Szőcs Péter Levente (szerk.): Călătorii istorice pe Valea Someşului. Ghid turistic (Satu Mare, 2014)

Introducere

Introduction

The valley of the Someş River offered a suitable environment for the development of human settlements. The fertile soil, the opportunities of water transportation created the support for a dense network of settlements in all prehistoric and historic periods. Beginning with the Middle Ages, the importance of the region is amplified by its increasing economic role, in special the use of the Someş River as salt transportation line. This precious resource extracted in the mines of Transylvania was transported through the County of Satu Mare toward the Hungarian Plains, using mainly the river. The economic and commercial potential offered by the river, doubled by the central role in the distribution of the salt, controlled and monopolized by the king, contributed to the emergence of the twin settlements of Satu Mare and Mintiu, as privileged royal towns. Through this, they became real economic center of the region. The development of rural settlements was favored by the fertile low-lands, indispensable for successful agriculture, offered in abundance by the widening river valley. Extensive domains were formed here, comprising dozens of settlements and creating new ones, contributing to the more dense habitation of the Someş valley. Besides the benefices offered, the Someş River determined the everyday life of the inhabitants and often had catastrophic role, through its unpredictable floods.

All of these factors created through historical evolution a special local identity, a unique character of the people living in the micro-region of the Someş. This identity was shaped commonly by various ethic and confessional groups, creating an intriguing multicul-Aşezări din valea Someşului - Vedere aeriană Települések a Szamos völgyében - Légifelvétel Settlements in the valley of Someş River - Aerial view

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