Boian, Alberta

Boian
Unincorporated community
Boian
Coordinates: 53°49′59″N 112°00′30″W / 53.83306°N 112.00833°W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Central Alberta
Census Division	10
Municipal district	County of Two Hills No. 21
Founded	19th century
Highways	45 857

Boian, is an unincorporated community in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the floodplain of the North Saskatchewan River, 6 km east of Willingdon, in County of Two Hills No. 21. It is the oldest Romanian settlement in Canada.

History

The first Romanian colonists arrived here in late 19th century, most of them coming from Bukovina, then part of the Austrian Empire as "Duchy of Bukovina". Today, most of the remaining inhabitants are of Romanian descent.

The community was named for Boian, the Romanian village in Bukovina, from where the settlers originated. In the fall of 1903, the community built a Romanian Orthodox Church, named by locals like the one in their homeland, St Mary Orthodox Church. It was completed in the summer of 1905. By the year 1909, the need of a Romanian language school became more accentuated, and a small building was constructed in 1910, including almost all the subjects taught in Romania at the time.

The Romanians of Boian later encouraged their relatives from Edmonton or Calgary to move there, due to the fertile farmland, the lakes and forests.

Today, the Romanian school is a museum showcasing Romanian immigration in Alberta, photos of the first Romanian settlers in the area and the typical Romanian farmer's life in rural Canada. As well, the house of the local family Yurko has been moved to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village where it portrays the similarities and differences between Ukrainian Canadian and Romanian Canadian culture.

External links

• The Canadian Romanian Society of Alberta
• History of Boian, Alberta with virtual cemetery
• History of Boian, Bukovina
• Short history of Boian
• Photo gallery

Coordinates: 53°49′59″N 112°00′30″W / 53.83306°N 112.00833°W