Săpânța

Commune in Maramureș County, Romania

Commune in Maramureș, Romania

(2020–2024) Ion Braicu (PSD)Area

139.17 km² (53.73 sq mi)Elevation

262 m (860 ft)Population

(2021-12-01)^[1]

3,031 • Density22/km² (56/sq mi)Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)Postal code

437305

Area code(+40) 02 62Vehicle reg.MMWebsiteprimariacomuneisapanta.ro

Săpânța (Romanian pronunciation: [səˈpɨnt͡sa]; Hungarian: Szaplonca or Szaploncza; Slovak: Sapunka; Yiddish: ספינקא, romanized: Shpinka or Spinka) is a commune in Maramureș County, Maramureș, Romania, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) northwest of Sighetu Marmației and just south of the river Tisza. It is composed of a single village, Săpânța.

Săpânța is located in the northwestern part of Maramureș County, 53 km (33 mi) due north of the county seat, Baia Mare. To the west it borders Țara Oașului, in Satu Mare County, and to the north, across the river Tisza, is Ukraine. The river Săpânța flows into the Tisza here. The locality is crossed by national road DN19 [ro], which starts in Oradea, goes through Satu Mare, and ends in Sighetu Marmației.

The commune is known for its "Merry Cemetery",^[2]^[3] one of the Seven Wonders of Romania. The Săpânța-Peri Monastery [ro] church is the world's tallest wooden church building, at 78 metres (256 feet).^[4]^[5]^[6]

In 1920 there were 1,023 Jews in Săpânța, which was the original home of the Spinka dynasty of Hasidic Rebbes.^[7]

Natives

Stan Ioan Pătraș (1908–1977), wood sculptor, the creator of the tombstones in the Merry Cemetery

References

^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
^ Popp, Christine (September 29, 2002). "One of a kind: Transylvania; The Merry Cemetery". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ Green, Peter S. (May 29, 2002). "Sapanta Journal; You'll Die Laughing, if You're Not Already Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ "World's tallest wooden church: Săpânța-Peri Monastery". www.worldrecordacademy.org. June 14, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ Ciortescu, Ramona (October 13, 2015). "Săpânța-Peri, The Highest Wooden Church In The World". www.romaniajournal.ro. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ Sabău, Angela (September 27, 2015). "Cea mai înaltă biserică de lemn din lume este în România, în Maramureș". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ "Ce este antisemitismul? Istoria uitată a evreilor din Maramureș". curaj.tv (in Romanian). May 29, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2024.