Bistra, Alba

"Nămaş" redirects here; not to be confused with Namas.

Bistra (German: Bistrau; Hungarian: Bisztra) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 4,340 as of 2021. It is composed of 35 villages: Aronești, Bălești, Bălești-Cătun, Bârlești, Bistra, Cheleteni, Ciuldești, Crețești, Dâmbureni, Dealu Muntelui, Durăști, Gănești, Gârde, Hodișești, Hudricești, Lipaia, Lunca Largă, Lunca Merilor, Mihăiești, Nămaș, Novăcești, Perjești, Poiana, Poiu, Rătitiș, Runcuri, Sălăgești, Ștefanca, Țărănești, Tolăcești, Tomnatec, Trișorești, Vârși-Rontu, Vârșii Mari, and Vârșii Mici.

Bistra
Commune
View of Bistra
Coat of arms
Location in Alba County
Bistra Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°23′N 23°6′E
Country	Romania
County	Alba
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Traian Gligor (PNL)
Area	118.38 km2 (45.71 sq mi)
Elevation	556 m (1,824 ft)
Population  (2021-12-01)[1]	4,340
• Density	37/km2 (95/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	517115
Area code	+40 x58
Vehicle reg.	AB
Website	bistra.ro

The commune is situated in the northwest corner of Alba County. It covers a surface of 138 km² (53 sq mi) (about 1.8% of the total area of the county), making it the largest commune in Romania by surface area.^[2] Bistra is crossed from West to East for a length of 7 km (4.3 mi) by the Arieș River. It is surrounded to the SE by the Trascău Mountains, the SW by the Metaliferi Mountains and to the NE by the Gilău Mountains, with Muntele Mare [ro] as the highest peak, at 1,826 m (5,991 ft).

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1850	3,140	—
1900	3,755	+19.6%
1930	4,501	+19.9%
1966	5,576	+23.9%
1977	5,688	+2.0%
2002	5,066	−10.9%
2011	4,540	−10.4%
2021	4,340	−4.4%
Source: INS, Census data

Natives

• Petru Pavel Aron (1709–1764), Bishop of Făgăraș and Primate of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church