Sântimbru is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 3,032 as of 2021, and is composed of five villages: Coșlariu (Koslárd), Dumitra (Demeterpataka), Galtiu (Gáldtő), Sântimbru, and Totoi (Táté).

Geography

The commune is located in central Alba County, 9 km north of the county seat, Alba Iulia. It is situated on the Transylvanian Plateau, at an altitude of 216 m. It lies on the banks of the river Mureș; the river Galda flows into the Mureș in Sântimbru. The national road DN1 and the European route E81 pass through the western side of the commune. The Podu Mureș train station in Coșlariu serves the CFR main line 300, which connects Bucharest with the Hungarian border near Oradea.

History

Following the Mongol invasion of Europe, Transylvanian Saxons settled in Sântimbru in the 13th century. Driven out by the Ottomans in the 16th century, they were replaced by Hungarians, who practised woodcutting. Ethnic Romanians have been in the majority since the 19th century, and today, the inhabitants mainly build bricks and raise poultry. The village of Totoi has developed a speech form known as Totoiana which consists in the inversion of Romanian words so that other speakers of normal Romanian cannot understand it. It is unique to the village, and it is not spoken in other parts of Sântimbru.

Points of interest

The commune has a Hungarian Reformed church founded by John Hunyadi in 1449.

Natives