View source for Merești

{{other uses}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type                   = commune
|county                 = Harghita
|population_total       = auto
|map_caption            = Location in Harghita County
|official_name=Merești
|other_name=Homoródalmás
|image_shield=
|image_map=Meresti jud Harghita.png
|leader_name            = László Tikosi<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale27092020/romania-pv-final |title=Results of the 2020 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=8 June 2021 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|leader_party           = UDMR
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2024
|area_total_km2= 112.25
|elevation_m             = 557
|coordinates             = {{coord|46|14|N|25|27|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code=537195
|area_code=+40 266
|website                 = {{url|http://homorodalmas.ro/}}
}}

'''Merești''' ({{Langx|hu|Homoródalmás}} or colloquially ''Almás'', <small>Hungarian pronunciation:</small>{{convertIPA-hu|’|h|o|m|o|r|ó|d|a|l|m|á|s|}}, meaning "Place of Apples on the [[Homorod River (Homorod)|Homorod]]") is a [[Communes of Romania|commune]] in [[Harghita County]], [[Romania]]. It lies in the [[Székely Land]], an ethno-cultural region in eastern [[Transylvania]]. It is composed of a single village, Merești. Its elevation is {{convert|557|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=lexikon/>

== History ==
The village is likely to have been formed from 7 small settlements in the 13th century: Varjas, Kakód, Benesfalva, Almás, Bencőfalva, Cikefalva, Tankófalva.<ref name=lexikon>{{Cite web |url= http://lexikon.katolikus.hu/H/Homor%C3%B3dalm%C3%A1s.html
|title= Magyar Katolikus Lexikon (Hungarian Catholic Lexicon)|location= Budapest|date= 1933 |access-date=2010-06-02}}</ref> 
It was first recorded in 1333 when a  ''sacerdos de Almas'' was mentioned. In 1808, its name appears as ''Almás'', in Romanian ''Poiana Marului''. Before World War I, its Romanian name was also Homorod-Almaşş.<ref name="János András Vistai">{{cite web|author=János András Vistai|title= Tekintő – Erdélyi Helynévkönyv|page=17}}[http://www.fatornyosfalunk.com/helynevkonyv_-_2._kotet_A-I.pdf Transylvanian Toponym Book] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120150357/http://www.fatornyosfalunk.com/helynevkonyv_-_2._kotet_A-I.pdf |date=2016-11-20 }}</ref> In 1762, the villagers refused to perform military service, therefore, as a retaliation a company of the Atlhan cavalry regiment was stationed and housed in the village. In the 19th century, the village became a famous center of manufacturing of painted furniture. The village was part of the [[Székely Land]] region of the historical [[Transylvania]] province. It belonged to [[Udvarhelyszék]] district until the administrative reform of Transylvania in 1876, when it fell within the [[Udvarhely County]] in the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. After the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920, the village became part of [[Romania]] and fell within [[Odorhei County]] during the interwar period. In 1940, the [[second Vienna Award]] granted the [[Northern Transylvania]] to Hungary and the villages were held by Hungary until 1944. After Soviet occupation, the Romanian administration returned and the commune became officially part of Romania in 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, the commune fell within the [[Magyar Autonomous Region]], between 1960 and 1968 the Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region. In 1968, the province was abolished, and since then, the commune has been part of Harghita County.

==Demographics==
At the 2011 census, the commune had a population of 1,339; out of them, 97% were [[Hungarians|Hungarian]], 0.4% were [[Romani people|Roma]] and 0.4% were [[Romanians|Romanian]].<ref>[http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/ Tab8. Populaţia stabilă după etnie – judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune], 2011 census results, [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|Institutul Național de Statistică]], accessed 20 February 2020.</ref> 98% had [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] as first language, and 0.4% [[Romanian language|Romanian]].<ref>[http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/ Tab10. Populaţia stabilă după limba maternă – judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune], 2011 census results, [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|Institutul Național de Statistică]], accessed 20 February 2020.</ref> 72% of the commune population are [[Unitarian Church of Transylvania|Unitarian]], 16% are [[Catholic Church in Romania|Roman Catholic]] and 2% are [[Reformed Church in Romania|Reformed]].<ref>[http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/ Tab13. Populaţia stabilă după religie – judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune], 2011 census results, [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|Institutul Național de Statistică]], accessed 20 February 2020.</ref>

== The Vargyas Gorge ==
East of the village is located the picturesque Vargyas Gorge which is perhaps the village's most important touristic asset. In the gorge a number of caves are located. A 1500 m long cave was named after the geographer of the Székely Land [[Balázs Orbán]]. The cave was inhabited by man even in prehistoric times, later, in the Middle Ages villagers used it as a fortified refuge. The micro-region’s most important natural area, the Gorge is a wonder of karst topography. At more than 900 hectares, the gorge is dominated by 200 metre white limestone cliffs which, beyond their beauty, are an increasingly popular climbing area. Beneath the cliffs lies a 7.5 kilometer cave system, home to 17 species of bats, and a haven for cave explorers.<ref>[http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/int_rom_info1 Vargyas Gorge & Almas Community Project – Romania] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719161739/http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/int_rom_info1 |date=2011-07-19 }}</ref>

== Landmarks ==
*East of the Vargyas Gorge, on the Kőmező (’Stonefield’) ruins of a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] chapel can be seen which had perished probably during the Mongol invasion in 1241-1242. Balázs Orbán thought it might be the former church of Varjas village
*The Unitarian church was built between 1786 and 1793 in late [[Baroque]] style, the Roman Catholic church built in 1892.
* West of the village on the Várhegy (Castle hill) traces of a rampart made of earth can be found

== Notable people ==
[[File:Josephinische Landaufnahme pg194.jpg|260px|right|thumb|As 'Almas' on Josephinische Landaufnahme, 1769-1773]]
Natives of the village were:
* [[Gergely Almási]] (1654–1724) Unitarian ecclesiastical writer
* [[Gyula Szabó (novelist)|Gyula Szabó]] (1930–2004), novelist
* [[Emília Péterffy]] (1915–2000) teacher, writer, author of Hungarian schoolbooks

== Twinnings ==
*{{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Körösszakál]], [[Hungary]]
*{{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Tokod]], [[Hungary]]
*{{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Géberjén]], [[Hungary]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://homorodalmas.ro/ Official website] {{in lang|hu}}
*[http://www.vargyasszoros.org/ Vargyas Gorge website] {{in lang|hu}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719161739/http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/int_rom_info1 Vargyas Gorge & Almas Community Project – Romania] {{in lang|en}}
{{Communes of Harghita County}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meresti}}
[[Category:Communes in Harghita County]]
[[Category:Localities in Transylvania]]
[[Category:Székely communities]]