Şopotu Nou
Encyclopedia
Şopotu Nou is a commune in Caraş-Severin County
, western Romania
with a population of 1456 people. It is composed of ten villages: Cârşa Roşie, Driştie, Poienile Boinei, Ravensca , Răchita, Stăncilova, Şopotu Nou, Urcu, Valea Răchitei and Valea Roşie.
-inhabited villages in Romania's Banat
. It is located on a hill at an altitude of ca. 750 m above sea level and about 7 km southeast of Şopotu Nou village. Of the six Czech villages in the Banat, Ravensca is located at the highest altitude and the best preserved Czech language is spoken there. Thanks to its considerable isolation, the language is not overly influenced by Romanian and Serbian. Ravensca is linked with the closest Czech villages of Gârnic
(15 km away) and Bigăr
(30 km away) by being decorated with the red mark designated by the Czech Tourists' Club. Local inhabitants make their living mainly in agriculture, electricity having been introduced as late as 1994.
Ravensca has the most scenic location of the Banat's Czech villages, making it a favourite destination of romantic travelers. However, life on the mountain range is very hard, particularly in winter, when the village is almost completely cut off from the rest of the world. This is perhaps the reason for the rapid decrease in residents.
The village was founded in 1827. In 1922, a Roman Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was built, being consecrated to St. Martin. In 1925 the village had 586 inhabitants; by 1991 the population had fallen to 235 (230 of whom were Czechs), dropping to slightly over 120 in 2002.
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....
, 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 1456 people. It is composed of ten villages: Cârşa Roşie, Driştie, Poienile Boinei, Ravensca , Răchita, Stăncilova, Şopotu Nou, Urcu, Valea Răchitei and Valea Roşie.
Ravensca
Ravensca is one of six 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 villages in Romania's 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...
. It is located on a hill at an altitude of ca. 750 m above sea level and about 7 km southeast of Şopotu Nou village. Of the six Czech villages in the Banat, Ravensca is located at the highest altitude and the best preserved Czech language is spoken there. Thanks to its considerable isolation, the language is not overly influenced by Romanian and Serbian. Ravensca is linked with the closest Czech villages of Gârnic
Gârnic
Gârnic is a commune in Caraş-Severin County, western Romania with a population of 1,533 people. It is composed of two villages, Gârnic and Padina Matei.-References:...
(15 km away) and Bigăr
Berzasca
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 , Cozla, Drencova and Liubcova. At the 2002 census, 70.5% of the commune's inhabitants were Romanians, 14.2% Czechs, 10.8% Serbs...
(30 km away) by being decorated with the red mark designated by the Czech Tourists' Club. Local inhabitants make their living mainly in agriculture, electricity having been introduced as late as 1994.
Ravensca has the most scenic location of the Banat's Czech villages, making it a favourite destination of romantic travelers. However, life on the mountain range is very hard, particularly in winter, when the village is almost completely cut off from the rest of the world. This is perhaps the reason for the rapid decrease in residents.
The village was founded in 1827. In 1922, a Roman Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was built, being consecrated to St. Martin. In 1925 the village had 586 inhabitants; by 1991 the population had fallen to 235 (230 of whom were Czechs), dropping to slightly over 120 in 2002.