Sărmașu

Sărmașu
Sărmașu
Town
	Wooden church in Sărmașu
	Coat of arms
	Location in Mureș County
	Sărmașu Location in Romania
	Coordinates: 46°45′13″N 24°10′0″E / 46.75361°N 24.16667°E
Country	Romania
County	Mureș
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Valer Botezan (Ind.)
Area	61.75 km2 (23.84 sq mi)
Elevation	347 m (1,138 ft)
Highest elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population (2021-12-01)	6,186
• Density	100/km2 (260/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	547515
Area code	(+40) 02 65
Vehicle reg.	MS
Website	orasulsarmasu.ro

Sărmașu (Hungarian: Nagysármás; Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈnɒɟʃaːrmaːʃ]) is a town in Mureș County, central Transylvania, Romania. It administers seven villages: Balda (Báld), Larga (Lárga), Moruț (Marocháza), Sărmășel (Kissármás), Sărmășel-Gară (Bánffytanya), Titiana (Titiána), and Vișinelu (Csehtelke).

Geography

The town lies in the Transylvanian Plain, at an altitude of 347 m (1,138 ft), on the banks of the rivers Pârâul de Câmpie and Frata. It is located in the western part of Mureș County, 47 km (29 mi) northwest of the county seat, Târgu Mureș, on the border with Cluj and Bistrița-Năsăud counties.

Sărmașu is bordered to the north by Budești, Bistrița-Năsăud; to the east by Sânpetru de Câmpie and to the southeast by Miheșu de Câmpie (both in Mureș County); to the west by Cămărașu and to the northwest by Mociu (both in Cluj County).

Sărmășel-Gară village is crossed by national road DN16 [ro], which connects it to Cluj-Napoca, 53 km (33 mi) to the west, and to Reghin, 48 km (30 mi) to the east. The town has two train stations (Sărmășag [ro] and Sărmășel), both serving the CFR Line 405, which starts in Deda, Mureș and ends in Ocna Mureș, Alba County.

History

The town is the site of the Sărmașu massacre, which occurred between 5 September and 10 October 1944, when Sărmașu came under the occupation of the Nazi-aligned Hungarian troops. During this period, Hungarian gendarmes and members of the Hungarian National Guard killed 126 local Jews (out of 142 who were living in the city at the time),^[3] as well as 39 Romanians, the latter primarily prisoners of war captured during the Battle of Turda.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
2002	7,493	—
2011	6,833	−8.8%
2021	6,186	−9.5%
Source: Census data

At the 2021 census, Sărmașu had a population of 6,186, of which 63.32% were Romanians, 17.73% Hungarians, and 12.38% Roma.^[4] According to the 2011 census, the town had 6,833 inhabitants, divided among the following ethnic groups:^[5] Romanians (67.24%), Hungarians (22.36%), and Roma (10.2%).

The Sărmașel gas field

On the present-day territory of Romania, the first natural gas deposit was discovered in 1909, in Sărmășel (then in Austria-Hungary). The Sărmașel gas field was developed by Romgaz. The first gas production was used to power the steam boilers in Sărmășel and the gas lighting of the alleys in Bazna resort. In 1914 the first gas pipe was finished, spanning from Sărmășel to Turda and on to Ocna Mureș, with a length of 55 kilometres (34 miles) and 153 millimetres (6 in) diameter;^[6]^: 37 in 1916, Turda became the first city in Europe to have public street lights fueled by natural gas.^[7] In 1927 the first natural gas compression station in Europe was built in Sărmășel.^[6]^[7]