Valcău de Jos

Valcău de Jos
Valcău de Jos
Commune
	Coat of arms
	Location in Sălaj County
	Valcău de Jos Location in Romania
	Coordinates: 47°07′40″N 22°44′20″E / 47.12778°N 22.73889°E
Country	Romania
County	Sălaj
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Ioan Roșan (PNL)
Area	63.23 km2 (24.41 sq mi)
Elevation	242 m (794 ft)
Population (2021-12-01)	3,009
• Density	48/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	457345
Area code	+(40) 260
Vehicle reg.	SJ
Website	www.primariavalcaudejos.ro

Valcău de Jos (Hungarian: Alsóvalkó) is a commune in Sălaj County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Lazuri (Újvágás), Preoteasa (Füzespaptelek), Ratovei (Rátonbükk), Sub Cetate (Valkóváralja), Valcău de Jos, and Valcău de Sus (Felsővalkó). It is 14 km (8.7 mi) southwest of Șimleu Silvaniei.

History

Its name comes from the Slavic word vlk ("wolf"). Its Hungarian name Alsóvalkó means "Lower Valkó"; before 1899 it was called Magyarvalkó. Felsővalkó ("Upper Valkó") is now Valcău de Sus. Its castle was built in the late 13th century, and was unlawfully occupied by Dezső Elefánti in 1312. King Sigismund of Luxemburg laid siege to it in 1404. In 1665 the Ottoman army destroyed it and it was not rebuilt again.

Population

In 1910 the village had 900 residents, with a Romanian majority and a significant Hungarian minority.

In 2002 the commune 3,302 inhabitants: 2,909 Romanians, 287 Roma, 105 Hungarians, and one Slovak. At the 2011 census, there were 2,851 inhabitants; of those, 80% were Romanians, 14.7% Roma, and 2.9% Hungarians. At the 2021 census, Valcău de Jos had a population of 3,009, of which 75.74% were Romanians, 17.88% Roma, and 1.6% Hungarians.^[3]

Natives

Lucian Bode (born 1974) politician
Ioan Sârca (1911 – 1991), serial killer and rapist

Sights

Reformed Church in Valcău de Jos, built in the 19th century (1896), historic monument^[4]
Valcău Citadel, medieval fortress built in the 13th century, historic monument^[5]

References

^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
^ "Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.
^ welcometoromania.ro - Reformed Church in Valcău de Jos, Sălaj County; retrieved on May 23, 2012
^ welcometoromania.ro - Valcău Citadel; retrieved on May 23, 2012

[1] "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 14 June 2021.

[2] "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.

[RPL2021-3] "Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.

[4] welcometoromania.ro - Reformed Church in Valcău de Jos, Sălaj County; retrieved on May 23, 2012

[5] welcometoromania.ro - Valcău Citadel; retrieved on May 23, 2012

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