Hălmăgel

Hălmăgel
Commune
Land	Rumänien
County	Arad County
Population  (2002)	1,656
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Hălmăgel is a commune in Arad County, Romania.It is situated in the Hălmagiu Basin, at the foot of Bihor Mountains, along the Hălmăgel River. It occupies approximately 7000 ha and it is composed of five villages: Hălmăgel (situated at 140 km from Arad), Luncşoara, Sârbi, Târnăviţa and Ţoheşti.

Population

According to the last census the population of the commune counts 1656 inhabitants, all of them being of Romanian nationality.

History

The first documentary record of the locality Hălmăgel dates back to 1439. Luncșoara, Târnăviţa and Ţohești were first mentioned in documents in 1760-1762, while Sârbi in 1561.

Economy

Although the economy of the commune is mainly agrarian, based on livestockbreeding and farming, logging, conversion of timber, food industry and industry of building materials are also wellrepresented. Small industry based on handicraft is present in Târnăviţa through workshops of popular, enamelled ceramics.

Tourism

Tourism is an economic branch that has undergone an ascendant development in the past few years. The touristic potential of the town is an impressive one.

Due to the mountainous landscapes of the south-western slopes of Găina Mountains, the ethnofolkloristic richness of the zone, as well as the traditional architecture, the commune has become a quite attractive place. The rural festival called "Girls' Fair of Găina Mountains" celebrated every year is the most important event of the zone drawing thousands of tourists. The wooden churches called "Sfinţii Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril" (17th century) and "Sfântul Gheorghe" (1835) in Luncșoara, both being historical and architectural monuments, are worth visiting.