Alsó-Fehér County

Alsó-Fehér County Comitatus Albensis Inferior Alsó-Fehér vármegye Unterweißenburger Komitat Comitatul Alba de Jos
County of the Kingdom of Hungary
1876–1920
Coat of arms
Capital		Nagyenyed 46°19′N 23°44′E / 46.317°N 23.733°ECoordinates: 46°19′N 23°44′E / 46.317°N 23.733°E
History
•	Established	1876
•	Treaty of Trianon	June 4, 1920
Area
•	1910	3,646 km^2 (1,408 sq mi)
Population
•	1910	221,618
	Density	60.8 /km^2  (157.4 /sq mi)
Today part of		Romania
Aiud is the current name of the capital.

Alsó-Fehér was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in western Romania (central Transylvania). The capital of the county was Nagyenyed (present-day Aiud).

Geography

Alsó-Fehér county shared borders with the Hungarian counties Hunyad, Torda-Aranyos, Kis-Küküllő, Nagy-Küküllő, and Szeben. The rivers Maros and Küküllő flow through the county. Its area was 3580 km² around 1910.

History

Alsó-Fehér (Lower Fehér) county was formed when the county Fehér was split in the Late Middle Ages. (The other half, Felső-Fehér county, consisted entirely of enclaves between Székely and Saxon seats.) In 1876, when the administrative structure of Transylvania was changed, the territory of Alsó-Fehér was modified, and Felső-Fehér county was entirely abolished and merged with other counties. In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon assigned the territory of the county to Romania. Its territory lies in the present Romanian counties of Alba, Sibiu (the south-east) and Mureş (a small northeastern part).

Demographics

In 1900, the county had a population of 212,352 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:^[1]

Total:

• Romanian: 166,099 (78,2%)
• Hungarian: 36,360 (17,1%)
• German: 7,953 (3,8%)
• Slovak: 100 (0,0%)
• Serbian: 40 (0,0%)
• Croatian: 14 (0,0%)
• Ruthenian: 6 (0,0%)
• Other or unknown: 1,780 (0,9%)

According to the census of 1900, the county was composed of the following religious communities:^[2]

Total:

• Eastern Orthodox: 87,210 (41,1%)
• Greek Catholic: 80,211 (37,8%)
• Calvinist: 21,296 (10,0%)
• Roman Catholic: 11,226 (5,3%)
• Lutheran: 7,170 (3,4%)
• Jewish: 3,903 (1,8%)
• Unitarian: 1,315 (0,6%)
• Other or unknown: 21 (0,0%)

Ethnic map of the county with data of the 1910 census (see the key in the description)

In 1910, county had a population of 221,618 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:^[3]

Total:

• Romanian: 171,483 (77,4%)
• Hungarian: 39,107 (17,6%)
• German: 7,269 (3,3%)
• Slovak: 184 (0,1%)
• Serbian: 18 (0,0%)
• Croatian: 8 (0,0%)
• Ruthenian: 8 (0,0%)
• Other or unknown: 3,541 (1,6%)

According to the census of 1910, the county was composed of the following religious communities:^[4]

Total:

• Eastern Orthodox: 89,724 (40,5%)
• Greek Catholic: 85,276 (38,5%)
• Calvinist: 23,009 (10,4%)
• Roman Catholic: 11,194 (5,0%)
• Lutheran: 7,283 (3,3%)
• Jewish: 3,845 (1,7%)
• Unitarianist: 1,269 (0,6%)
• Other or unknown: 18 (0,0%)

The majority of the Hungarians lived in the cities of the county (like Gyulafehérvár, Nagyenyed, Abrudbánya, Vízakna, etc.) and in the districts of Marosújvár and Nagyenyed.

Subdivisions

In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Alsó-Fehér county were:

Districts (járások)
District	Capital
Alvinc	Alvinc, RO Vințu de Jos
Balázsfalva	Balázsfalva, RO Blaj
Kisenyed	Vízakna, RO Ocna Sibiului
Magyarigen	Magyarigen, RO Ighiu
Marosújvár	Marosújvár, RO Ocna Mureş
Nagyenyed	Nagyenyed, RO Aiud
Tövis	Tövis, RO Teiuş
Verespatak	Verespatak, RO Roşia Montană
Urban districts (rendezett tanácsú városok)
Abrudbánya, RO Abrud
Gyulafehérvár, RO Alba Iulia
Nagyenyed, RO Aiud
Vízakna, RO Ocna Sibiului

References

1. "KlimoTheca :: Könyvtár". Kt.lib.pte.hu. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
2. "KlimoTheca :: Könyvtár". Kt.lib.pte.hu. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
3. "KlimoTheca :: Könyvtár". Kt.lib.pte.hu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
4. "KlimoTheca :: Könyvtár". Kt.lib.pte.hu. Retrieved 2012-06-19.