Gavojdia
Gavojdia is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Gavojdia, Jena, Lugojel and Sălbăgel.
Etymology
The name Gavojdia has its origin in the Latin quvae which means "hills" and sideo which means "settlement", which would translate as "settlement between hills". There is another theory according to which Gavojdia has its origin in the Slavic gvojd which means "iron" and gvojde which means "blacksmith", since there were many blacksmiths serving the interests of landowners and those who traveled by stagecoach here. Hungarian ethnologists claimed that the origin of the word Gavojdia came from kő which means "stone" and köves which means "stony".Geography
Gavojdia is located in the southeast of Timiș County, in the Lugoj Plain. It covers an area of, most of which is arable land, the rest being pastures, hayfields, vineyards, orchards and others. Gavojdia is crossed by two main streams, Sudriaș and Știuca, both collected by the Timiș River. Știuca has its source on the territory of the homonymous village, with intermittent flow. Vâna has a continuous flow, but it is not important for irrigation; its water is good for watering cattle.Climate
The average annual temperature is. By season, in winter there is an average temperature of, and in summer ; in spring the temperature averages, and in autumn. The average annual number of winter days is 18.88 days with temperatures below. The average annual number of summer days with temperatures above is 106.9 days. The average annual rainfall is. Gavojdia gets maximum rainfall in May, June, August, October and November, while January and February are generally the driest months. The dominant wind blows from the southeast with a frequency of 20%. Wind strength is generally low.Flora
The specific vegetation is that of the plain and hill forests. In forests that have survived deforestation, especially on areas that could not be cultivated due to relief or excess moisture, species such as Quercus cerris, Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus robur and Quercus pubescens predominate, in association with Carpinus betulus, Tilia tomentosa, Cornus mas, Alnus glutinosa, Corylus avellana and Prunus spinosa. On the wide valleys, with the groundwater closer to the surface, there are clusters of Salix alba and Salix × fragilis, Populus alba and Populus nigra, Alnus glutinosa, Clematis vitalba and Rosa canina, and on the consolidated ravines grow species such as Robinia pseudoacacia, Pyrus pyraster, Vitis sylvestris, Gleditsia triacanthos, Prunus spinosa and Rosa canina.The natural meadows are varied from a floristic point of view, with the mesophilic and mesoxerophilic groups dominating; in the areas with the groundwater closer to the surface, the mesophilic and hydrophilic groups prevail. The meadows in the hilly area are made up of species such as Festuca pseudovina and Festuca pratensis, Agrostis capillaris, Poa pratensis, Alopecurus pratensis, Bromus secalinus, Cynodon dactylon, Lotus corniculatus and Lotus tenuis, Medicago falcata, Trifolium repens and Bothriochloa ischaemum. On the sunny slopes there are species such as Elymus repens, Rubus caesius and Stipa spp.. The meadows in the lowland area are small in size, being made up of species such as Lolium perenne, Festuca valesiaca, Agrostis capillaris, Dactylis glomerata, Alopecurus pratensis, Lotus corniculatus and Lotus tenuis, Trifolium repens and Medicago lupulina.
Associations of Carex spp., Juncus effusus and, more rarely, Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis develop in the microdepression forms in the meadows and on the valleys, accompanied by Gratiola officinalis, Mentha × piperita and Bidens tripartita.
The following wild flowers and plants grow in fields, hedges and stubbles: Viola tricolor, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Lepidium draba, Anagallis arvensis, Lamium album, Urtica dioica, Russula heterophylla, Taraxacum officinale, Aristolochia clematitis, Rorippa palustris, Raphanus raphanistrum, Papaver rhoeas, Centaurea cyanus, Agrostemma githago, Sambucus ebulus, Cirsium arvense, Consolida regalis, Ranunculus repens, Vicia spp., Convolvulus arvensis, Matricaria chamomilla, Primula veris, Achillea millefolium, Conium maculatum, Echium vulgare, Althaea officinalis, Polygonum aviculare, etc.
Fauna
The wildlife is varied. Among the most characteristic species are: hare, harvest mouse, badger, fox, wild boar, deer, etc. The ornithological fauna is represented by: pheasant, hoopoe, nightingale, blackbird, leaf warbler, woodpecker, turtle dove, roller, golden oriole, etc. There are also reptiles, spread both in forests and on crops and pastures: sand lizard, green lizard, slow worm, grass snake, dice snake, salamander, etc. The ichthyological fauna is represented by barbel, bleak, minnow, sunfish, nase and Kessler's gudgeon. In Gavojdia the inhabitants grow large-horned cattle, horses, sheep and pigs.History
Gavojdia first appears in written history under the name Kuvesd, in 1363. In the first half of the 15th century, Hungarian documents mention two Cueșds, "Lower Cueșd" and "Upper Cueșd". In 1447 John Hunyadi donated half of his domain in Lower and Upper Cueșd to Dan and Vlad Temesely, the other part being in the possession of Petru and Ioan, sons of the late Deneș. Between 1514–1516 these localities were called Gavojdioara and were the property of George of Brandenburg-Ansbach, the chatelaine of the Jdioara Fortress.According to the local tradition, the inhabitants of Gavojdia came from Dâmbovița, a village that between the 15th–17th centuries was located between Gavojdia and Lugoj, on the valley of the Știuca River. The departure of the inhabitants from Dâmbovița to Gavojdia, where they settled permanently, is related to the invasions of the Turkish armies around 1551 when most of the young people from Dâmbovița were taken to the army by the Turks or killed. On the other hand, the Știuca River overflowed frequently, flooding the courtyards and gardens of the inhabitants of Dâmbovița. The evacuation of Dâmbovița was carried out periodically. After 1650, Dâmbovița no longer appears in any Austro-Hungarian document. During the emigration of the inhabitants from Dâmbovița, their settlement was made to the left and to the right of the Vâna River, so that towards the end of the 18th century, only one Gavojdia was coagulated.
Demographics
Gavojdia had a population of 2,719 inhabitants at the 2021 census, down 10.39% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians, with a minority of Ukrainians. For 9.19% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox, with a minority of Pentecostals. For 9.67% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.