Bistra, Alba

Bistra
Commune
View of Bistra
Coat of arms
Location in Alba County
Bistra Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°23′N 23°6′E
Country	Romania
County	Alba
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Traian Gligor (PNL)
Area	118.38 km^2 (45.71 sq mi)
Elevation	556 m (1,824 ft)
Population  (2021-12-01)[1]	4,340
• Density	37/km^2 (95/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	517115
Area code	+40 x58
Vehicle reg.	AB
Website	bistra.ro

Bistra (German: Bistrau; Hungarian: Bisztra) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 4,340 as of 2021. It is composed of 35 villages: Aronești, Bălești, Bălești-Cătun, Bârlești, Bistra, Cheleteni, Ciuldești, Crețești, Dâmbureni, Dealu Muntelui, Durăști, Gănești, Gârde, Hodișești, Hudricești, Lipaia, Lunca Largă, Lunca Merilor, Mihăiești, Nămaș, Novăcești, Perjești, Poiana, Poiu, Rătitiș, Runcuri, Sălăgești, Ștefanca, Țărănești, Tolăcești, Tomnatec, Trișorești, Vârși-Rontu, Vârșii Mari, and Vârșii Mici.

The commune is situated in the northwest corner of Alba County. It covers a surface of 138 km^2 (53 sq mi) (about 1.8% of the total area of the county), making it the largest commune in Romania by surface area.[2] Bistra is crossed from West to East for a length of 7 km (4.3 mi) by the Arieș River. It is surrounded to the SE by the Trascău Mountains, the SW by the Metaliferi Mountains and to the NE by the Gilău Mountains, with Muntele Mare [ro] as the highest peak, at 1,826 m (5,991 ft).

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1850	3,140	—
1900	3,755	+19.6%
1930	4,501	+19.9%
1966	5,576	+23.9%
1977	5,688	+2.0%
2002	5,066	−10.9%
2011	4,540	−10.4%
2021	4,340	−4.4%
Source: INS, Census data

Natives

• Petru Pavel Aron (1709–1764), Bishop of Făgăraș and Primate of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church

References

1. "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
2. Țimonea, Dorin (November 18, 2019). "Cele mai întinse și cele mai mici orașe din România. Câți oameni trăiesc în localități de sute de kilometri pătrați". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved May 9, 2020.

• 
  Greek Catholic church in Bistra
• 
  Watermill at Bistra
• 
  Bistra City Hall