Poienile de sub Munte ( or Havasmező; ; ; ) is a commune in Maramureș County, Maramureș, Romania. It is one of the oldest places in Maramureș, being mentioned for the first time in 1353. It is the biggest commune in the county and is composed of a single village, Poienile de sub Munte.

Geography

The commune is located in the northeastern part of Maramureș County, on the border with Ukraine, 60 km east of the city of Sighetu Marmației and 105 km northeast of the county seat, Baia Mare. It is situated at an altitude of 530 m, nestled within the Maramureș Mountains, with an altitude of 1957 m being reached at Farcău Peak. The Maramureș Mountains Natural Park is partly located on the territory of the commune. The river Ruscova and its tributaries, the rivers Socolău and Cvașnița, flow through Poienile de sub Munte. Obcina (Maramureș) is a Ruthenian hilltop settlement perched at about 1000 m on a mountain pass without an access road, where farmers live without machines, electricity, or vehicles.

Etymology

Etymology of the name of the locality: from Poiana (< subst. poiana "light in the forest", of Slavic origin) + de + sub + Munte (< appellative mountain < lat. mons, -tis). Literally, The Meadows under the Mountain.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, the commune had a population of 9,291, of which 90.83% were Ukrainians and 1.54% ethnic Romanians.

Natives