Romania's Smallest Commune: A Bicycle Path Amidst Depopulation and Lack of Utilities

Bătrâna, Romania's smallest commune by population, exists in a state of isolation and decline. Located in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, over 60 kilometers from Deva, the commune officially lists 88 residents, but locals say the actual number is under 50. Some residents registered in Bătrâna actually live in Dobra, a town about 30 kilometers away, a tactic used to prevent the commune's dissolution.

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The villages don't have water and electricity, and tractors use the bike path.

This demographic anomaly is evident in election turnout, where the number of voters has consistently surpassed the official resident count. In the 2024 local elections, 97 people voted in Bătrâna, despite the official population being 88. Similar patterns occurred in the 2024 presidential elections.

Historically, Bătrâna had over 700 inhabitants in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century, this number dropped to over 500. The commune was briefly dissolved in 1989 as part of a communist-era territorial reorganization but was re-established after the Romanian Revolution.

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We wanted to show that the villages in the commune are not so deserted. We were afraid the commune would be dissolved, so people found others who could be registered as residents of Bătrâna.

The commune's most recent public investment is a three-kilometer bicycle path, a stark contrast to the lack of basic utilities like running water and electricity in some of its villages. Locals report that tractors, not bicycles, use the path, underscoring the disconnect between development projects and the community's actual needs.

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We were dissolved in 1989, spring. They attached us to Dobra commune then. But the Revolution came, and people raised the issue of re-establishing Bătrâna commune, and that's what happened.