Giera (; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Giera (commune seat), Grănicerii and Toager.

History

The first recorded mention of Giera dates from 1322, when it was a property of the ; Tivadar Vejtehi donated it to his son-in-law Omori Gál. At the 1717 census, in Giera there were 12 houses inhabited by Serbs and an Orthodox church (built since 1667). They settled here during the 17th century. From 1795, the domain (including Toager, Grănicerii and Livezile) came into the possession of the , a Hungarian noble family of Armenian origin, taking the name Gyér. In 1829, Lukács Gyertyánffy built a mansion in Giera, near the grain storehouse (now a historical monument), built in turn by Andor Gyertyánffy; the mansion is preserved to this day. The Gyertyánffys also owned a grove called Gradinaț (), where an Avar ring and a Turkish fortress were later unearthed.

Demographics

Giera had a population of 1,131 inhabitants at the 2021 census, down 8.71% from the 2011 census. Most inhabitants are Romanians (61.71%), larger minorities being represented by Hungarians (12.73%), Roma (8.66%) and Serbs (4.06%). For 12.55% of the population, ethnicity is unknown. By religion, most inhabitants are Orthodox (65.07%), but there are also minorities of Roman Catholics (13.52%), Serbian Orthodox (4.5%) and Pentecostals (1.5%). For 14.05% of the population, religious affiliation is unknown.

Politics and administration

The commune of Giera is administered by a mayor and a local council composed of 8 councilors. The mayor, Radu-Ionel Vicol, from the National Liberal Party, has been in office since 2016. As from the 2024 local elections, the local council has the following composition by political parties:

References