Târgu Lăpuș is a town in Maramureș County, northern Transylvania, Romania. It administers thirteen villages: Boiereni (Boérfalva), Borcut (Borkút), Cufoaia (Kohópatak), Dămăcușeni (Domokos), Dobricu Lăpușului (Láposdebrek), Dumbrava (Kisdebrecen), Fântânele (until 1960 Poiana Porcului; Lápospataka), Groape (Groppa), Inău (Ünőmező), Răzoare (Macskamező), Rogoz (Rogoz), Rohia (Rohi), and Stoiceni (Sztojkafalva).

Geography

The town is situated at the northwestern edge of the Transylvanian Plateau, at the foot of the Lăpuș Mountains. It lies on the banks of the river Lăpuș and of its tributary, the river Suciu, which flows into the Lăpuș in Dămăcușeni village. The 36 km-long Lăpuș Gorge is a protected area on the western side of the town, between the villages of Răzoare and Remecioara. Lighet Lake is a reservoir in the southeastern part of the town; with a surface area of 4 ha, it is stocked with common, crucian, and grass carp, Alburnus, rudd, and perch. Târgu Lăpuș is located in the southern part of Maramureș County, on the border with Cluj and Sălaj counties. It is the center of the Țara Lăpușului ethnographic region. The town is crossed by national road DN18B, which runs from the county seat, Baia Mare, 43 km to the northwest, to Cășeiu commune (near Dej), 40 km to the south.

Sights

The Church of the Holy Archangels in Rogoz village is one of eight Wooden Churches of Maramureș listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Among the town's historic buildings are also the Roman Catholic church (1752), the Calvinist church (1839), the Orthodox church (1906–1912), the old school (1858), and the old town hall, now a dispensary (19th century). Rohia Monastery is also located within the town limits. The Union Monument is an obelisk located behind the Reformed Church. The monument commemorates the 21 inhabitants of Târgu Lăpuș who were massacred by Hungarian troops in December 1918 while celebrating the Union of Transylvania with Romania.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, Târgu Lăpuș had a population of 11,163; of these, 77.8% were Romanians, 9.5% Hungarians, and 1% Roma. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 11,744, of which 86.5% were Romanians, 12.4% Hungarians, and 1% Roma; 74.5% belonged to the Romanian Orthodox Church, 10.1% to the Reformed Church, 7.3% were Pentecostal, 4% Greek-Catholic, and 2.7% Roman Catholic.

Natives

Economy

Răzoare is an old mining village, with iron ore and manganese (as well as muscovite, bentonite, and kaolinite) being exploited here since 1770. Other minerals found in the area are magnetite, garnet, dannemorite, beryl, tourmaline, leucophoenicite, ribbeite, sodalite, and alleghanyite. The Răzoare mine opened in 1988; its closure in 2006 was a heavy blow to the local economy and led to a drop in the town's population.

Education

The town has two high schools: the Petru Rareș Theoretical High School and the Grigore C. Moisil Technological College.