Zlatna


Zlatna is a town in Alba County, central Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 7,490.

Administration

The town administers eighteen villages: Botești, Budeni, Dealu Roatei, Dobrot, Dumbrava, Feneș, Galați, Izvoru Ampoiului, Pârău Gruiului, Pătrângeni, Pirita, Podu lui Paul, Runc, Ruși, Suseni, Trâmpoiele, Valea Mică and Vâltori.

Geography

Located 36 km north-west of Alba Iulia, in the Zlatna depression, the town lies at the confluence of Ampoi River with Valea Morilor creek.

Points of interest

A gold mining settlement has existed in the area since Roman times, when it was known as a municipium under the name of Ampellum. The name Zlatna was first recorded in a 1347 document. In 1387, it was awarded town status. During 1619-1620 Gabriel Bethlen, brought to Zlatna a few hundred German and Slovak settlers for mining work. Tellurium was first discovered in a Zlatna mine in 1782 by Austrian mineralogist Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein. Zlatna regained its town status in 1968, after a time when it was officially a commune.