Gherla (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈɡerla]; Hungarian: Szamosújvár; German: Neuschloss) is a municipality in Cluj County, Romania (in the historical region of Transylvania). It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Cluj-Napoca on the river Someșul Mic, and has a population of 19,873 as of 2021. Three villages are administered by the city: Băița (formerly Chirău, and Kérő in Hungarian), Hășdate (Szamoshesdát) and Silivaș (Vizszilvás).
The city was formerly known as Armenopolis[3] (Armenian: ՀայաքաղաքHayakaghak; German: Armenierstadt; Hungarian: Örményváros) because it was populated by Armenians.[4]
The locality was first recorded in 1291 as a village named Gherlahida, (probably derived from the Slavic word grle, meaning "ford"). The second name was Armenian (Հայաքաղաք, Hayakaghak) meaning "Armenian city"; it took the Medieval Latin and Greek official name Armenopolis, as well as the German alternative name Armenierstadt. Later, the name Szamosújvár was used in official Hungarian records, meaning "the new town on the Someș".
A Habsburg fortress was built here and converted to a prison in 1785. During the Communist regime, the prison was used for political detainees. Today it is a Romanian high-security prison.
During the Years of Revolution of 1848 and 1849, Gherla was the stage for numerous battles between the warring parties, changing hands several times. The Austrian commander Karl von Urban and his Romanian Regiment liberated the city three times from Hungarian revolutionary forces, winning the Battle of Szamosújvár on 13 November 1848, a landmark of the stormy period. Starting in 1867, Gherla was no more part of the Principality of Transilvania and was annexed until 1918, to the Kingdom of Hungarycomitatus of Szolnok-Doboka.
In the wake of the Second Vienna Award of August 30, 1940, the territory of Northern Transylvania (of which the city of Gherla was part) reverted to the Kingdom of Hungary. In early September, the Hungarian administration was installed, and proceeded to take discriminatory measures against Romanians and Jews, forcing many Romanians to take refuge in Romania. Gherla had a significant Jewish population which was decimated during the Holocaust, due to Horthyst regime and the policies of Ferenc Szálasi after September 1, 1944. Towards the end of World War II, however, the town was taken back from Hungarian and German troops by Romanian and Soviet forces in October 1944. After 1950, the city became the headquarters of Gherla raion within the Cluj Region. Following the administrative reform of 1968, Gherla became part of Cluj County.
After the war, most of the remaining Jewish population left the city. The Gherla Synagogue and the Holocaust Memorial Monument are visited by tourists from many countries.[citation needed] The town is also often visited by Orthodox pilgrims on their way to the nearby village of Nicula and Nicula Monastery.
Demographics
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1910
6,857
—
1930
6,608
−3.6%
1948
6,663
+0.8%
1956
7,617
+14.3%
1966
12,766
+67.6%
1977
17,599
+37.9%
1992
26,277
+49.3%
2002
24,232
−7.8%
2011
20,982
−13.4%
2021
19,873
−5.3%
Source: Census data
According to the 2021 Romanian census, Gherla has a population of 19,873, a decrease of 5.3% from the previous census.[9] At the 2011 census, there were 20,982 people living within the city; of those, 15,952 (76.0%) were Romanians, 3,435 (16.4%) Hungarians, 735 (3.5%) Roma, and 61 (0.3%) others, including 16 Germans (more specifically Transylvanian Saxons).[10]
Natives
Tamás Aján (born 1939), President of the International Weightlifting Federation and member of the International Olympic Committee
^Steve Kokker, Cathryn Kemp (2004). Romania & Moldova. Footscray, Victoria: Lonely Planet. p. 159. ISBN9781741041491. Gherla Once a predominantly Armenian settlement called Armenopolis in the 17th century...
Schmitt, Rüdiger (2000). The Old Persian Inscriptions of Naqsh-i Rustam and Persepolis. Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum by School of Oriental and African Studies. ISBN978-0728603141.
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