Craiva
commune in Arad County, Romania
Craiva (Hungarian: Bélkirálymező) is a commune in Arad County, Romania.
The commune Craiva is situated in the contact zone of the Susag's high plateau with Mărăuș Hills and Codru-Moma Mountains, along the river Sartiș, having an administrative territory of 11,490 hectares. It is composed of ten villages: Chișlaca (Kislaka), Ciuntești (Csontaháza), Coroi (Bélkaroly), Craiva (situated at 85 km from Arad), Mărăuș (Bélnagymaros), Rogoz de Beliu (Bélrogoz), Stoinești (Bélkismaros), Susag (Pusztaszuszág), Șiad (Sajád) and Tălmaci (Bántolmács).
Population
According to the last census, the population of the commune counts 2880 inhabitants, out of which 81.77% are Romanians, 10.93% Roma, 1.18% Ukrainians and 6.04% are of other or undeclared nationalities.
History
Craiva's first documentary record dates from 1344. Chișlaca, Coroi, Mărăuș, Stoinești, Susag and Tălmaci were first mentioned in 1828, Ciuntești in 1587, Rogoz de Beliu in 1552 and Șiad in 1344.
Economy
Although the economy of the commune is prevalent agricultural the secondary and tertiary economic sectors have also developed recently. Possessing a forest-land stretching over 4000 ha, the activities connected to lumbering and procession of timber are well represented in the local economy.
Tourism
The picturesque scenery of the Mărăuș Valley, the Gârbei Peak and the wooden church in Ciuntești called "Buna Vestire" dating from 1725 and painted its interior in Byzantine style, the pictures being painted on canvas or lime and glued on the plank walls are the most important attractions of the commune.
“Craiva” enters the record as commune in Arad County, Romania. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Craiva, commune and Arad can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Craiva” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Craiva, commune and Arad provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5060755. Authority coordinates are 46.588, 21.978. None of the 3 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1344, 1828, 1587 and 1552.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Craiva”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Craiva primary sources, Craiva archive and Craiva research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Craiva”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Craiva” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.