Bihor County

Bihor County is a large area in western Romania. It covers 7,544 km², making it the sixth biggest county in the country. Bihor is found in a special part of Romania called Crișana. The main city in Bihor County is Oradea, which many people call home. Bihor is different from places with similar names, such as Hajdú–Bihar County, Bihar, or Bihar County.

Toponymy

The name Bihor might come from an old fortress in the area of Biharia. Some think it could be from words meaning "whirlwind" or "white mountain". Another idea is that it means "two lands" from very old language roots. There's also a theory that the name is linked to a special animal called aurochs that once lived in the area of northwestern Romania.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Bihor County was adopted in 1998. It shows a castle, five wheat stalks with a ribbon, a grape, and a scroll with text from a famous poem. In 2013, it was redesigned because the text on the scroll was found to be in the wrong writing style. The county does not have any special connection to Greece.

Geography

This county covers an area of 7,544 km² (2,913 sq mi). On the eastern side, you can find the Apuseni Mountains, where the highest peak is Cucurbăta Mare (also called Bihor Peak), standing at 1,849 m (6,066 ft). As you move westward, the heights gradually decrease through hills until they reach the Romanian Western Plain, which is part of the eastern side of the Pannonian plain.

The county is mostly within the Criș river basin, with the main rivers being the Crișul Repede, Crișul Negru, and Barcău.

Neighbours

• Sălaj County, Cluj County, and Alba County lie to the east.
• To the west is Hungary, specifically Hajdú-Bihar County, Békés County, and Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County.
• Satu Mare County is located to the north.
• Arad County is found to the south.

History

Before World War I, the land that is now Bihor County was part of Austria-Hungary, mainly within Bihar County of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the war ended and Transylvania joined Romania, Romanian forces took control of the area in 1919. The county officially became part of Romania in 1920 under a peace agreement called the Treaty of Trianon.

Later changes happened in how the area was governed. In 1938, new rules were made, and Bihor became part of a larger region called Ținutul Crișuri. During World War II, Hungary took control of part of the county, but Romanian and Soviet forces brought it back to Romania in 1944. After the war, the county was reorganized several times, and in 1968, it was restored as a county again.

Economy

Bihor is one of the richest areas in Romania, with more jobs and money for each person than many other places in the country. It has very few people without jobs—only about 2 out of every 100 people, which is much lower than the rest of Romania.

The main types of work and businesses in Bihor include making clothes, food and drinks, small parts for machines, and working with metals. In the western part of the county, people also dig up coal and bauxite, and they find crude oil.

Tourism

Bihor County has many places to visit. One of the main attractions is the city of Oradea.

Visitors also enjoy the Apuseni Mountains, where they can explore the Stâna de Vale resort and the valley of the Iad River. There are also interesting caves near Padiș and along the Sighiștel River valley, including the famous Bear's Cave. Another popular spot is the Băile Felix Resort.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, Bihor County had a population of 551,297 people, with a population density of 73.1/km² (189.3/sq mi). About 51.1% of the people live in cities, which is less than the average for all of Romania.

The main groups of people in Bihor County are:

1. Romanians (69.0%)
2. Hungarians (22.4%)
3. Romani (7.33%)
4. Slovaks (0.97%)
5. Germans (Sathmar Swabians) (0.11%)
6. Others (0.22%)

The main religions in Bihor County are:

1. Romanian Orthodox (59.3%)
2. Reformed (16.0%)
3. Pentecostals (8.16%)
4. Roman Catholics (8.01%)
5. Baptists (4.28%)
6. Greek Catholics (1.99%)
7. Others (1.36%)
8. Irreligious, atheist and agnostic (0.91%)

Politics and administration

The Bihor County Council is led by Mircea Mălan, who started in March 2025 after Ilie Bolojan became acting President of Romania. The council was renewed in the 2024 local elections and has 34 counsellors from different parties.

Administrative divisions

See also: Oradea metropolitan area

Bihor County has four big cities called municipalities, six smaller cities called towns, and 91 areas called communes.

The municipalities are:

• Beiuș
• Marghita
• Oradea – the capital city; 183,105 people (as of 2021)
• Salonta

The towns are:

• Aleșd
• Nucet
• Săcueni
• Ștei
• Valea lui Mihai
• Vașcău

The communes include many places such as:

• Abram
• Aștileu
• Aușeu
• Avram Iancu
• and many more.

Historical county

Administration

The area of Bihor County was split into twelve districts, called plăși. Each district had many villages and a main town. The towns included Aleșd, Beiuș, Beliu, Ceica, Oradea, Marghita, Salonta, Săcueni, Sălard, Tileagd, Tinca, and Vașcău. The three main towns in the county were Oradea, Salonta, and Beiuș.

Population

In 1930, about 510,000 people lived in Bihor County. Most were Romanians and Hungarians, with smaller groups of other groups. In the towns, Hungarians were the largest group, followed by Romanians and others.