Voivodeni (also Sânioana oràSântioana; ; ) is a commune in MureàCounty, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Toldal (Toldalag) and Voivodeni. The former village is much less populated than the latter.
This commune lies in the Transylvanian Plain and is centrally located in Romania. It is about north of Bucharest, about southwest of the cityàof Reghin, about north of the county seat ofàTârgu MureÃÂ, and about northwest ofàBraÃÂov. It is also at an average altitude of , less than the average height where a landmass is considered a mountain (2,000 feet).
The commune has a hemiboreal climate with the average temperature as , with the warmest in July at about and the coldest in December at about . The average rainfall is about 31 inches a year, with about 5 inches in May and about 1.5 inches in February on average.
The first mention of the town was in 1332, under the name ofàSancto Johanne. Archaeological finds have shown that the area comprising the Voivodendi village was first settled during the Bronze period. Evidence of settlement has been discovered on a hill calledàBenghát, which stands tall, as well as signs of Roman presence, including a nearby Roman road. In the commune town of Toldal, there are definite traces of Roman settlers, who primarily engaged in agricultural production.
During the Kingdom of Hungary, the commune belonged to the Régen district. It was part of the Székely Land region of the historical Transylvania province. This was kept when the Kingdom was absorbed into the Austrian Empireàand theàAustro-Hungarian Empire. There was an administrative reorganization of Transylvania, and it was attached to Maros-Torda County.
After the HungarianâÂÂRomanian War of 1918–1919 and the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, the commune became part of the Kingdom of Romania, and was attached to MureàCounty. In 1940, the Second Vienna Award granted Northern Transylvania to Hungary and the locality was held by Hungary until 1944. During this time, the smallàJewishàcommunity in the area was exterminated by theàNazis. After Soviet occupation, the Romanian administration returned, and the village became officially part of Romania in March 1945. Between 1952 and 1960, the commune fell within the Magyar Autonomous Region, between 1960 and 1968 the MureÃÂ-Magyar Autonomous Region. In 1968, the region was abolished, and since then, the commune has been part of MureàCounty.
The commune features the Zichy Castle, with relics from the Roman area and Hungarian presence. Notable people who have lived in the commune include politician István Dánàand biologist (and geographer) Pál Samu, born onàJune 28,à1935.
The highest number of people living in the commune, since recording of population information began in 1850, was in 1956, with a total of 2,849 inhabitants.
Accordingàto the 2011 census, the population of the Voivodeni commune was 1,756 inhabitants. This was a decrease from the previous census, in 2002, when 1,957 were living in the commune. Of the inhabitants, about 60% were Székely Hungarians, while the rest were either Romanians (28.4%) or Roma (9.05%), with about 2% having an unknown ethnicity. In terms of religious belief, most were Reformed (about 57%), while the rest were either Orthodox (about 28%), Seventh-Day Adventists (about 4%), Jehovah's Witnesses (3.4%), Roman Catholic (2.5%), or non-religious (1.6%). About 2% of the population had religious beliefs that could not be determined.
At the 2021 census, the commune had a population of 1,575; of those, 55.05% were Hungarians, 28.19% Romanians, 10.98% Roma, and 5.46% of unknown ethnicity.
The commune of Voivodeni is administered by a mayor and a local council which is composed of 11 councilors.ÃÂ The Mayor is Vasile Boer,ÃÂ fromÃÂ the Social Democratic Party, who was elected inÃÂ 2012.ÃÂ The local council has the following composition of political parties after local elections in 2016:
Dance classes are held in the commune, like other parts of Transylvania, and churches made of wood are still standing. The economy of the town is based on agriculture and livestock. The municipality is also located on the regional road DJ154JàBreazaà– Glodeni, near the national road àTârgu Mureà– Reghin.
Tourist attractions in the commune include the Reformed-Calvinist ChurchÃÂ in the village of Voivodeni, built inÃÂ the 15th century, and the Zichy MansionÃÂ in Vojvodina, constructed in theÃÂ 18th century, to name two historical monuments. There are also several lakes, like Lacul Sate, where tourists can fish.