads from Dej to Suceava. In the suburbs, the National Road 17C branches connecting Transylvania with Maramureş.
The city is also an important railway junction. From the railway Dej- Bistrita here branches off from the line after Rodna, on the other hand plays an important role in the connection between Transylvania one hand and the Maramureş and Bukovina.
Attractions
- Three castles of the Bethlen family
- Remains of the Castle
- Hungarian Reformed Church from the 15th century
- Romanian Orthodox Church from 1800-1808
Personalities
- Béla Székely (1892-1955), journalist and psychologist