Beba Veche Óbéba | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Timiș County | |
  Beba Veche Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:46°8′N20°19′E / 46.133°N 20.317°E /46.133; 20.317 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Timiș |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2004–) | Ioan Bohancanu (PSD) |
Area | 94.04 km2 (36.31 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[1] | 1,328 |
| • Density | 14.12/km2 (36.57/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 307035–307037 |
| Vehicle reg. | TM |
| Website | www |
Beba Veche (Hungarian:Óbéba;German:Altbeba;Serbian:Стара Беба,romanized: Stara Beba) is acommune inTimiș County. It is composed of three villages: Beba Veche (commune seat), Cherestur and Pordeanu. Beba Veche is the westernmost settlement in Romania.
Located in the eastern part of thePannonian Plain on the border withHungary andSerbia, the village is crossed by the20°15′44″ meridian east in the westernmost point of Romania, calledTriplex Confinium, where the borders of the three countries meet.[3] Geographically, it is located in theTorontal Plain, at an average altitude of 80 m (260 ft).[4] The nearest settlement isKübekháza inHungary, about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away, to which Beba Veche was connected in the past by a direct road. The nearest town isSânnicolau Mare, 34 km (21 mi) away. The distance by road toTimișoara is 100 km (62 mi);Szeged 88 km (55 mi);Bucharest 641 km (398 mi);Budapest 260 km (160 mi);Belgrade 239 km (149 mi) andVienna 492 km (306 mi). The only access road to Beba Veche is the county road DJ682 Sânnicolau Mare–Beba Veche. The closest railway station isDudeștii Vechi, some 26 km (16 mi) away.
Beba Veche is dominated by a moderatecontinental climate with Mediterranean influences from theAdriatic Sea andMediterranean Sea due to the fact that it is protected by theCarpathians that prevent cold air from northeast and allow hot air from southwest and west.[4] This makes winters milder, with a positive mean temperature (0.3 °C or 32.5 °F). The mean annual temperature is 10.8 °C (51.4 °F).[4] The mean multiannual amount of precipitation is 536.5 mm (21.12 in), with the most abundant precipitation in May and June (23–25% of the mean annual amount); rainfall oscillations are rather high from one year to another (with a limit of 250 mm (9.8 in)); crops are stressed by excess moisture particularly during the first part of vegetation, while during the latter vegetation period (after August) humidity is insufficient.[4]
Beba Veche is one of the oldest settlements inBanat. Archaeological discoveries have led Swabian historiographerFelix Milleker to conclude that it dates back to theStone Age.[5] Judging by thetumuli discovered here, it can be said that it dates at least from the time of theAgathyrsi (6th century BC).[6] HistorianNicolae Ilieșiu [ro] claims that until the 5th century, it was calledVitoliu, after the name of the Roman emperorVitellius.[6]
The first document attesting Beba Veche dates from 1247, during the reign ofBéla IV of Hungary. It was mentioned asBéb in a chronicle preserved at the Museum of History inCluj-Napoca.[7] The settlement was originally owned by the Csanád clan; the name comes from one of the family members.[8] At the end of the 13th century, due to repeated attacks of theCumans, the village was depopulated.[8] According to the Turkish census of 1557–1558, only 15 houses inhabited by Hungarians were registered in the settlement.[8] In 1647,Rascian shepherds began to settle here, but they did not stay here for a long time either.[8] After theTreaty of Passarowitz and the establishment of Austrian rule in Banat, it seems that Beba Veche was no longer inhabited, because onMercy's map from 1723 to 1725, Beba is no longer mentioned.[5]
In 1773, theCsanád ministry settled two villages on the site of the old locality:Kisbéba, where it invited Hungarian tobacco growers fromSzeged area andÓbéba, which it handed over to Romanian-speaking settlers. In 1779, both settlements were annexed toTorontál County. By 1779, around 300 families ofSwabians settled in Beba, as a result of the so-called "Theresian colonization" of Banat.[9] Hungarian families re-settled inÓbéba only in 1782, thanks to CountIgnác Batthyány, Bishop of Transylvania.[8] His estate at Beba also includedOroszlámos (beyond today's border),Valcani, Cherestur andCociohat. In 1838, German colonists settled intoValcani, forming the village ofBattyánháza, a name given in honor of the count-bishop. In time, the village merged with Beba Veche.[8]
After the establishment of theAustro-Hungarian dualism in 1867, the administration of the commune was ensured by the servants of the Court. Among other things, the loss of the cultural identity of the Romanians in the commune was sought, by imposing the Hungarianization of the name and surname.[9] This lasted until afterWorld War I. Towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, many inhabitants emigrated to America, and some of them returned with important capitals, helping economic development.
After World War I, according to theTreaty of Trianon of 1920, theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was given Beba Veche, but in 1924, it was transferred to Romania, following a protocol concluded between Romania and Yugoslavia on 24 November 1923 for the rectification of the border.[10]
Beba Veche had a population of 1,328 inhabitants at the 2021 census, down 13.71% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants areRomanians (71.68%), with a minority ofHungarians (22.74%). For 4.89% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.[11] By religion, most inhabitants areOrthodox (60.54%), but there are also minorities ofRoman Catholics (30.94%),Pentecostals (1.58%) andReformed (1.05%). For 5.27% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.[12]
| Census[13] | Ethnic composition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | Romanians | Hungarians | Germans | Roma |
| 1880 | 4,576 | 1,838 | 2,212 | 507 | – |
| 1890 | 4,930 | 2,018 | 2,366 | 491 | – |
| 1900 | 5,065 | 2,126 | 2,461 | 437 | – |
| 1910 | 4,182 | 1,854 | 1,819 | 417 | – |
| 1920 | 1,039[a] | 66 | 918 | 34 | – |
| 1930 | 4,009 | 1,649 | 1,864 | 359 | 49 |
| 1941 | 3,655 | 1,452 | 1,721 | 351 | – |
| 1956 | 2,766 | 1,156 | 1,370 | 175 | 22 |
| 1966 | 2,427 | 1,092 | 1,161 | 134 | 1 |
| 1977 | 2,142 | 988 | 985 | 90 | 41 |
| 1992 | 1,625 | 898 | 640 | 19 | 47 |
| 2002[14] | 1,600 | 979 | 567 | 19 | 30 |
| 2011 | 1,539 | 951 | 498 | 20 | 18 |
| 2021 | 1,328 | 952 | 302 | 9 | – |
The commune of Beba Veche is administered by a mayor and a local council composed of 8 councilors. The mayor, Ioan Bohancanu, from theSocial Democratic Party, has been in office since 2004. As from the2024 local elections, the local council has the following composition by political parties:[15]
| Party | Seats | Composition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party–National Liberal Party | 6 | |||||||
| Alliance for the Union of Romanians | 2 | |||||||
The main sector of the economy isagriculture, which employs over 60% of the commune's inhabitants. The commune has a total area of 8,818 hectares of agricultural land.[16] The main crops cultivated in the commune arewheat,rye,corn, andsunflower cultivated on 90% of the arable area, while only 10% is cultivated with vegetables andpotato.[4] As for livestock, the main species arecattle,swine, andpoultry due to the grain crops andsheep due to the pastures representing 11% of the agricultural land.[4]
In 2007, in the commune of Beba Veche, there were 14 firms with a turnover of 2,401,875lei, indicating a low degree of economic development.[16]
