Editing Blaj

{{for|the village in Olt County|Voineasa, Olt}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type                = municipality
|county              = Alba
|official_name       = Blaj
|image_shield        = ROU AB Blaj CoA.svg
|image_skyline       = {{multiple image
| border             = infobox
| total_width        = 300
| image_style        = infobox
| perrow             = 1/2/2/1/2
| caption_align      = center
| image1             = RO Blaj 2023 (30).jpg
| caption1           = View of Blaj from Viilor Hill
| image2             = Catedrala Sfânta Treime din Blaj 2023 (4).jpg
| caption2           = [[Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Blaj|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]]
| image3             = Blaj - Bust of Mihai Eminescu 2023 (cropped).jpg
| caption3           = Bust of [[Mihai Eminescu]], {{ill|Piața 1848|ro|Adunarea Națională de la Blaj}} Park
| image4             = Blaj city hall (cropped).jpg
| caption4           = Blaj Town Hall building
}}
|image_map          = Blaj jud Alba.svg
|map_caption        = Location in Alba County
|leader_name        = Gheorghe Valentin Rotar<ref>{{cite web |url=https://municipiulblaj.ro/administratie/primarie/primar|title=Primar. Gheorghe Valentin Rotar|language=ro|publisher=Blaj city hall|website=municipiulblaj.ro|access-date=March 7, 2025}}</ref>
|leader_party       = PNL
|term               = 2024&ndash;2028
|coordinates        = {{coord|46|10|31|N|23|54|52|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation          = 260
|elevation_min      = 
|elevation_max      = 
|area_total         = 98.93
|population_as_of   = 
|population_total   = auto
|population_footnotes = 
|postal_code        = 515400
|area_code          = (+40) 02 58
|website            = {{URL|https://www.primariablaj.ro/}}
}}

'''Blaj''' ({{IPA|ro|blaʒ}}; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; {{langx|hu|Balázsfalva}}; {{langx|de|Blasendorf}}; [[Transylvanian Saxon dialect|Transylvanian Saxon]]: ''Blußendref'') is a [[municipiu|city]] in [[Alba County]], [[Transylvania]], [[Romania]]. It has a population of 17,816 inhabitants as of 2021.

The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie (''Obursatanya''), Flitești, Izvoarele (until 1960 ''Ciufud''; ''Csufud''), Mănărade (''Monora''), Petrisat (''Magyarpéterfalva''), Spătac (''Szászpatak''), Tiur (''Tűr''), and Veza (''Véza'').

The city was the principal religious and cultural center of the [[Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic|Romanian Greek-Catholic Church]] in [[Transylvania]].

==History==
Blaj is first mentioned in 1271 as ''Villa Herbordi'', after the deed of a Count Herbod.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yt1M3egMbWMC&q=villa+herbordi&pg=PA244|title=Transylvania|isbn=9781841624198|last1=Mallows|first1=Lucy|last2=Abraham|first2=Rudolf|date=26 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYwAAAAAcAAJ&q=villa+herbordi&pg=RA1-PA50|title=Archiv des Vereins für Siebenbürgische Landeskunde|year=1848}}</ref> In 1313, the domain passed to Herbod's son Blasius Cserei and the town was mentioned as ''Blasii''. Started as a [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] for the twenty families of servants of the noble's court, it was awarded town status on May 19, 1737.

Blaj is the principal religious and cultural center of [[Greek Catholics]] in Transylvania. At 27 October 1687 begins the history of the [[Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic]], history directly connected to the history of the town Blaj. It all started at the end of the treaty through which [[Transylvania]] was entering under the protection of [[Austria]], renouncing the protection of the [[Ottoman Empire|Turkish Empire]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

The first public school in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] was established in Blaj in 1754. Blaj was the first place to have Romanian written with [[Latin alphabet]] instead of [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] in which it had traditionally been written. Blaj was also a center for the Romanian [[Age of Enlightenment]], being the founding site of the [[Transylvanian School]] that promoted the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] cultural heritage of the Romanians. Thus Blaj gained the nickname "The Little Rome",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www1.agerpres.ro/engleza-destinatie-romania/2014/06/18/destination-romania-alba-blaj-or-little-rome-as-eminescu-called-it-10-47-51|title=Blaj or "Little Rome", as Eminescu called it|date=June 18, 2014|website=AGERPRESS - the Romanian National News Agency|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-date=July 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010714/https://www1.agerpres.ro/engleza-destinatie-romania/2014/06/18/destination-romania-alba-blaj-or-little-rome-as-eminescu-called-it-10-47-51|url-status=dead}}</ref> as Romania's national poet [[Mihai Eminescu]] called it.

In 1848, [[Câmpia Libertății]] in Blaj was where over 40,000 Romanians met to protest Transylvania becoming a part of Hungary, holding that the lands would be stolen from them.<ref name=Stoica1>{{cite book|last=Stoica|first=Vasile|title=The Roumanian Question: The Roumanians and their Lands|year=1919|publisher=Pittsburgh Printing Company|location=Pittsburgh|page=23|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7314/view/1/23/}}</ref>

==Geography==
Blaj lies at the confluence of the [[Târnava Mare]] and [[Târnava Mică]] rivers, where they form the [[Târnava|Târnava River]]. It is located {{cvt|39|km}} northeast of the county seat, [[Alba Iulia]], in a renowned wine-growing region.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|source = Census data
|1930 |4618
|1948 |6641
|1956 |8731
|1966 |15775
|1977 |20826
|1992 |22425
|2002 |21819
|2011 |20630
|2021 |17816
}}

At the [[2021 Romanian census|2021 census]], Blaj had a population of 17,816.<ref name="RPL2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tabel-1.03_1.3.1-si-1.03.2.xls|title=Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]]|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}</ref> At the [[2011 Romanian census|2011 census]], the city had a population of 20,630, of which 16,779 (83.78%) were [[Romanians]], 1,305 (6.51%) [[Hungarians in Romania|Hungarians]], 1,850 (9.23%) [[Romani people in Romania|Romani]], and 45 (0.22%) [[Transylvanian Saxons|Germans]].

In terms of religious affiliation, 14,784 (71.19%) were [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romanian Orthodox]], 2,732 (13.24%) [[Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic|Greek-Catholic]], 744 (3.58%) 
[[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], 985 [[Reformed Church in Hungary|Reformed Church]], 408 [[Baptist Union of Romania|Baptist]], and 220 [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]].

==Education==
The city has several high schools, including the [[Inochentie Micu Clain National College]], the {{ill|Ștefan Manciulea Technological High School|ro|Liceul Tehnologic „Ștefan Manciulea” din Blaj}}, and the [[Sfântul Vasile cel Mare Greek-Catholic Theological High School]].

==Attractions==
The castle of the [[Gabriel Bethlen|Bethlen]] dynasty is a popular tourist site near Blaj. Other sights worth visiting include the Metropolitan Palace, the [[Holy Trinity Cathedral, Blaj|Holy Trinity Cathedral]], the "''Buna Vestire''" Monastery, the [[Church of the Holy Archangels, Blaj|Greeks' Church]], the "Liberty Field",  and [[Avram Iancu]]'s oak.

===Twin towns — Sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania}}

Blaj is [[town twinning|twinned]] with:
* {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Allschwil]]
* {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Morlanwelz]]
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Recanati]]

==Natives==
* [[Tiberiu Bărbulețiu]] (born 1963), politician
* [[Silviu Bindea]] (1912–1992), footballer
* [[Matei Boilă]] (1926–2015), politician, Greek-Catholic priest
* [[Bogdan Cistean]] (born 1986), footballer
* [[Sonia Colceru]] (born 1934), volleyball player
* [[Ferenc Csentery]] (1937–2014), abstract metal sculptor
* [[Doina Ivănescu]] (1935–1996), volleyball player
* [[Bogdan Jica]] (born 2000), footballer
* [[Nicolae Linca]] (1929–2008), welterweight boxer
* [[Daniel Lupașcu]] (born 1981), footballer
* [[Ioan Simu]] (1875–1948), Greek-Catholic priest and politician
* [[Ioan Suciu]] (1907–1953), bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church
* [[Daniel Tătar]] (born 1987), footballer
* [[Samuil Vulcan]] (1758–1839), bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church

==Climate==
Blaj has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Cfb'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]]). The city has a continental temperate climate, characteristic for the [[Transylvanian Plateau]], with moderate [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitations]] of around 550&nbsp;mm/m<sup>2</sup>.

{{Weather box
|location = Blaj
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed=y
|Jan high C = 2.3
|Feb high C = 5.1
|Mar high C = 10.3
|Apr high C = 16.2
|May high C = 20.8
|Jun high C = 24.1
|Jul high C = 26.1
|Aug high C = 26.3
|Sep high C = 21.1
|Oct high C = 15.5
|Nov high C = 9.6
|Dec high C = 3.5
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = -1.6
|Feb mean C = 0.6
|Mar mean C = 5
|Apr mean C = 10.8
|May mean C = 15.7
|Jun mean C = 19.3
|Jul mean C = 21.2
|Aug mean C = 21.3
|Sep mean C = 16.2
|Oct mean C = 10.5
|Nov mean C = 5.1
|Dec mean C = -0.1
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = -5
|Feb low C = -3.3
|Mar low C = 0
|Apr low C = 5
|May low C = 10.1
|Jun low C = 14
|Jul low C = 15.9
|Aug low C = 16.1
|Sep low C = 11.5
|Oct low C = 6.1
|Nov low C = 1.6
|Dec low C = -3
|year low C =
|Jan precipitation mm = 29
|Feb precipitation mm = 27
|Mar precipitation mm = 37
|Apr precipitation mm = 56
|May precipitation mm = 75
|Jun precipitation mm = 84
|Jul precipitation mm = 76
|Aug precipitation mm = 56
|Sep precipitation mm = 54
|Oct precipitation mm = 43
|Nov precipitation mm = 33
|Dec precipitation mm = 36
|year precipitation =
|date=May 2021|source=https://en.climate-data.org/europe/romania/alba/blaj-44396/}}

==See also==
* [[Bethlen Castle]]
* [[Câmpia Libertății]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Blaj}}
* [http://www.sunriseofromanians.com/ Blaj - Sunrise of Romanians (A short documentary film about Blaj)]

{{LocalitiesAlba}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Blaj| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Alba County]]
[[Category:Cities in Romania]]
[[Category:Localities in Transylvania]]
[[Category:Capitals of former Romanian counties]]