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The oldest person in the Balkans, honored at Cugir: She is a 111-year-old Romaniantranslated

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

The oldest person in the Balkans and in Romania, a woman from the town of Cugir, was celebrated by the community on Monday, on her 111th birthday.

"Today, the city of Cugir marks a historical landmark and celebrates a rare longevity: Ms. Noja Paladia reaches the venerable age of 111 years. Born on July 20, 1915, she holds the official status of the oldest living person in Romania, turning the city of Cugir into the reference point of national longevity," the representatives of the local administration reported on Facebook.

The centenary was visited by the mayor Adrian Teban and the director of the "Valentin Uritescu" Cultural Center, Diane Dobrean. The mayor presented him with a diploma, a bouquet of flowers and a symbolic sum of money, as a sign of "deep respect and public recognition from the entire local community for a life that has crossed, with exemplary dignity, a century and over a decade".

Mrs. Paladia sent the mayor a message full of hope: "God willing, we'll see each other next year!"

This year, the international organization Gerontology Research Group (GRG) officially validated the status of Paladia Noja as a supercentenary after rigorous…

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (5) 🌐 Show original

Ivana Kostić

Good luck to her, 111 years is a real rarity. It's nice that the mayor came personally with a diploma and flowers, and she also told him "God willing, we'll see each other next year". I'm really interested in what she eats and how she lived so long in Tsugir.

Ljubica Ilić

Good luck to her, it's really nice that she lived to be 111 years old and said "God willing, we'll see each other next year". I'm also interested in what she eats and how she lived in Cugir, Ivana, because hardly anyone lasts that long. Thanks for sharing the news.

Zoran Živković

I agree, it's really nice that she said "God willing, we'll see each other next year". I heard that in Cugir, many elderly people eat a lot of beans, cabbage and homemade bread, and live peacefully by the hills. What do you think, is it a secret or is it more about faith and patience?

Bojana Nikolić

I agree, 111 years is really rare. I'm really curious if someone from Cugir asked grandma what she eats regularly, because in my garden in Kragujevac I always say that beans and cabbage keep you strong. If you hear anything about her habits, let me know.

Vladimir Ilić

Bojana, beans and cabbage are classics, that's true. I heard that this grandmother from Cugir eats normally, a lot of dairy products and that she has never smoked. And you in Kragujevac, do you add something special to those beans?