Biled (Hungarian: Billéd; German: Billed) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Biled. It also included two other villages until 2004, when they were split off to form the commune of Șandra.

Biled
Roman Catholic church in Biled
Roman Catholic church in Biled
Coat of arms of Biled
Location in Timiș County
Location in Timiș County
Biled is located in Romania
Biled
Biled
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°53′N 20°58′E / 45.883°N 20.967°E / 45.883; 20.967
CountryRomania
CountyTimiș
Government
 • Mayor (2024–2028) Ovidiu Oprișa[1] (PNL)
Area
55.11 km2 (21.28 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[3]
3,031
 • Density55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
307060
Vehicle reg.TM
Websiteprimaria-biled.ro

Administration

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The current local council has the following political composition, based on the results of the votes cast at the 2024 Romanian local elections.

    Party Seats Current Council
  National Liberal Party (PNL) 5            
  Social Democratic Party (PSD) 4          
  Social Liberal Humanist Party (PUSL) 1          
  United Right Alliance (ADU) 1          
  Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) 1          
  Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR) 1            


Geography

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Biled is located in the Banat Plain, in the western part of Timiș County, 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Timișoara on DN6.

Climate

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Like most of Timiș County, the climate is continental. The climate gets Mediterranean influences from the south. It has a temperate character (the annual mean temperature being 10.5 °C or 50.9 °F), with hot summers, not-too-cold winters, quite early springs and sometimes very long autumns.[4] The average annual rainfall is 520 mm (20 in), with variations from 350 to 730 mm (14 to 29 in).[4] Most precipitation falls during spring–summer in May–August, with torrential rains accompanied by hail. The dominant wind is the austru, a dry wind from the south, which blows almost all year round.[4]

Flora and fauna

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The dominant vegetation is grassy. Trees are mainly represented by black locusts, mulberries and poplars, and shrubs by blackthorn and hawthorn. The most common weeds, many of them harmful to agricultural crops, are thistles, blackberries, cornflowers, poppies, oraches, and lately sorghum has spread.[4]

Regarding the fauna, this area is suitable for hares, sousliks, hamsters, steppe polecats, and among the bird species can be mentioned the quail, the partridge, the skylark, the pheasant and the starling.[4]

History

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The Calvary Monument (German: Kalvarienberg), erected in 1837, is a landmark of Biled and a replica of Jesus' path to Golgotha.

Biled was first documented in 1462 (Bylyed) as belonging to nobleman Nicolae of Beregsău,[5] but it is probably older. A treasure consisting of about 2,000 coins of bronze, silver and gold issued from Trajan to Constantine the Great was discovered in 1847. The treasure is preserved in the Numismatic Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Also here were found the vestiges of several Daco-Roman settlements dating from the 3rd–4th centuries.

In 1562 Biled became royal property, being donated by King Ferdinand I to chatelaine László Kerecsényi.[6] Biled received the status of urban settlement in 1609, allowing it to host monthly and annual fairs.[6] It became deserted during the Ottoman occupation.[6] Towards the end of the 17th century, a Serbian population under the guidance of Patriarch Arsenie Csernovici settled in Biled. The German colonization took place in a first stage in 1765 and in a second stage between 1768 and 1775. By 1786 Biled had the status of urban settlement.[4] The church was built in the same year.[4]

Demographics

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Ethnic composition (2011)[7]

  Romanians (83.12%)
  Roma (4.1%)
  Hungarians (3.7%)
  Germans (2.58%)
  Unknown (6.16%)
  Others (0.34%)

Religious composition (2011)[8]

  Orthodox (77.66%)
  Roman Catholics (10.26%)
  Pentecostals (3.43%)
  Unknown (6.41%)
  Others (2.24%)

Biled had a population of 3,294 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 6% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians (83.12%), larger minorities being represented by Roma (4.1%), Hungarians (3.7%) and Germans (2.58%). For 6.16% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.[7] By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (77.66%), but there are also minorities of Roman Catholics (10.26%) and Pentecostals (3.43%). For 6.41% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.[8]

Census[9] Ethnic composition
Year Population Romanians Hungarians Germans Roma
1880 4,767 63 65 4,627
1890 4,978 44 80 4,816
1900 4,566 49 159 4,323
1910 3,951 105 159 3,608 72
1920 3,861 73 81 3,646
1930 3,791 97 103 3,431 127
1941 3,983 586 220 3,008
1956 4,254
1966 4,684 2,117 186 2,243 103
1977 4,512 2,302 151 1,918 118
1992 3,458 2,831 218 251 139
2002 3,515 3,025 164 124 181
2011 3,294 2,738 122 85 135

References

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  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Primăria Biled". Ghidul Primăriilor.
  3. ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Strategia de dezvoltare economico-socială" (PDF). Primăria comunei Biled. 2014.
  5. ^ Szabó, M. Attila (2003). Erdély, Bánság és Partium történeti és közigazgatási helységnévtára. Miercurea Ciuc: Pro-Print Kiadó.
  6. ^ a b c "Fișa Primăriei comunei Biled". Consiliul Județean Timiș.
  7. ^ a b "Tab8. Populația stabilă după etnie – județe, municipii, orașe, comune". Institutul Național de Statistică. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  8. ^ a b "Tab13. Populația stabilă după religie – județe, municipii, orașe, comune". Institutul Național de Statistică. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  9. ^ Varga, E. Árpád. "Temes megye településeinek etnikai (anyanyelvi/nemzetiségi) adatai 1880-2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2021-09-10.