Country Romania Status Town Area 43.25 km² Local time Tuesday 4:03 PM | County Bistrița-Năsăud County Time zone EET (UTC+2) Population 9,077 (2011) | |
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Weather 16°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 55% Humidity | ||
Năsăud ([nəsəˈud]; German: Nassod, Nußdorf; Hungarian: Naszód) is a town in Bistrița-Năsăud County in Romania located in the historical region of Transylvania. The town administers two villages, Liviu Rebreanu (formerly Prislop; Priszlop) and Lușca (Szamospart). At the 2011 census, 93.6% of inhabitants were Romanians, 5.5% Roma and 0.6% Hungarians.
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Map of N%C4%83s%C4%83ud, Romania
History
The name Năsăud is possibly derived from the Slavic nas voda, meaning "near the water". Another etymology is from Nußdorf (Nussdorf, "walnut tree village"), the Transylvanian Saxon name of the town during the Middle Ages.
A former Habsburg border town known for its border regiments with panache and good schools, Năsăud saw industrial expansion during the communist era and industrial collapse after 1989. Local economic activity revolves around the remittance economy generated by massive outmigration to Spain and Italy during the early 2000s, although the largest industrial employers in textiles and chemicals have been rejuvenated by EU membership.
Năsăud still has a few late 18th and early 19th century buildings left standing. Most remarkable in this regard is the local Romanian Greek Catholic church and the former military headquarters of the Habsburg era military regiment, now a museum. Although the town hall is located in its midst, the 19th century center of the town has been left to decay. Since 2012 the municipality has begun to restore the buildings in the old city center. The town hall saw a complete restoration and expansion in 2013.
The economic upturn of the mid-2000s has translated into a better city life and infrastructure improvements. Most notable in this regard are the refurbishing of the old military headquarters (now a museum), improved roads and more bar/restaurant options.Two new restaurants (Geea and La Borsanu) are popular in town.