Mureș County
Mureș County (, , ) is a county ("județ") of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative reorganization that re-introduced the historical "judeţ" (county) system, still used today. This reform eliminated the previous Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region, which had been created in 1952 within the People's Republic of Romania. Mureș County has a vibrant multicultural fabric that includes Hungarian-speaking Székelys and Transylvanian Saxons, with a rich heritage of fortified churches and towns. Name. In Hungarian, it is known as "Maros megye" (), and  in German as "Kreis Mieresch". Under Kingdom of Hungary, a county with an similar name (Maros-Torda County, ) was created in 1876. There was under the Kingdom of Romania, and a Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region (1960–1968) under the Socialist Republic of Romania. Geography. The county has a total area of . The northeastern side of the county consists of the Călimani and Gurghiu Mountains and the sub-Carpathian hills, members of the Inner Eastern Carpathians. The rest of the county is part of the Transylvanian Plateau, with deep but wide valleys. The main river crossing in the county is the Mureș  River. The Târnava Mare River and the Târnava Mică River also cross the county. Mureș County is bordered by seven other counties: Suceava, Harghita, Brașov, Sibiu, Alba, Cluj and Bistrița-Năsăud. Demographics. In 2011, Mureș had a population of 550,846 and the population density was . In terms of religion: Tourism. Some of the main tourist attractions in the county are: Media. TV stations. The only cable provider in Târgu-Mureș is RCS&RDS, in Reghin is Gliga CATV, and in Sighișoara Teleson . Economy. The predominant industries in the county are: Mureș County and Sibiu County together produce about 50% of the  natural gas developed in Romania. Salt is also extracted in the county. Politics. The Mureș County Council, renewed at the 2020 local elections, consists of 34 counsellors, with the following party composition: Administrative divisions. Mureș County has 4 municipalities, 7 towns and 91 communes. Historical county. Historically, Mureş-Turda County was located in the central-northern part of Greater Romania, in the central part of Transylvania. The capital was Târgu Mureș. After the administrative unification law in 1925, it was renamed to Mureș County, and the territory was reorganized. It was bordered on the south by Târnava-Mică County, on  the southwest by Turda County, on the west by Cluj County, on the north by Năsăud County, on the northeast with the counties of Câmpulung and Neamț, and on the southeast with the counties of Ciuc and Odorhei. Most of the territory of the historical county is found in the present Mureș County, except for the northeastern area, which is located in Harghita County, and the northwestern area in Bistrița-Năsăud County today. History. Prior to World War I, the territory of the county belonged to Austria-Hungary and identical with the Maros-Torda County of the Kingdom of Hungary . The territory of Mureș County was transferred to Romania from Hungary as successor state to Austria-Hungary in 1920 under the Treaty of Trianon. In 1938, King Carol II promulgated a new Constitution, and subsequently he had the administrative division of the Romanian territory changed. (approximate translation: "lands") were created (by merging the counties) to be ruled by "rezidenți regali" (approximate translation: "Royal Residents") – appointed directly by the King – instead of the prefects. Mureș County became part of Ținutul Mureș. In 1940, the county was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of Northern Transylvania under the Second Vienna Award . Beginning in 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the ceded territory and reintegrated it into Romania, re-establishing the county. Romanian jurisdiction over the entire county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947. The county was disestablished by the communist government of Romania in 1950, and re-established in 1968 when Romania restored the county administrative system. Administration. The county originally consisted of seven districts ("plăṣi"): A subsequent administrative adjustment added one district, divided Plasa Mureș into two, and divided Plasa Reghin into two, leaving ten districts: The county had two urban localities : Târgu Mureş (a city) and Reghin (urban commune). Population. According to the census data of 1930, the county's population was 289,546, of which 45.8% were Romanians, 42.6% Hungarians, 3.9% Germans, 3.9% Romanies, 3.4% Jews, as well as other minorities. By mother tongue, the county population consisted of 45.9% Hungarian speakers, 45.5% Romanian speakers, 3.9% German speakers, 2.2% Yiddish speakers, and 2.1% Romany speakers. In the religious aspect, the population consisted of 32.4% Greek Catholic, 30.3% Reformed, 14.5% Eastern Orthodox, 12.1% Roman Catholic, 3.9% Lutheran, 3.6% Jewish, 2.6% Unitarian, as well as other minorities. Urban population. In 1930, the urban  population of the county was 47,807, of which 54.3% were Hungarians, 24.3% Romanians, 13.4% Jews, 6.0% Germans, 1.1% Romanies, as well as other minorities. As a mother tongue in the urban population, Hungarian was spoken by 61.2% of the population, followed by Romanian, spoken by 23.6% of the population as mother tongue, Yiddish (7.4%) and German (6.2%). From the religious point of view, the urban population was made up of 32.6% Reformed, 20.1% Roman Catholic, 14.2% Greek Catholic, 14.2% Jewish, 10% Eastern Orthodox, 5.9% Lutheran, 2.3% Unitarian, as well as other minorities.