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{{About||the village in Iran|Dej, Iran|the article about a rapper|Dej Loaf|DEJ|DEJ (disambiguation){{!}}DEJ}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type               = municipality
|county             = Cluj
|official_name      = Dej
|image_shield       = ROU CJ Dej CoA.png
|image_flag         = ROU CJ Dej flag.png
|image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border             = infobox
| total_width        = 300
| image_style        = infobox
| perrow             = 2/1
| caption_align      = center

| image1 = Dés, református templom 2025 01.jpg
| alt1 =
| caption1 = Reformed Church

| image3 = Dés, főtéri részlet 2023 01.jpg
| alt3 =
| caption3 = Central Square

| image2 = CN Muresanu Dej.jpeg
| alt2 =
| caption2 = ''Andrei Mureșanu'' National College
}}
|image_caption      =
|image_map          = Dej jud Cluj.png
|map_caption        = Location in Cluj County
|leader_name        = Costan Morar<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.primariadej.ro/Despre-prim%C4%83rie/Conducere |title=Conducere &ndash; Primar |language=ro|publisher=Dej city hall| website=www.primariadej.ro |access-date=March 9, 2025 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|leader_party       = PNL
|term               = 2024–2028
|coordinates        = {{coord|47|05|14|N|23|48|19|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation          = 285
|area_total         = 109.12
|postal_code        = 405200
|area_code          = +40 x64<ref>x indicates the telephone operator: 2 for [[Romtelecom]] and 3 for other landline operators</ref>
|website            = {{URL|https://www.primariadej.ro/}}
}}

'''Dej''' ({{IPA|ro|deʒ}}; {{langx|hu|Dés}}; {{langx|de|Desch, Burglos}}; {{langx|yi|דעעש}} ''Desh'') is a [[municipiu|municipality]] in [[Transylvania]], Romania, {{convert|60|km|mi}} north of [[Cluj-Napoca]], in [[Cluj County]]. It lies where the river [[Someșul Mic]] meets the river [[Someșul Mare]]. The city administers four villages: Ocna Dejului (''Désakna''), Peștera (''Pestes''), Pintic (''Oláhpéntek''), and Șomcutu Mic (''Kissomkút'').<ref name="despre">{{cite web| url=http://www.primariadej.ro/dej/49/despre-dej/|language=ro|title=Despre Dej|website=primariadej.ro|access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref>

The city lies at the crossroads of important railroads and highways linking it to [[Cluj-Napoca]], [[Baia Mare]], [[Satu Mare]], [[Deda, Mureș|Deda]], [[Bistrița]], and [[Vatra Dornei]].

==History==
Artifacts dating back to 5500 [[Anno Domini|BC]] and belonging to the [[Starčevo–Körös–Criș culture]], as well as artifacts dating back to the 15th century BC and belonging to the [[Wietenberg culture]] from the [[Bronze Age]] have been discovered on the territory of Dej.<ref name="dej"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321723324|title=Contribuții arheologice la istoria orașului Dej, Cluj-Napoca|year=2008|last1=Isac|first1= Dan|last2= Gogâltan|first2=Florin|last3=Călian|first3=Livia|last4=Barb|first4=Raluca|
language=ro|publisher=Editura Mega|location=Cluj-Napoca|isbn=978-973-1868-31-8|oclc=612886575|access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref> Also in the Bronze Age, the exploitation of [[salt mining|salt deposits]] in the area of today's city began and developed. During the [[Iron Age]], the [[Dacians|Geto-Dacian]] civilization arose and spread over a vast territory. The [[Someș|Someș Valley]] was an integral part of this historical evolution, as evidenced by archaeological discoveries in the area, such as the [[Dacian warfare|Dacian fortress]] at Dealul Florilor. After the [[Trajan's Dacian Wars|Dacian Wars]], [[Roman Emperor|Emperor]] [[Trajan]] transformed most of Dacia into a [[Roman province]]; the territory of the city became part of the province of [[Roman Dacia|Dacia Superior]], and later [[Roman Dacia|Dacia Porolissensis]].<ref name="dej">{{cite web| url=http://www.primariadej.ro/dej/48/istoric/|language=ro|title=Preistoria și antichitatea la confluența Someșurilor|website=primariadej.ro|access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref>

According to ''[[Gesta Hungarorum]]'', [[Vlachs|Vlach]] political formations located in the north and northwest of Transylvania, led by [[Gelou]], [[Glad (duke)|Glad]], and [[Menumorut]] were [[Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin|conquered by the Hungarian tribes]] at the beginning of the tenth century. During the Menumorut [[voivodeship]], the defense of the salt road was ensured by the fortresses from Ocna Dej and [[Cuzdrioara]] and the fortified points from [[Uriu]] and [[Cășeiu|Urișor]]. The extension of the  [[Kingdom of Hungary]] to the center and south of Transylvania was achieved with the help of [[Székelys|Székely]] and [[Transylvanian Saxons|German]] settlers. The first [[Transylvanian Saxons|German]] settlers arrived in the Dej area in the years 1141–1143, entering from [[Satu Mare]] to Dej, [[Bistrița]], [[Cluj-Napoca|Cluj]], and [[Reghin]]. After leaving [[Holland]] and [[Flanders]] because of the floods of the sea, they settled in this region and founded the city of Dej.<ref name="dej"/>

The city was first mentioned in 1214 as ''Dees'', in 1236 as ''Deeswar'', in 1310 as ''Deesvitta'', in 1351 both ''Deés''<ref name="Baedeker">{{Cite dictionary|year=1905 |title=Deés |dictionary=Austria-Hungary: Including Dalmatia and Bosnia; Handbook for Travellers |publisher=[[Karl Baedeker]] |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx5ziJh3LikC&pg=RA2-PA406&lpg=RA2-PA406 406] }}</ref> and ''Deésvár'' occurred, the earlier has been used until eventually it was changed to ''Dés''. It had a [[royal charter]] as a free city and was the capital of [[Szolnok-Doboka County]].<ref name="Baedeker" /> In 1905, it had a Protestant church from the 15th century, and a tower from 16th century fortifications.<ref name="Baedeker" /> It was primarily a market town for local wines and other agricultural products.<ref>{{Cite dictionary|last=Ritter |first=Carl |year=1874 |title=Deés |dictionary=Geographisch-statistisches Lexikon über die Erdteile, Länder, Meere, Buchten, Häfen, Seen, Flüsse, Inseln, Gebirge, Staaten, Städte, Flecken, Dörfer, Weiler, Bäder, Bergwerke, Kanäle etc. |language=de |publisher=Wigand |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tZN2v_tpAtsC&pg=PA375&lpg=PA375 375]}}</ref> 
[[File:Armee Bulletin VII.jpg|thumb|left|The Battle of Dés on November 24, 1848. Major Miklós Katona's troops are defeated by Karl von Urban's army.]]

During the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]] the city of Dés was the scene of military confrontations between units of the Hungarian army and units of the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] army, which included Romanian border regiments and Romanian peasants, under the command of colonel [[Karl von Urban]]. The biggest battle for control of Dés took place on 24 November 1848 in the Bungăr forest, and continued on the territory of the city. The Hungarian forces led by major Miklós Katona were put on the run by Von Urban, towards [[Baia Mare|Nagybánya]]. More than 150 people fell in this battle; in their memory, the monument "The Sleeping Lion" was erected in 1889.<ref name="dej"/>

The 19th century was a period of profound urban transformation and modernization works for the city, including the building of the County Prefecture, the City Hall, the Rudolf Hospital, the Palace of Justice, the Greek Catholic Church, the theater, the army barracks, and the "Andrei Mureșanu” High School.<ref name="dej"/> In 1882, the Cluj–[[Apahida]]–Dej railway line was opened, with an extension to Ocna Dej, while in 1910 the Ferdinand mine was electrified.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salinaocnadej.ro/istoric-2/|title=Salina Ocna Dej – Istoric| language=ro|website=www.salinaocnadej.ro|access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref> The [[Dej Prison]], located in the northern part of the town, was completed in 1894.

[[File:OcnaDej03.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the Ocna Dej salt mine, 19th century]]
On the 1st of December 1918, eleven delegates from Dej took part in the Romanian National Assembly in [[Alba Iulia]], which proclaimed the [[union of Transylvania with Romania]]. In the aftermath of [[World War I]] and the ensuing [[Hungarian–Romanian War]], the [[Romanian Army]] entered the city on 21 December 1918, and later the city became part of [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]]. The [[interwar period]] brought important transformations to the city of Dej that allowed its development and modernization under the leadership of its mayor, Cornel Pop, who assumed the position in May 1920. From 1925 to 1938, the city was the county seat of [[Someș County]], after which it became part of [[Ținutul Crișuri]].<ref name="dej"/>
[[File:Hungary-1900-Sc-65-Franz-Josef-3kr-canceled-1901.jpg|thumb|left|Kingdom of Hungary stamp used in Deés, 8 January 1901]]

In the wake of the [[Second Vienna Award]] of August 30, 1940, the territory of [[Northern Transylvania]] (of which the city of Dej was part) reverted to the Kingdom of Hungary. On September 8, 1940, the [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungarian administration]] was installed in Dej, and proceeded to take discriminatory measures against Romanians and [[History of the Jews in Romania|Jews]], forcing many Romanians to take refuge in Romania.<ref name="dej"/> In 1944 began the drama of the Jewish population in what was then [[Szolnok-Doboka County]] and its capital, Dés (Dej). Following several decrees of the Hungarian government and high-level consultations at a meeting on April 26 with [[László Endre]] in Szatmárnémeti (Satu Mare), it was decided to exterminate the Jews.<ref name="ghetouri">{{cite web| url=http://www.mmhtn.org/ghetouri.php|title=Ghetouri|trans-title=Ghettoes|publisher=[[Northern Transylvania Holocaust Memorial Museum]]|language=ro|access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref> On May 3, the city authorities launched the action of [[ghetto]]ization of Jews in the Bungăr forest, where 3,700 Jews from Dej and 4,100 Jews from other localities in the county were imprisoned. During the operation of the [[Dej ghetto]], Jews were mistreated, tortured, and starved. The deportation of the Jews to the [[extermination camp|Nazi death camps]] was done with freight wagons, in three stages: the first transport on May 28th when 3,150 Jews were deported; the second on June 6th, when 3,360 Jews were deported; the third on June 8th, when the last 1,364 Jews were deported. Most of those deported were exterminated in the [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz–Birkenau]] camp, with just over 800 deportees surviving.<ref name="dej"/>

Towards the end of [[World War II]], Romanian and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] armies entered the city on October 15, 1944. The territory of Northern Transylvania  remained under Soviet military administration until March 9, 1945, after the  appointment of [[Petru Groza]] as [[Prime Minister of Romania|Prime Minister]]. After the [[1946 Romanian general election|elections of November 1946]], residents of villages near Dej revolted against the falsification of the election results by the communist authorities and launched the first revolt against the new regime, being stopped by armed troops at the Someș bridge. The name of the city was related to the name of the first [[Romanian Communist Party]] leader, [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej]] who lived here in 1931 and worked at the railway station. When he became the de facto ruler of the country, Gheorghe Gheorghiu officially took the name of the city and supported the economic development of the locality. The [[Socialist Republic of Romania|communist regime]] brought with it fundamental transformations in the political, administrative and economic life of the city. Many previous leaders fell victim to the regime, as happened with the former mayor, Cornel Pop, who died in [[Văcărești, Bucharest|Văcărești prison]] in 1953. Another personality, ex-Prime Minister [[Alexandru Vaida-Voevod]], a native of nearby [[Bobâlna]], was arrested in March 1945 by the dreaded [[Securitate]] and died under house arrest in 1950.<ref name="dej"/>

[[File:Ocna Dejului 2.jpg|thumb|Ocna Dej, with Lake Iosif (on the site of the caved-in Iosif mine) in the foreground]]
In December 1950, Someș County was abolished, and Dej District was organized in its place within the [[Cluj Region]]. Following the administrative reform of 1968, the city of Dej was declared a municipality within Cluj County. A tragic event in the history of the city were the catastrophic [[1970 floods in Romania|floods of May 1970]], when all the low areas of the city were under water and 6 people drowned. After the [[Romanian Revolution]] of 1989, state-owned enterprises were privatized,  an environment for developing a market economy was created, new production units with domestic and foreign capital were set up, and many small and medium-sized enterprises emerged in Dej. The educational institutions, the municipal hospital, the cultural institutions were modernized, new churches were built, and the infrastructure of the city was updated.<ref name="dej"/>

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations
|source = Census data
|1910 | 11452
|1930 | 15110
|1948 | 14681
|1956 | 19281
|1966 | 26984
|1977 | 32345
|1992 | 41216
|2002 | 38478
|2011 | 33497
|2021 | 31475
}}

At the [[2021 Romanian census]], Dej had a population of 31,475, a drop of 6% from the previous census.<ref name="RPL2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tabel-1.03_1.3.1-si-1.03.2.xls|title=Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]]|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}</ref> At the [[2011 Romanian census|2011 census]], there were 33,497 people living within the city; of those, 81.8% were ethnic [[Romanians]], while 11.3% were ethnic [[Hungarians in Romania|Hungarians]], 1.0% [[Romani people in Romania|Roma]], and 0.1% others.<ref>[http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/ Tab8. Populația stabilă după etnie – județe, municipii, orașe, comune], 2011 census results, [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|Institutul Național de Statistică]], accessed 17 February 2020.</ref>

==Natives==
*[[Nicolae Blatt]]
*[[Dan Bucșa]]
*[[Zsigmond Czakó]]
*[[Ciprian Deac]]
*[[Adrian Falub]]
*[[Liviu Goian]]
*[[Cătălin Itu]]
*{{ill|Lajos Ilosvay|hu|Ilosvay Lajos|de|Lajos Ilosvay}}
*{{ill|János Jagamas|hu|Jagamas János}}
*{{ill|Theodor Mihali|ro}}
*{{ill|Mihai Moldovan|de|Mihai Moldovan (Komponist)}}
*[[Ana Novac]]
*[[Paul Papp]]
*[[Adriana Săftoiu]]
*[[Lavinia Șandru]]
*{{ill|Alexandru Sencovici|ro||de}}
*[[Itamar Singer]]
*[[Raoul Șorban]]
*[[Károly Ferenc Szabó]]
*[[Géza Teleki (politician)|Géza Teleki]]
*[[Călin Zanc]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Dej 1902.png|Dej in 1902
File:Town hall dej.jpg|The City Hall
File:Town square night.jpg|City Square at Night
File:Street night.jpg|Avram Iancu Street
File:Dej synagogue.jpg|Synagogue in Dej
File:Biserica catolica dej.jpg|The Roman Catholic Church
File:Greek catholic churchdej.jpg|Greek-Catholic Church in 1 Mai
File:Cnam dej.jpg|Andrei Mureșanu National College
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dej}}
* {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1157917|Dej, Romania}}

{{Cluj County}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dej| ]]
[[Category:Capitals of former Romanian counties]]
[[Category:Cities in Romania]]
[[Category:Localities in Transylvania]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Romania]]
[[Category:Populated places in Cluj County]]