Miercurea Ciuc (; hu, Csíkszereda, ; german: Szeklerburg) is the county seat of
Harghita County,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. It lies in the
Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking 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 ...
, and is situated in the
Olt River
The Olt (Romanian and Hungarian; german: Alt; la, Aluta or ', tr, Oltu, grc, Ἄλυτος ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average disch ...
valley.
The city administers three villages:
* Ciba / Csiba
* Harghita-Băi / Hargita-fürdő
* Jigodin-Băi / Zsögöd-fürdő, including Jigodin / Csíkzsögöd
Demographics
According to the
census of 2011, there were 37,980 people living in the city. Of this population, 81.39% are ethnic Hungarians, while 17.4% are ethnic
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
, 0.9% are ethnic
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
, and 0.33% declare other nationalities.
According to the
census of 2002, there were 42,029 people living in the city. Of this population, 81.75% are ethnic
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
, while 17.3% are ethnic
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
, 0.62% are ethnic
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
and 0.33% declare other nationalities.
[Romanian census 2002](_blank)
/ref>
''Demographic movements according to census data:''
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Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
is the majority religion of Miercurea Ciuc, its adherents numbering 74.06% of the total population. Romanian Orthodox (14.99%), Hungarian Reformed
The Reformed Church in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Református Egyház, MRE) is the largest Protestant church in Hungary, with parishes among the Hungarian diaspora abroad. Today, it is made up of 1,249 congregations in 27 presbyteries and four ...
(7.41%), and Unitarian (2.05%) adherents represent the most significant other religious groups.
History
The remains of three Dacian fortifications were found in the Jigodin neighbourhood of Miercurea Ciuc; they belong to the Dacian culture of the 1st century. In the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
it was the capital of ''Csíkszék'' (Csik seat). Between 1876 and 1918, Csíkszereda was the seat of Csík County of the historical Szeklerland in the Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. After 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
in 1920, it became part of Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
, and was seat of the Ciuc County between 1927 and 1938.
Miercurea Ciuc became part of Hungary again between 1940 and 1944 as a result of the Second Vienna Award. In 1944, the Soviet Red Army captured the town. It was returned to Romania in 1945, a move confirmed by the Paris Peace Treaties
The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945.
The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princi ...
of 1947. Between 1952 and 1960, the town was part of the Magyar Autonomous Region, later named the Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region between 1960 and 1968. In 1968, Miercurea Ciuc became the county seat of Harghita County.
In the post-World War II period, the town was industrialized; among other projects, a tractor factory, a textile factory and, in the 1960s, a beer factory were built here. The factory is now owned by Heineken. The Ciuc Beer products have gained an increasing popularity in Romania.
Climate
Miercurea Ciuc has a cool continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: Dfb - without a dry season, although summer is wetter than winter and with a cold summer).
At an average temperature of , July is the hottest month of the year. January has the lowest average temperature of the year: . Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is .
Miercurea Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in Romania, with temperatures plummeting towards much more often than anywhere in the country, sometimes as early as November. Snow falls as early as October and as late as April.
Education
In 2001 the Sapientia
Sophia ( grc-koi, σοφία ''sophía'' "wisdom") is a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism, Gnosticism and Christian theology. Originally carrying a meaning of "cleverness, skill", the later meaning of the term, clos ...
Transylvanian Hungarian University opened in the building of the former Harghita Hotel. The privately run institution is the first Hungarian university in modern Romania. Other cities in Transylvania also have Sapientia University faculties. Since the university opened, it has been attracting growing numbers of young people and intellectuals.
The Early Music Festival takes place every year in July, from 1980 onwards, mainly in the court of the castle. From 2008 it joins a Summer Music University for early music. Its concerts, held by the most important ensembles for early music in Romania and by the most famous ensembles of Europe, are with free admission.
Sports
Miercurea Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in Romania, with winter temperatures often going under , making the city ideal for winter sports. The Vákár Lajos Ice Hall annually hosts the national ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
championships, often won by the best-supported local team, HSC Csíkszereda
Hoki Sport Klub Csíkszereda ( ro, Hockey Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc) is a professional ice hockey club based in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. They play in the country's top-level championship, the Romanian Hockey League, and also participate in the in ...
. In 2006 the ice rink hosted the world junior championship in short track speed skating
Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice skating, ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the s ...
. The only long track speed skating
Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skating marathon, ...
oval in Romania is situated just outside the ice hockey rink.
Main sights
Petőfi Street is the main pedestrian street in the city. It houses numerous restaurants and cafés. Their Székely Székely may refer to:
*Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania
**Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania
* Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary
*Székely (sur ...
specialties conjure up images of a small city in Western Europe. During the summer, the street is a popular destination for afternoon and evening recreational activities.
Miercurea-Ciuc is home to the Baroque church at Șumuleu Ciuc
Șumuleu Ciuc ( hu, Csíksomlyó, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. Until 1959, it was a separate commune. It is the site of an annual Roman Catholic pilgrimage, when Catholics from all over Hungary an ...
and, in the city center, the Mikó Castle, built in a late Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style. The original more decorative castle was raised in the 17th century on the orders of Ferenc Mikó Hídvégi, the personal advisor of Gabriel Bethlen, then prince of Transylvania. Much of the castle was destroyed in 1661 during the Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different raids, but it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century and was mainly used as a barracks; today it houses the Csík Székely Museum. Behind the castle is a small ''Skanzen'' (museum village), consisting of a few traditional Csíki houses and wooden gates. Across the road from the castle is the city hall built in 1886, originally the county hall of the old Hungarian Csík County. Beside the castle is the 1904 Courthouse. The latest significant addition to the architectural landscape is the controversial 2001 Millennium Church, designed by Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz and located next to the Baroque Church of the Holy Cross. There is a large Romanian Orthodox church (1929-1939) in the city center. The Orthodox Church has Neo-Byzantine characteristics. It was built in the former administrative center of Miercurea Ciuc, the Castle Square.
File:Csíkszeredai színház 2014.JPG, Theater
File:Magyar konzulátus.JPG, Consulate of Hungary
File:Millenium templom 2014.JPG, Roman Catholic church (designed by Imre Makovecz)
File:RO HR Miercurea Ciuc Orthodox cathedral.jpg, Orthodox cathedral
File:Igazságűgyi palota 2014.JPG, Court House
File:Megyei könyvtár 2014.JPG, Library
File:A megyeháza.JPG, County Hall
File:Petőfi Street, Csíkszereda.jpg, Petőfi Street
Șumuleu/Csíksomlyó Pentecost Pilgrimage
A few kilometres to the east of the city centre is the Franciscan monastery of Șumuleu Ciuc, known in Hungarian as ''Csíksomlyó''. A wooden-sculpture figure of the Virgin Mary, known as the Weeping Mary, can be found in the monastery church, which is the destination of a traditional pilgrimage of 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 lette ...
Székely held since 1567, called the "Csíksomlyó Pilgrimage" (Romanian: ''Pelerinajul de la Sumuleu''; Hungarian: ''Csíksomlyói Búcsú''). The event, held on the Saturday before Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...
, attracts several hundred thousand people every year. The mass for the pilgrims is held on a meadow near the church. This traditional gathering is not only attended by Székely Székely may refer to:
*Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania
**Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania
* Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary
*Székely (sur ...
and Csángó Hungarians living in the region, but also by a great number of mostly Hungarian Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
from other parts of Transylvania region, Hungary and all over the world. Beside its religious importance, the pilgrimage has also become a demonstration of the awareness and solidarity of Catholic Hungarian people living in and outside the historical region of 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 ...
.
Politics
Miercurea Ciuc is a municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
with a mayor–council form of government. The mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
and council members are elected to four-year terms. The present mayor is Attila Korodi
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and ...
from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). He was elected in September 2020 with over 73% of the vote. The local council has 19 members with the UDMR holding the majority of the seats:
Diplomatic missions
* Consulate of Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
Twin towns — sister cities
Miercurea Ciuc is twinned with:
References
External links
*
* https://web.archive.org/web/20160814203034/http://regizene.ro/html/2016/en/
{{Authority control
Populated places in Harghita County
Cities in Romania
Capitals of Romanian counties
Székely communities
Localities in Transylvania