Pădureni | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Orthodox church in Pădureni | |
 Location in Timiș County | |
  Pădureni Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:45°36′N21°13′E / 45.600°N 21.217°E /45.600; 21.217 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Timiș |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2008–) | Dorin Ignuța (PNL) |
Area | 53.3 km2 (20.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[2] | 2,052 |
| • Density | 38.5/km2 (99.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 307236 |
| Area code | +(40) 256 |
| Vehicle reg. | TM |
| Website | primaria-padureni |
Pădureni (until 1965Lighed;[3]Hungarian:Temesliget;German:Legendl;Serbian:Лигед,romanized: Liged;[4]Turkish:Erdevik) is acommune inTimiș County,Romania. It is composed of a single village, Pădureni. It was part ofJebel commune before being split off in 2004.
Pădureni is located about 18 km (11 mi) south ofTimișoara, at the angle formed by the "dead"Timiș and the "flowing" Timiș.[5] It bordersȘag to the north,Liebling to the east,Jebel to the south, andParța to the northwest.
The first recorded mention of Pădureni dates from 1332, under the name ofLegvid.[6] At the same time, there is a village calledMira (1310), now disappeared, which legend has it was destroyed in a Turkish raid.[7] In an Ottomandefter, around 1590, the name ofLigit is also mentioned. After this moment no other data are known until 1761, when it appears again mentioned with the nameLighed orTemeslighed and a number of 312 houses.[7]
University professor Remus Crețan claims that today's locality was formed towards the end of the Turkish era, "on account of the Romanian and Turkish elements fromTimiș meadow".[8] According to historianNicolae Ilieșiu [ro], after the conquest ofBanat by the Austrians, the locality was systematized byCount Mercy, from where until then the village was a "clog" onTrajan's Wall in the area calledIarc.[8] It has been mostly Romanian ever since; the Romanian majority was preserved even during the periods of intense colonization of Banat.
Pădureni had a population of 2,052 inhabitants at the 2021 census, up 5.89% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants areRomanians (87.03%), with a minority ofRoma (3.89%). For 7.84% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.[9] By religion, most inhabitants areOrthodox (83.47%), but there are also minorities ofPentecostals (3.75%) andRoman Catholics (1.55%). For 8.23% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.[10]
| Census[11] | Ethnic composition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | Romanians | Hungarians | Germans | Roma |
| 1880 | 1,568 | 1,441 | 20 | 49 | – |
| 1890 | 1,668 | 1,538 | 32 | 66 | – |
| 1900 | 1,873 | 1,696 | 70 | 86 | – |
| 1910 | 1,822 | 1,611 | 62 | 66 | 73 |
| 1920 | 1,782 | 1,641 | 60 | 70 | – |
| 1930 | 1,698 | 1,574 | 29 | 13 | 70 |
| 1941 | 1,976 | 1,773 | 50 | 28 | – |
| 1956 | 1,641[a] | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | 2,235 | 2,070 | 46 | 16 | 96 |
| 1977 | 2,185 | 2,086 | 23 | 5 | 67 |
| 1992 | 1,566 | 1,479 | 15 | 8 | 60 |
| 2002 | 1,623 | 1,439 | 11 | 4 | 164 |
| 2011 | 1,938 | 1,804 | 17 | – | 22 |
| 2021 | 2,052 | 1,786 | 14 | 3 | 80 |
The commune of Pădureni is administered by a mayor and a local council composed of 11 councilors. The mayor, Dorin Ignuța, from theNational Liberal Party, has been in office since 2008. As from the2024 local elections, the local council has the following composition by political parties:[12]
| Party | Seats | Composition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal Party | 7 | ||||||||
| Social Democratic Party | 4 | ||||||||
