# Cavnic
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{{For|the river in Maramureș County|Cavnic (river)}}
{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type = town
|county = Maramureș
|official_name = Cavnic
|image_flag =
|image_shield =
|image_location =
|image_skyline = Chalcopyrite on sphalerite (Bolut Mine, Cavnic, Romania).jpg
|image_caption = [Chalcopyrite](/source/Chalcopyrite) on [sphalerite](/source/sphalerite), Boldut Mine, Cavnic, Carnegie Museum of Natural History specimen CM27849
|image_map = Cavnic jud Maramures.png
|map_caption = Location in Maramureș County
|leader_name = Vladimir Petruț[{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale09062024v2/ |title=Results of the 2024 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=18 December 2025 |df=dmy-all}}]
|leader_term = 2024–2028
|leader_party = PNL
|coordinates = {{coord|47|39|39|N|23|52|40|E|region:RO|display=inline,title}}
|elevation = 760
|elevation_min = 500
|elevation_max = 1500
|area_total = 47.17
|population_as_of =
|population_total = auto
|population_footnotes =
|postal_code = 435000
|area_code = +40-(0)262
|website = {{URL|https://cavnic.ro}}
}}
'''Cavnic''' ({{langx|hu|Kapnikbánya}}; {{langx|de|Kapnik}}) is a former [mining town](/source/mining) located in the valley of the river [Cavnic](/source/Cavnic_(river)), {{convert|26|km|0|abbr=on}} east of [Baia Mare](/source/Baia_Mare), in [Maramureș County](/source/Maramure%C8%99_County), northern [Romania](/source/Romania). Part of the [Baia Mare metropolitan area](/source/Baia_Mare_metropolitan_area), the town covers {{convert|47.17|km2|0|abbr=on}}, at altitudes ranging from {{cvt|500|to|1050|m}} above sea level.
== History ==
{{Historical populations
|source = Census data
|1880 |3320
|1900 |4665
|1910 |3517
|1930 |2262
|1956 |3982
|1977 |6033
|1992 |5778
|2002 |5494
|[2011](/source/2011_Romanian_census) |4862
|[2021](/source/2021_Romanian_census) |4264
}}
Cavnic was first documented in 1336, as ''Capnic''. It was named after the river, which got its name from a [Slavic](/source/Slavic_languages) word, ''kopanе,'' which refers to digging. Mining activity in the area dates back to the [Roman](/source/Roman_Empire) age.
The town was destroyed by the [Ottomans](/source/Ottoman_Empire) in 1460 and by the [Tatars](/source/Tatars) in 1717, but the Tatar invasion ended with their defeat from the people of Cavnic, making from it the last Tatar invasion to ever take place in the current territory of Romania. As a proof of the last Tatar invasion, the town hosts a {{cvt|7.2|m}} tall obelisk on which a Latin inscription states "Anno 1717 usque hic fuerunt tartari" meaning "During the year 1717 the Tatars arrived here". The obelisk is known among locals as "Tatar Pole" or "Written Rock". The exact date when the obelisk was built is currently unknown.
In the 1910 Census of the [Kingdom of Hungary](/source/Kingdom_of_Hungary), Kapnikbánya (as it was then called) was in [Szatmár County](/source/Szatm%C3%A1r_County), [Nagybánya](/source/Szatm%C3%A1r_County) district. It then had a population of 3,517, out of which 1,864 were [Hungarians](/source/Hungarians), 1,604 were [Romanians](/source/Romanians), and 49 were [Germans](/source/Germans). 1,497 identified as [Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church), 1,890 as [Greek Catholic](/source/Romanian_Church_United_with_Rome%2C_Greek-Catholic), and 89 as [Jewish](/source/Judaism).
The town's mines tended to close and reopen, often not remaining operational for any great length of time. In the 1970s, however, Cavnic underwent a great deal of development. Two [ski slope](/source/skiing)s were built at Icoana, and the town gained motels, boardinghouses and a hotel to take advantage of its touristic potential.
As an interesting detail of touristic interest, it appears that one of the oldest inscriptions ever found in European mines has been uncovered in Voievod Gallery belonging to the former town's mine. The inscription states "Hier hats erschlagen Iacob Huber" ("Here was killed Iacob Huber"). The text, dated 1511, was most likely written to commemorate a mining accident.
At the [2011 Romanian census](/source/2011_Romanian_census), Cavnic had 4,862 residents, of whom 4,026 were Romanians (82.8%), 705 Hungarians (14.5%), 28 [Roma](/source/Romani_people_of_Romania), 4 [Germans](/source/Germans_of_Romania), and 97 others. At the [2021 census](/source/2021_Romanian_census), the town had population of 4,264, of which 81.85% were Romanians and 7.13% Hungarians.[{{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=[INSSE](/source/National_Institute_of_Statistics_(Romania))|language=ro|date=31 May 2023}}]
==Notable people==
* [Ignaz von Born](/source/Ignaz_von_Born), geologist, was born here on December 26, 1742.
* {{ill|Jenő Jendrassik (philosopher)|lt=Jenő Jendrassik|hu|Jendrassik Jenő (orvos)}}, Hungarian professor and philosopher, was born here in 1824.
* {{ill|Simon Papp|hu|Papp Simon}}, Hungarian geologist, was born here on February 14, 1886.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links ==
* [http://www.peisaje-montane.ro/ Pictures and landscapes from the Carpathian Mountains]
* {{in lang|ro}} [http://www.cavnic.ro www.cavnic.ro] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217142430/http://www.cavnic.ro/ |date=2022-02-17 }}
* {{in lang|ro}} [http://www.orasulcavnic.ro www.orasulcavnic.ro]
{{Gallery
|File:ObelisculTatarCavnicMM.JPG|"Tatar Pole"; monument erected to celebrate the 1717 victory against the Tatars
|File:Biserica Sfanta Varvara din CavnicMM.JPG|Saint Barbara's church
|File:Cavnic 7.jpg|Cavnic
}}
{{Commons category|Cavnic}}
{{Maramureș County}}
{{Romanian mountain resorts}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Towns in Romania
Category:Populated places in Maramureș County
Category:Ski areas and resorts in Romania
Category:Mining communities in Romania
Category:Monotowns in Romania
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cavnic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavnic) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavnic?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.