Șona

Commune in Alba, Romania

Șona Szépmező
Commune
Fortified church in Șona
Coat of arms
Location in Alba County
(2020–2024)		Teodor-Florin Mărginean^[1] (PNL)
Area	105.8 km² (40.8 sq mi)
Elevation	286 m (938 ft)
Population (2021-12-01)^[2]	3,782
• Density	36/km² (93/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	517755
Area code	+40 258
Vehicle reg.	AB
Website	comunasona.ro

Șona (German: Schönau; Hungarian: Szépmező) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Alecuș (Elekes), Biia (Magyarbénye), Doptău (Dobtanya), Lunca Târnavei (until 1964 Spini; Kistövis), Sânmiclăuș (Betlenszentmiklós), Șona, and Valea Sasului (Szászvölgy).

Geography

The commune lies on the Transylvanian Plateau, on the banks of the Târnava Mică River. It is located in the northeastern part of the county, 10 km (6.2 mi) from Blaj and 50 km (31 mi) from the county seat, Alba Iulia. Șona is crossed by county road DJ107, which connects Blaj to Târnăveni, Mureș County.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	4,301	—
1900	5,635	+31.0%
1941	7,024	+24.6%
1977	5,939	−15.4%
1992	4,647	−21.8%
2002	4,514	−2.9%
2011	4,067	−9.9%
2021	3,782	−7.0%
Source: Census data

At the 2011 census, there were 4,067 inhabitants, 68.5% of whom were Romanians, 25.2% Hungarians, and 5.8% Roma. At the 2021 census, Șona had a population of 3,782, of which 56.5% were Romanians, 20.65% Hungarians, and 12.4% Roma.^[3]

Sights

Notable sights include the Șona fortified church [ro], dating to the 16th century, and the Bethlen castle in Sânmiclăuș [ro], dating to the 17th century.

Natives

Farkas Bethlen (1639 – 1679), Hungarian noble and chronicler, Chancellor of Transylvania from 1678 to 1679.

References

^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
^ "Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.