Crișul Negru

The Crișul Negru (Romanian), (Hungarian: Fekete-Körös) is a river in western Romania (Transylvania) and south-eastern Hungary (Békés County). The river has its source in the western Apuseni Mountains. It flows through the towns Ștei and Beiuș in Romania. Crossing the border of Hungary the river, now called Fekete-Körös, joins the Fehér-Körös a few kilometres north from Gyula to form the Körös river.[1] In Romania, its length is 164 km (102 mi) and its basin size is 3,820 km2 (1,470 sq mi).[2] Part of the water from the river Crișul Repede is diverted towards the Crișul Negru by the Criș Collector Canal.

The name of this river comes from earlier Dacian Krísos, which meant “black”,[3] making this a doublet (cf. Bulg čer “black”, Old Church Slavonic čǐrnǔ, Old Prussian kirsnan, Albanian sorrë “raven”) with Romanian negru “black”. The upper course, upstream from the confluence with the Crișul Băița, is sometimes called Crișul Poienii.

The following towns and villages are situated along the Crișul Negru, from source to mouth: Vașcău, Ștei, Rieni, Drăgănești, Oradea, Tărcaia, Beiuș, Șuncuiuș, Uileacu de Beiuș, Șoimi, Căpâlna, Tinca, Batăr, Avram Iancu, Zerind in Romania, and Sarkad in Hungary.