Description: Locating and natural conditions
Access Ways | Relief and Geology | Clime | Flora and fauna
The commune of Ileanda lies in the northeastern part of the Salaj County on the DN1 Dej-Baia Mare national motorway at a distance of about 40 km from the first place, respectively at 52 km from the latter.
The following communes surround it: Galgau in the southeastern part, Poiana Blenchii at east, Rus at south, Lozna at southeast, Letca at west, Valea Chioarului at northwest, Boiu Mare at north and Vima Mica in the northeastern part, the latter three belonging to Maramures County. The commune includes 13 villages. Ileanda is the commune’s center and is surrounded by the following villages: Podis, Rogna, Negreni which lies on the Somes river’s left bank; Dabiceni, Bizusa and Perii Vadului along the Dej-Baia Mare road; Rastoci at the crossroad to Jibou on the Somes right bank; Dolheni along Ileanda Valley, upstream of Ileanda; Maleni that lies on a hill’s brow; Sasa and Birsuta situated on smooth plateaus that reach up to 500 m altitude and Luminis, lying on the valley that carries the same name.
The commune covers an area of 87 km having a population of 2674 inhabitants. All these villages have a exceptional agro-tourism potential that at present is not being sufficiently explored.
Access ways
The access is easy. On the Cluj-Baia Mare, respectively Bucharest-Satu Mare railroad the fat trains stop in Ileanda station. The slow trains stop as well in Ileanda as in Bizusa and Rastoci. From the DN1 Cluj-Baia Mare national motorway passing Dabiceni, Ileanda, Bizusa and Perii Vadului split secondary roads leading to all the neighboring villages. You can reach the villages lying on the Somes left bank by driving off the national road, crossing Somes by ferry to Podis or by boat from Rogna and Negreni.
Relief and Geology
The Ileanda region is part of the Somes Highlands, which looks like a waved platform. Inside of it alternate high and low hilly regions with an average altitude of 600 m.
The northeastern and parts belong to the Purcaret-Boiu Mare-Jugastreni Highland. This is a structural highland made up of Eocene and Oligocene limestone that favored the occurrence of shapes represented by doline, underground streams, gorges, structural surfaces made up by the deepening of Somes small tributaries in limestone ground, which is present in Bizusa and Luminis. Behind them, there are local basins in which the human settlements have developed: Luminis, Dolheni, or structural surfaces such Sasa.
East of Ileanda winds the Ciceu Hills Whose altitude gradually decreases from 650 m at Toaca Hill down to 500 m.
At south, southwest and west rise the hills of Cluj and Dej which border upon the villages on the Somes left side.
Between the hilly regions unfolds the Somes Passage, which has up to 2 km’s large sectors at Ileanda but also narrowings down to several hundred meters between Perii Vadului and Rastoci.
The Somes Passage is characterized by a very well developed meadow, which varies between 1,5 - 2 km at Ileanda, 100-500 m at Dabiceni and Bizusa and is totally absent between Perii Vadului and Rastoci.
The second terrace with an altitude of 8-12 m and the third one with an altitude of 18-22 m are represented on the both banks of river Somes, permitting the extension of crops and human settlements.
As for the geological structure, this has an extreme importance for the geologist who, in case of swerving into this region wanting to improve their knowledge, could collect fossils or makeresearch work. “Bizusa and Ilenda Mare Layers” are representing the medium Oligocene.
“The Bizusa Layers” are composed of white-gray slight bituminous marls containing Ostracodes and Cardiaceas. They refuge the mineral springs with a complex composition around that Bizusa Resort has been set up.
“The Ileanda Mare Layers” are composed of argillaceous bituminous black clay slates containing scales and fishbone (at Clupea) and sulfur or calcium sulfate efflorescence, having in the upper part gritstone intercalation. This succession is similar to the dysodilical slates that are considered as the hydrocarbons main mother-rock in Transsylvanian Depression. Therefore it has attracted many geologists from allover to this region for researches.
Climate
The climate is temperate-continental, influenced by the west air-fronts that during their movement create unstable weather, with frequent showers in the springs and fall. The annual averages have values between7,4oC in the hilly regions and 8,8oC in Somes Passage. The lowest temperatures occur in January and in the hilly regions they are between -2oC and -3oC and between -1oC si -2oC in the depression regions. In culoarul Somesului sunt frecvente inversiunile de temperatura cu maximul de inversiune in luna decembrie. In the Somes Passage the temperature inversions are frequent, with an inversion-high in December. The highest temperatures are recorded in July with average values between 16oC and 20oC.
The predominant wind is the northwestern one, which blows along the Somes Passage, carrying moist air, especially in the spring and summer.
The rainfall records annual averages of 700-900 mm but in the years with a very intense cyclone activity, it reaches 1300-1400 mm (in Ileanda 1420 mm). The highest rainfall quantities were in years 1912, 1955, 1970 and 1974.
As for the repartition and blending of the main climate elements, there are the following climate types in this region:
over 500 m high hills climate
under 500 m low hills climate
depression and Somes Passage climate
Last years, especially in 1997-1999, some dysfunction in the world atmosphere could be noticed. It brought warm winters (in January and February), chills in March and April and heavy rainfalls in May-June.
Hydrography
The hydrographic net is drained by the rive Somes that crosses Ileanda, bounded by meadows and terraces and receiving a series of tributary rivers that all cross extreme picturesque regions. The most important right-side tributaries are:
Valea Ileanda that springs from Magura Vimii, fed up by two springs. It crosses the villages of Dolheni and Ileanda and has some small tributaries such as the Corui Creek, Tisa, Hertza, Plesa (a high flow springs that supplies Ileanda);
Valea Ilenzelei fed up by two flow springs that also partially supplies Ileanda.
Valea Luminisului has its spring in the village carrying the same name; upstream it has made a small basin where the settlement of Luminis has set up. Near the confluence it builds a small sector of narrow gorge at Bizusa. It has some small tributaries such as the Groza, Runcu and Pietris creeks.
The Somes left-side tributaries cross grounds in which they dig deep valleys. The most important are Valea Varului with its tributary Valea Cuptoarelor and Valea Sasarului.
The flows crossing through sedimentary rocks regions have a higher level of minerality and hardness. The water quality is being influenced by the overflow of unclean water. The underground waters have an extreme importance.
They are the main water supply source for the human settlements. In the Somes terraced meadow there is a water web whose hydrostatic level is influenced by Somes and rainfalls. The water is mainly undrinkable because of its hardness and organic substances.
The drinkable water can be found in the phreatic webs around the evacuation cones and in the spring waters that supply the human settlements either by digging wells or by collecting steadfast springs.
The mineral springs in Bizusa that appear downstream the Luminis Valley, before the confluence with Groza Creek are of great importance. Around them the watering resort has been set up. The water has high therapeutic importance and is recommended in shape of hot baths for all chronic diseases of the locomotory system, chronic rheumatism, polyarthrits, spondylosis, arthrosis, gynecological, dermatological and neuropsychical diseases.
In the intern cure, the water is indicated for the biliary diseases, especially lithiasis, for the renal diseases and colitis.
Flora and Fauna
The Ileanda region is situated in the 500-600 m high hills region, being close to the western limate influence sector that explains the general plenty of rainfall. Its vegetation is characteristic for hills and highlands and consists of beech trees, common oaks and spruce tree plantations.
The forest has been since ancient times one of the places close to the mankind’s heart, providing shelter in the dark historic times as well as the necessary wood for buildings and warming up the dwellings. It also provides food from game, accessory products such as fruits, edible mushrooms, etc. The forest has influenced the local climate and the spreading of fauna.
The main types of forest that appear on the commune’s territory are the beech forest at 500-600 m altitude on typical brown forest soils, mixed hornbeam and beech forests common oak and beech forests, hornbeam and poplar forests, etc. Among the artificial forest types are the spruce and pine forest.
The edible chestnut forest in Negreni village is distinguished. It has developed there under the conditions of refuge climate. There is also a larch tree plantation at Buzas-Valea Poaciului.
Below the main and secondary three level there are sub-shrubs represented by cornel tree, hawthorn, bloody-twing, elder tree, rowan tree and blackthorn. In the glades and at the trees refuge grow a series of plants with or without bloom which characteristic for these places.
Beside the forests there lie hayfields, orchards and maize fields. In the meadow and terraces zone there is the hayfields and pasturelands “domain”.
In respect of the sub-shrub utilization, 34% is meant to be ground as fire and building wood. 58% have a soil and railway protection role, 1% of it being meant as social-interest sub-shrubs around the Bizusa watering resort and 0.08% as seed reserves.
The fauna is varied and rich, depending on the relief, climate and vegetation’s variety.
In the dedidous three forest, the animals are grouped in three categories:Species that outrun the forest edges as the marten, the fitch, rarely the wild cat and the deer, the glis;
In all types of forests widely spread species as the squirrel, the fox, the wolf, the wild boar, the badger, birds;
Off the forest living, widely spread species: all kinds of birds, insects, rodents, reptiles, frogs, lizards, etc.
The forests have a great importance in respect of hunting. They are full with hares, deer, foxes, wolves and passenger wild boars.
Birds and rodents represent the meadows fauna. The watercourses fauna consists of fishes. The Somes, beside umbers there live also the barbell, the chub, the sheat fish, the broad snout and more rarely the crap.