Lunca de Sus ( hu, Gyimesfelsőlok; or colloquially ''Felsőlok'') is a commune in
Harghita County
Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county (județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc.
Demographics 2002 census
In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a populatio ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. It lies in the
Szekely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
.
Component villages
The commune is composed of six villages:
Izvorul Trotușului also includes ''Ciherek-pataka'', ''Bothavas-pataka'' and ''Farkas-pataka'', while the Lunca de Sus village also includes ''Nyíresalja'' and ''Libaváros'' ("Goose-city").
History
![Josephinische Landaufnahme pg164](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Josephinische_Landaufnahme_pg164.jpg)
The settlement came into being out of the outer areas of
Szépvíz and
Csíkszentmihály villages, but became a separate village only as late as around 1850.
The village is situated near the old Hungarian border, and therefore protection had to be provided. The
Tartar invasions through the valley left many victims behind. In the end, in 1701–1702, the construction of a moat was commenced on Csapó-hill next to the village. The traces of the earthworks can still be seen these days at a length of 120–150 meters.
According to the tradition, the first family that settled into the valley was the Tankó-family.
The village administratively belonged to
Csíkszék
Csíkszék () was one of the Székely seats in the historical Székely Land.
It administered two sub-seats (Hungarian: ''fiúszék'', Latin: ''sedes filialis''), namely Gyergyószék and Kászonszék. It was divided on the natural borders of t ...
, then, from 1876 until 1918 to the
Csík County
Csík (Hungarian, in Romanian: ''Ciuc'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Romania (eastern Transylvania). The capital of the county was Csíkszereda (now Miercurea Ciuc).
Geograp ...
in the Kingdom of Hungary. After World War I, by the terms of the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
of 1920, it became part of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. As a result of the
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all o ...
, it belonged to Hungary again between 1940 and 1944. After World War II, it came under Romanian administration and became part of Romania in 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, it formed part of the
Magyar Autonomous Region
The Magyar Autonomous Region (1952–1960) (Romanian: ''Regiunea Autonomă Maghiară'', Hungarian: ''Magyar Autonóm Tartomány'') and Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region (1960–1968) were autonomous regions in the Romanian People's Republic (later ...
, then, of the Mureș-Hungarian Autonomous Province until it was abolished in 1968. Since then, the commune has been part of Harghita County.
Demographics
At the 2011 census, the commune had a population of 3,242; out of them, 97% were
Hungarian and 1.0% were
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
. 98% of the commune population are
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, 0.5% are
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
and 0.2% are
Reformed.
Geography
The village is the first of the three Csángó settlements as the Gyimes Valley (Valea Ghimeşului) descends from its head.
It lies along the
Trotuş River and its tributaries as the sub-settlements, the "creeks" ( hu, patakok), were formed in the valleys of the tributaries.
Stream regulation
With financial support of the European Union became completed by November 2009 the stream regulation and flood control works on
Gârbea Creek. The regulation was said to be necessary as the water catchment area of the stream is large and the bed quickly filled up with rainwater with at times of rains which flooded from time to time the plots and the public road along the stream. Under the stream regulation works a 1400 meter long section of the stream has been embedded in a 2 m wide and 2.5 meter deep concrete bed. The bottom of the bed has also been covered with stones and concrete. Wide wooden bridges with yellow metal rails have been made by the brookside making easier the access by vehicle to the real estates along the river. The road has been fitted with metal railings used at motorways.
Although for most of the year, only water a few inches deep trickles in the stream, experts of the Water Department of
Bacău County
Bacău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania.
Geography
This county has a total area of .
In the western part of the county the ...
considered that prevention of sudden floodings of the stream may only be solved by converting it into a drainage channel. According to environmentalists, life of birds, fish, frogs and other species is affected by the concrete stream-bed solution. The mayor's office and the local population, however, is satisfied with the chosen solution and consider it a sign of progress. Besides, as they say, life already died out from the stream anyway because of the waste water trickling into the stream from the neighboring cesspools.
It is envisaged by local officials that the Trotuş River and some of the mountain brooks flowing into the river will also be regulated in a similar way, if the necessary financial resources are available.
Plan for the regulation of streams in the Ghymes Valley
/ref>
Image:Görbepataka005.jpg, The unregulated stream
Image:Görbepataka001.jpg, The regulated stream
Image:Görbepataka002.jpg, Street view from Valea Gârbea / Görbepataka
Image:Tatros (Trotus) River, Gyimesfelsőlok.jpg, Traditional flood protection on the Trotuş River
Education
Since 1994, the St. Elisabeth Catholic Grammar School has provided education not only for local students, but also for many ethnic Hungarian Csángós from Moldova. It was established by parish priest Lajos Berszán, and in the beginning the building of the Pilgrim's House named "The House built on the Rock" was used for the school's purposes.
Tourist attractions
In 1941, a military complex consisting of barracks and officer houses was built by the Hungarian army
The Hungarian Ground Forces ( hu, Magyar Szárazföldi Haderő) is the land branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and is responsible for ground activities and troops including artillery, tanks, APCs, IFVs and ground support. Hungary's ground ...
, based on the plans of architect István Mátyás. The buildings were built of stones and logs in the style of a mountain rest-house and provide a picturesque sight along the main road. The complex, referred to as by locals as the "colony" ("kolónia"), later served as a prison and is now used by the Romanian military.
The parish of the village is named in the honor of St Andrew, the apostle. In 2009, a chapel was built in Comiat by parish priest Géza Tankó.
Catholic pilgrims gather each year in the village and embark on the Pentecost Pilgrimage, held since 1567, with the Franciscan Church in Şumuleu Ciuc as their destination.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunca De Sus
Communes in Harghita County
Localities in Transylvania
Csángó communities