Măerişte is a commune located in Sălaj County

Salaj County

Sălaj is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Crișana and Transylvania, with the capital city at Zalău.-Geography:Sălaj county has a total area of ....

, 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...

.

Geography

The commune, with an area of 74.97 km² (7500 ha), is in the north-west part of the county, in the hydrographic basin of the Crasna River. It is composed of six villages: Criştelec, Doh, Giurtelecu Şimleului, Măerişte (located at 43 km from Zalău

Zalau

Zalău is the seat of Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. In 2004, its estimated population was 62,900.- Ancient times :Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", 8 kilometers away from the historical landmark of Porolissum, a well-preserved Roman Castrum with an imposing fortress,...

), Mălădia and Uileacu Şimleului.

Tourism

Among the commune's tourist sites are the Reformed church (a former Benedictine monastery), an architectural monument dated from 1260-1300, as well as other churches.

It is 21 km from the projected Transylvania Highway.

Population

According to the census in 2002, the commune population is 3,762, of which 87.78% are Romanians, 11.24% Hungarians, 0.79% Roms, 0.11% Slovakians and 0.08% other nationalities.

Economy

The economy of the commune is mainly agricultural, based on cereal, potato and vegetable growing. In the last few years livestock-breeding has developed.

History

Maeriste was first mentioned in 1351 under the name Hydveg. The other settlements were mentioned a little earlier (Cristelec - 1257, Doh - 1338, Giurtelecu Simleului - 1259, Maladia - 1259 and Uileacu Simleului - 1240).