   zÄrneÈti (; ; ) is a town in braÅov county, transylvania, romania, with a population of 21,681. it administers one village, tohanu nou (neu-tohan; ÃjtohÃ¡n). it is located near the piatra craiului mountains, which are part of the southern carpathians mountains range. its close proximity to the piatra craiului make it a common start point for tourists and hikers wishing to explore "the piatra craiului national park". ==history==  during the roman period, soldiers of the legio xiii gemina were buried in the territory that is modern day zÄrneÈti. it is first mentioned in the year 1373 under the name zÃ¢rna and also referred to as "possessio regalis zerne" in 1395. other names that appeared after 1437 are zerna, villa czerne, and zernyest. modern day zÄrneÈti developed in the same location as the historic one. the commune of tohan, which is now part of the town, was first mentioned in the year 1294, and remains among the oldest settlements in romanian which have kept their name and location unchanged. in 1690 battle of zernest ottoman ally imre thÃ¶kÃ¶ly defeated habsburg forces, which enabled him to become prince of transylvania for a short time. in 1951, zÄrneÈti was declared a town, of which tohanul vechi (old tohan) became a part of. in 1968, the commune of tohanul nou (new tohan) was included in zÄrneÈti proper. due to the topographical diversity of zÄrneÅti and surrounding area, agriculture became the primary occupation for its residents until not too long 
Populated_places_in_BraEov_County Towns_in_Romania