Dumbrava (; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bucovăț, Dumbrava (commune seat) and Răchita. It is located in the east of Timiș County and borders Făget to the northeast, Fârdea to the southeast, Traian Vuia to the southwest and Mănăștiur to the northwest.
History Dumbrava was established in 1893 by colonizing with Reformed Hungarians from Vésztő, Makó, Köröstarcsa and Gyoma. However, its name is older and comes from a former settlement, on the hearth of which the present-day locality was built. It was called Igazfalva by Hungarians since the Middle Ages. By 1453 there were two small settlements: Alsóigazfalva ("Lower Igazfalva") and Felsőigazfalva ("Upper Igazfalva"); the names seem to have been imposed by the Hungarian nobles, for there were no Hungarians living in the two villages. The two merged by 1464. The Hungarian colony was designed on the forests belonging to the state treasury. The perpendicular streets and houses made of raft typical of the Pannonian Steppe are still preserved today.
The first recorded mention of Bucovăț dates from 1440, when it belonged to the Șoimoș Fortress. By 1514 there were two settlements: Bucovățul de Jos ("Lower Bucovăț") and Bucovățul de Sus ("Upper Bucovăț"), but in 1596 there was only one name for both. It belonged to Krassó-Szörény County, having always been inhabited by Romanians. They built their Orthodox church in 1780.
Răchita was first mentioned in 1393. The village is also mentioned in Marsigli's notes from 1690–1700. At the 1717 census it had 30 houses. In the interwar period it belonged to Plasa Făget, Severin County.
Demographics
Dumbrava had a population of 2,512 inhabitants at the 2021 census, down 5.53% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians (77.1%), with a minority of Hungarians (16.6%). For 5.53% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (63.61%), but there are also minorities of Reformed (13.85%), Pentecostals (8.95%), Baptists (3.18%) and Jehovah's Witnesses (2.78%). For 5.65% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown. Census Ethnic composition Year Population Romanians Hungarians 1880 1,995 1,953 7 1890 2,183 2,150 3 1900 4,223 2,295 1,813 1910 4,413 2,393 1,934 1920 4,005 2,282 1,688 1930 3,870 2,387 1,458 1941 3,763 2,412 1,306 1956 3,400 2,293 1,088 1966 3,224 2,261 950 1977 2,993 2,183 800 1992 2,799 2,155 615 2002 2,797 2,244 530 2011 2,659 2,088 471 2021 2,512 1,937 417 Politics and administration The commune of Dumbrava is administered by a mayor and a local council composed of 11 councilors. The mayor, Cristian Olariu, from the National Liberal Party, has been in office since 2024. As from the 2024 local elections, the local council has the following composition by political parties: Party Seats Composition Social Democratic Party 4 National Liberal Party 3 Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania 2 Alliance for the Union of Romanians 1 Save Romania Union–People's Movement Party–Force of the Right 1
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