Scărișoara, Alba

Scărișoara (Aranyosfő) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of fourteen villages: Bârlești, Botești (Botesbánya), Fața-Lăzești, Florești, Lăzești (Lezest), Lespezea, Maței, Negești, Preluca, Runc, Scărișoara, Sfoartea, Știuleți, and Trâncești.

Geography
The commune is situated in the Țara Moților ethnogeographical region of the Apuseni Mountains, at the foot of the Bihor Massif. Most of the component villages lie at an altitude of over 1000 m, with Preluca at 1300 m and Runc at 1340 m. The surface area is 9441 ha, with about 75% forested land and 20% agricultural land.

Scărișoara is located in the northwestern corner of Alba County, on the border with Cluj County and near the border with Bihor County. The nearest town is Câmpeni, 29 km to the southeast; the county capital, Alba Iulia is some further 80 km away, in the same general direction.

The commune is crossed by national road DN17, which runs from a major junction in Turda, Cluj County, through Câmpeni and Scărișoara, and on to Ștei, Bihor County, where it connects to European route E79.

The Scărișoara Cave is some 9 km to the northwest, on the territory of the neighboring commune of Gârda de Sus.

Demographics
At the 2011 census, the commune had a population of 1,661, of which 82% were ethnic Romanians and 15.29% Roma. As of the 2021 census, the population had decreased to 1,391, of which 85.48% were ethnic Romanians and 10.28% Roma.