Racovița, Sibiu
Racovița | |
|---|---|
View of Racovița | |
Location in Sibiu County | |
| Coordinates: 45°40′45″N 24°20′38″E / 45.67917°N 24.34389°E | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Sibiu |
| Established | 1443 (first mentioned) |
| Subdivisions | Racovița, Sebeșu de Sus |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2024) | Andreea Voicu (PNL) |
Area | 34.5 km2 (13.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 385 m (1,263 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01) | 2,606 |
| • Density | 76/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
| Postal code | 557195 |
| Vehicle reg. | SB |
| Website | racovita-sb |
Racovița (Racovița-Olt until 1931; German: Rakowitza or Rakevets; Hungarian: Oltrákovica or colloquially Rákovica) is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 2,884 inhabitants (2002 census) and is composed of two villages, Racovița and Sebeșu de Sus (Oltfelsősebes).
The first official mention of the then-village was in a 22 May 1443 "gift" act of John Hunyadi. Church documents first mention the village on 8 July 1647, when George I Rákóczi names Ion din Ţichindeal as archpriest over 17 villages around Sibiu, including Racovița. The rich history of the village is linked to the military border with Transylvania established by empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1765. At the time, Racovița was part of the 7th Company of the First Border Regiment in Orlat.
Starting in 1698, before the village was completely militarised, the village and its area were confronted with severe religious conflicts due to the decision made by the Alba-Iulia Orthodox Church to unite with the Catholic Church.
Soldiers and villagers participated enthusiastically in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Once the military border was abolished in 1851, important village members took initiative to manage the Regiment School Funds and became actively involved in the Transylvanian Association for Romanian Literature and the Culture of Romanian People.
During World War I, soldiers from Racovița served in the army from 1916 to 1918 and received distinctions for fighting against "Russian Poland", Galicia, Albania, Italy, Serbia. and even France.