Berzasca
Encyclopedia
Berzasca is a commune in Caraş-Severin County
, in the Banat
region of western Romania
with a population of 3,123 people. It is composed of five villages: Berzasca, Bigăr (Bigér; Schnellersruhe; or Bygr), Cozla, Drencova and Liubcova. At the 2002 census, 70.5% of the commune's inhabitants were Romanians
, 14.2% Czechs, 10.8% Serbs
and 3.5% Roma. 82.8% were Romanian Orthodox and 15.6% Roman Catholic.
-inhabited village established around 1826 in the South Carpathians, in the middle of the Iron Gates Natural Park and of the Almăj Mountains. It is one of six Czech villages in the area. The village name should not be mistaken with the Bigăr spring, occurring north of the Almăj Mountains.
The village occurs north of the Sirinia Valley, a tributary of the Danube, this valley representing a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) for botanical reasons. The Sirinia Valley crosses the southern flank of the Almăj Mountains, a massif belonging to the South Carpathians.
The villagers of Bigăr earn their living through farming and logging, while up to the early 1990s their main occupation was mining for the Jurassic coal which occurs abundantly in the Almăj Mountains. The natives of Bigăr represent a special community in which the Czech language is permanently used, including a dominant background of the old Czech language. Today, the village includes mainly older people, while the youth work in the Czech Republic, most of them without immigrating, only to return home for summer holidays or for Christmas . The popular clothes, rural architecture, traditions and language are all well-preserved.
Bigăr occurs in the upper-middle part of the Sirinia sedimentary basin, also known as the Sviniţa - Svinecea Mare sedimentary zone, a basin including Palaeozoic, Mesozoic
and Tertiary
deposits, in the Danubian Units. The Lower Jurassic continental formation includes well developed bituminous coal seams, extracted until 1995 at Bigär (Palaşca) mines, Buschmann, Stanca, Pietrele Albe, Cameniţa, Cozla and many other former sites, together with a rich fossil flora.
name. It was settled following the Ottoman
defeat in the Great Turkish War
, with Romanians
brought in from a sheltered zone as well as Serbs
. A 1789 document refers to Gornia Liupcova ("Upper Liubcova", today's Gornea) and Dolnia Liupcova ("Lower Liubcova", present-day Liubcova).
Following the Turkish attacks of 1738, part of the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739, when Moldova Veche was completely destroyed, Liubcova suffered the same fate. In 1788, during the Austro-Turkish War of 1787-1791, after the Turks crossed the Danube
, they stationed three companies of soldiers on the territory of both villages. Archaeological excavations in the area have unearthed a Roman fortress of 60 m≤sup>2. One can see Liborajdea and Drencova from the fortress, and the Austrian and Turkish border posts were built on almost the same locations as their Roman predecessors.
Liubcova's Romanian inhabitants are descended from people who lived in a former village on Veliki Breg (Serbian for "Great Hill"), which lies above today's village, 2 km to the east. During the Middle Ages, these individuals maintained the citadels at Dranco (today's Drencova) and Cozla, taking refuge together with the villagers of Sicheviţa
and Gornea during raids. Today, the Romanians of all three villages, in spite of those from Liubcova having lived alongside Serbs for over two centuries, have the same rituals surrounding death, birth and marriage. At the 2002 census, the village had 1258 inhabitants. Romanians formed the majority; 26% were Serbs, 8.6% were Roma and 4.4% Czechs.
Caras-Severin County
Caraș-Severin is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Banat and few villages in Transylvania, with the county seat at Reșița.-Demographics:The county is part of the Danube-Kris-Mureș-Tisza euroregion....
, in the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
region of western Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
with a population of 3,123 people. It is composed of five villages: Berzasca, Bigăr (Bigér; Schnellersruhe; or Bygr), Cozla, Drencova and Liubcova. At the 2002 census, 70.5% of the commune's inhabitants were Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, 14.2% Czechs, 10.8% Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and 3.5% Roma. 82.8% were Romanian Orthodox and 15.6% Roman Catholic.
Bigăr
Bigăr is a remote CzechCzechs of Romania
The Czechs are an ethnic minority in Romania, numbering 3,938 people according to the 2002 census. The majority of Romanian Czechs live in the south-west of the country, with around 60% of them living in Caraş-Severin County, where they make up 0.7% of the population.As an officially recognised...
-inhabited village established around 1826 in the South Carpathians, in the middle of the Iron Gates Natural Park and of the Almăj Mountains. It is one of six Czech villages in the area. The village name should not be mistaken with the Bigăr spring, occurring north of the Almăj Mountains.
The village occurs north of the Sirinia Valley, a tributary of the Danube, this valley representing a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) for botanical reasons. The Sirinia Valley crosses the southern flank of the Almăj Mountains, a massif belonging to the South Carpathians.
The villagers of Bigăr earn their living through farming and logging, while up to the early 1990s their main occupation was mining for the Jurassic coal which occurs abundantly in the Almăj Mountains. The natives of Bigăr represent a special community in which the Czech language is permanently used, including a dominant background of the old Czech language. Today, the village includes mainly older people, while the youth work in the Czech Republic, most of them without immigrating, only to return home for summer holidays or for Christmas . The popular clothes, rural architecture, traditions and language are all well-preserved.
Bigăr occurs in the upper-middle part of the Sirinia sedimentary basin, also known as the Sviniţa - Svinecea Mare sedimentary zone, a basin including Palaeozoic, Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
and Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
deposits, in the Danubian Units. The Lower Jurassic continental formation includes well developed bituminous coal seams, extracted until 1995 at Bigär (Palaşca) mines, Buschmann, Stanca, Pietrele Albe, Cameniţa, Cozla and many other former sites, together with a rich fossil flora.
Liubcova
Liubcova village was first attested in 1689 and bears a SlavicSlavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
name. It was settled following the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
defeat in the Great Turkish War
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
, with Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
brought in from a sheltered zone as well as Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
. A 1789 document refers to Gornia Liupcova ("Upper Liubcova", today's Gornea) and Dolnia Liupcova ("Lower Liubcova", present-day Liubcova).
Following the Turkish attacks of 1738, part of the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739, when Moldova Veche was completely destroyed, Liubcova suffered the same fate. In 1788, during the Austro-Turkish War of 1787-1791, after the Turks crossed the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, they stationed three companies of soldiers on the territory of both villages. Archaeological excavations in the area have unearthed a Roman fortress of 60 m≤sup>2. One can see Liborajdea and Drencova from the fortress, and the Austrian and Turkish border posts were built on almost the same locations as their Roman predecessors.
Liubcova's Romanian inhabitants are descended from people who lived in a former village on Veliki Breg (Serbian for "Great Hill"), which lies above today's village, 2 km to the east. During the Middle Ages, these individuals maintained the citadels at Dranco (today's Drencova) and Cozla, taking refuge together with the villagers of Sicheviţa
Sichevita
Sicheviţa is a commune in Caraş-Severin County, western Romania with a population of 2732 people. It is composed of nineteen villages: Brestelnic, Cameniţa, Cârşie, Cracu Almăj, Cruşoviţa, Curmătura, Frăsiniş, Gornea, Liborajdea, Lucacevăţ, Martinovăţ, Ogaşu Podului, Sicheviţa, Streneac, Valea...
and Gornea during raids. Today, the Romanians of all three villages, in spite of those from Liubcova having lived alongside Serbs for over two centuries, have the same rituals surrounding death, birth and marriage. At the 2002 census, the village had 1258 inhabitants. Romanians formed the majority; 26% were Serbs, 8.6% were Roma and 4.4% Czechs.