Cenei

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Not to be confused with Čenej in Vojvodina, Serbia.

Cenei (Hungarian: Csene; German: Tschene; Serbian: Ченеј, romanized: Čenej; Croatian: Čenej) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Bobda and Cenei (commune seat). It also included Checea until 2004, when it was split off to form a separate commune.

Cenei
Commune
The ruins of the church in Bobda, former mausoleum of the Csávossy counts and Roman Catholic church
Coat of arms
Location in Timiș County
Cenei Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°43′N 20°54′E
Country	Romania
County	Timiș
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Sârgean Tanasin[1]
Area [2]	60.13 km2 (23.22 sq mi)
Population  (2021-12-01)[3]	2,760
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	307100–307101
Vehicle reg.	TM
Website	primariacenei.ro

History

Cenei is one of the oldest settlements in Banat, first recorded in 1221 as a property of the archdiocese of Ittebe, today in Serbian Banat. By 1330 it belonged to the Sărad Fortress. Cenei was the site of a battle between the Turkish and Austrian troops on 20 August 1696.^[4]

As of 1720, the natives were mostly Romanians and Serbs. Through the efforts of the Vuketići family, Cenei was colonized with Croats between 1801 and 1820.^[5] German settlers arrived here only after 1848,^[5] much later than other nearby settlements. The Hungarian population did not settle here in waves of colonists, but gradually, over a long period of time. Today's village was formed by merging Ceneiu Sârbesc ("Serbian Cenei"; Serbian: Српски Ченеј, romanized: Srpski Čenej) and Ceneiu Croat ("Croatian Cenei"; Croatian: Hrvatski Čenej) in 1902.^[5]

Demographics

Ethnic composition (2011)^[6]

1. Romanians (67.23%)
2. Serbs (16.1%)
3. Hungarians (8.8%)
4. Germans (1.46%)
5. Unknown (5.36%)
6. Others (1.05%)

Religious composition (2011)^[7]

1. Orthodox (62.17%)
2. Serbian Orthodox (15.43%)
3. Roman Catholics (11.09%)
4. Pentecostals (3.41%)
5. Unknown (5.36%)
6. Others (2.54%)

Cenei had a population of 2,670 inhabitants at the 2011 census, down 7% from the 2002 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians (67.23%), larger minorities being represented by Serbs (16.1%), Hungarians (8.8%) and Germans (1.46%). For 5.36% of the population, ethnicity is unknown.^[6] By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (62.17%), but there are also minorities of Serbian Orthodox (15.43%), Roman Catholics (11.09%) and Pentecostals (3.41%). For 5.36% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.^[7]

Census[8]		Ethnic composition
Year	Population	Romanians	Hungarians	Germans	Serbs	Croats
1880	3,892	841	255	1,437	1,242	–
1890	4,193	833	213	1,714	1,187	149
1900	4,233	832	317	1,575	1,223	114
1910	3,917	830	304	1,205	1,446	96
1920	950[a]	669	74	200	–	–
1930	3,800	958	236	1,216	1,196	–
1941	3,609	1,087	193	1,051	–	–
1956	3,554	–	–	–	–	–
1966	3,546	1,421	374	573	1,156	–
1977	3,487	1,570	384	468	987	43
1992	3,091	1,915	334	110	683	18
2002	2,868	1,920	299	65	531	17
2011	2,670	1,795	235	39	430	4

Notes

1. Data on Cenei's population missing