The Székely Land or Szeklerland ( hu, Székelyföld, ; ro, Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes ; german: Szeklerland; la, Terra Siculorum) is a historic and ethnographic area in

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 ...

, inhabited mainly by

Székelys The Székelys (, Székely runes: 𐳥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗), also referred to as Szeklers,; ro, secui; german: Szekler; la, Siculi; sr, Секељи, Sekelji; sk, Sikuli are a Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. ...

, a subgroup of

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 ...

. Its cultural centre is the city of Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely), the largest settlement in the region. Székelys (or Szeklers) live in the valleys and hills of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, corresponding mostly to the present-day

Harghita 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 population ...

Covasna Covasna (, hu, Kovászna, , german: Kowasna) is a town in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of . It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas. The town administers one village, Chiuruș ( hu, Csomakőrös). The v ...

, and parts of Mureș counties in Romania. Originally, the name ''Székely Land'' denoted the territories of a number of autonomous Székely seats within

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 A ...

. The self-governing Székely seats had their own administrative system, and existed as legal entities from medieval times until the 1870s. The privileges of the Székely and

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

s were abolished and seats were replaced with counties in 1876. Along with Transylvania and eastern parts of Hungary proper, the Székely Land became a part of Romania in 1920, in accordance with 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 ...

. In August 1940, as a consequence of the Second Vienna Award, northern territories of Transylvania, including the Székely Land, were returned to

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, Cr ...

. Northern Transylvania came under the control of Soviet and Romanian forces in 1944, and were confirmed as part of Romania 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 (princ ...

signed after World War II. Under the name Magyar Autonomous Region, with Târgu-Mureș as capital, parts of the Székely Land enjoyed a certain level of autonomy between 8 September 1952 and 16 February 1968. There are territorial autonomy initiatives with the aim to obtain self-governance for this region within Romania.

Geography

The exact territory of the present-day Székely Land is disputed. The boundaries of the historical Székely seats and the present-day administrative divisions of Romania are dissimilar. According to Minahan its territory is an estimated . The autonomy proposal of the

Szekler National Council The Szekler National Council ( hu, Székely Nemzeti Tanács, ; ro, Consiliul Național Secuiesc, ) is a NGO civic organization representing the Székelys of Romania. The organisation serves as a platform to promote Szekler autonomy. History Th ...

consists of about 13,000 km². This size is close to the extent of the historical Székely Land. However, it does not contain the region of

Aranyos Seat Aranyos seat ( hu, Aranyosszék; la, Sedes Aurata; ro, Scaunul Arieșului)Attila M. Szabó: Historical and Administrative Toponymy of Transylvania, the Banat and Partium. Miercurea-Ciuc, 2003, pp. II/1079-80. was the Seat (territorial-administrat ...

. The UDMR's autonomy project covers a slightly bigger territory. It includes the whole territories of Mureș, Harghita, and Covasna counties.

History

The ancient period

Transylvania was populated by Thracian peoples in the

First Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly app ...

. The area received a large influx of

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...

from the East in the first half of the first millennium BC. The

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

appeared in Transylvania in the La Tène period (c. 4th century BC). Dacian culture presence in southeastern Transylvania is marked by discoveries such as the flagship hoard Sâncrăieni (Harghita county) or Dacian fortresses in Covasna county ( Cetatea Zânelor) or Jigodin (Harghita county). Dacian Kingdom led by Decebal was taken after two wars, in 106 AD by the Roman Empire under the emperor Trajan, who began organizing the new Roman province of Dacia. Southeastern Transylvania was included in the provinces of Dacia Porolissensis, Dacia Apulensis and Meuse and fortified with numerous camps such as those at Inlăceni ( Praetoria Augusta) and Sânpaul (Harghita county) Breţcu (Angustia) and Oltenia (Covasna county) or Brâncoveneşti and Călugăreni (Mureș county). After the fall of

Roman Dacia Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania a ...

, the present-day territory of the Székely Land became part of the Thervingi kingdom ''"

Gutthiuda The Early Middle Ages in Romania started with the withdrawal of the Roman troops and administration from Dacia province in the 270s. In the next millennium a series of peoples, most of whom only controlled two or three of the nearly ten histor ...

"''. The migration of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

from the east pressured most of the German tribes to leave. In the

Battle of Nedao The Battle of Nedao was a battle fought in Pannonia in 454 between the Huns and their former Germanic vassals. Nedao is believed to be a tributary of the Sava River. Battle After the death of Attila the Hun, allied forces of the subject peoples u ...

the East Germanic

Gepids The Gepids, ( la, Gepidae, Gipedae, grc, Γήπαιδες) were an East Germanic tribe who lived in the area of modern Romania, Hungary and Serbia, roughly between the Tisza, Sava and Carpathian Mountains. They were said to share the relig ...

defeated the Huns and founded Gepidia in the territory of present-day Transylvania. This marked the end of the

Hunnic Empire The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

The medieval period

The territory of the Székely Land was part of the

Avar Khaganate The Pannonian Avars () were an alliance of several groups of Eurasian nomads of various origins. The peoples were also known as the Obri in chronicles of Rus, the Abaroi or Varchonitai ( el, Βαρχονίτες, Varchonítes), or Pseudo-Avars ...

. During this period, Avar and Slavic groups migrated into Transylvania. From around 900 to 1526 the area was under the direct control of the Hungarian state. The Székelys presumably settled in Transylvania in the 12th century from present day

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

and Bihor counties. Ancient Hungarian legends suggest a connection between the Székelys and Attila's Huns. The origin of the Székely people is still debated. The Székely seats were the traditional self-governing territorial units of the Transylvanian Székelys during medieval times. (Saxons were also organised in seats.) The Seats were not part of the traditional Hungarian county system, and their inhabitants enjoyed a higher level of freedom (especially until the 18th century) than those living in the counties. From the 12th and 13th centuries, the Székely Land enjoyed a considerable but varying amount of autonomy, first as a part of 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 Hungarian monarch, c ...

, then inside the Principality of Transylvania. The autonomy was largely due to the military service the Székely provided until the beginning of the 18th century. The medieval Székely Land was an alliance of the seven autonomous Székely seats of ''Udvarhely'', ''Csík'', ''Maros'', ''Sepsi'', ''Kézdi'', ''Orbai'' and '' Aranyos''. The number of seats later decreased to five, when ''Sepsi'', ''Kézdi'' and ''Orbai'' seats were united into one territorial unit called ''Háromszék'' (literally ''Three seats''). The main seat was Udvarhely seat, which was also called the Principal seat ( la, Capitalis Sedes) At Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc) were held many national assemblies of the Székelys A known exception is the 1554 assembly, which took place at Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș)

Modern era

Due to the Ottoman conquest Transylvania became a semi-independent polity. From the end of the 17th century,

became part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

(later

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

), and governed by imperial governors. In 1867, as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, Transylvania become an integral part of the Kingdom of Hungary, within

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. In 1876, a general administrative reform abolished all the autonomous areas in the Kingdom of Hungary and created a unified system of counties. As a result, the autonomy of the Székely Land came to an end as well. Four counties were created in its place: Udvarhely, Háromszék, Csík, and Maros-Torda. (Only half of the territory of Maros-Torda originally belonged to the Székely Land.) The isolated

Aranyosszék Aranyos seat ( hu, Aranyosszék; la, Sedes Aurata; ro, Scaunul Arieșului)Attila M. Szabó: Historical and Administrative Toponymy of Transylvania, the Banat and Partium. Miercurea-Ciuc, 2003, pp. II/1079-80. was the seat (territorial administrat ...

became a district of Torda-Aranyos county. In December 1918, in the wake of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Romanian delegates from throughout Transylvania voted to join the Kingdom of Romania. There was an attempt in Udvarhely to found a "Székely republic" on 9 January 1919; however, its creation was unsuccessful. In 1920, by the

, Transylvania along with further territories was officially ceded to the

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 ...

. The

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in ...

officially replaced Hungarian in the Székely Land, but Székely county boundaries were preserved, and Székely districts were able to elect their own officials at local level and to preserve Hungarian-language education. After 1930, the Romanian authorities began to Romanianize the Hungarian population of the Székely Land, with the presence of minorities in political life being repressed. The election of Hungarians was consistently nullified. The place-names were subjected to Romanianization. The minority languages were excised from official life and the local authorities were mostly led by appointed ethnic Romanians. In 1940, as a result of the Second Vienna Award,

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

became part of Hungary again; this territory included most of the historical Székely areas. Hungarian authorities subsequently restored the pre-Trianon structure with slight modifications.

Ion Gigurtu Ion Gigurtu (; 24 June 1886 – 24 November 1959) was a far-right Romanian politician, Land Forces officer, engineer and industrialist who served a brief term as Prime Minister from 4 July to 4 September 1940, under the personal regime of King Car ...

's antisemitic laws, the Romanian version of

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of ...

, were replaced by Hungarian ones. The Jews of the Székely Land were subjected to particularly harsh treatment. These individuals had their citizenship status reviewed, many of them being detained. In Csíkszereda (''Miercurea Ciuc''), dozens of families were rounded up and expelled. The men in the area were drafted into forced labor battalions. For example, 1,200 Jewish males of Marosvásárhely (''Târgu Mureș'') were conscripted between 1941 and 1944; over half died in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary. However, despite discrimination and many casualties, most of the community lived in relative safety until the March 1944 occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany. A conference devoted to the concentration of Jews in the Székely Land was held on 28 April 1944; it covered the counties of Csík, Háromszék, Maros-Torda and Udvarhely. The area's Jews were ghettoized in Szászrégen (''Reghin''), Sepsiszentgyörgy (''Sfântu Gheorghe'') and Marosvásárhely. Roundups began on 3 May 1944 and were completed within a week. The Hungarian authorities actively participated in the crimes of the Nazis. The Jews ghettoized at Sepsiszentgyörgy were later sent to Szászrégen, whence on 4 June 1944, 3,149 were boarded on a train bound for the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. I ...

. Three transports left Marosvásáhely for Auschwitz: on 27 May, 30 May and 8 June 1944; altogether, they carried 7,549 Jews., part of the Final Report of the

International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania The Wiesel Commission was the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania which was established by former President Ion Iliescu in October 2003 to research and create a report on the actual history of the Holocaust in Romania and make spe ...

, at the Yad Vashem site On 12 September 1944, the Second Vienna Award was voided by the

Allied Commission Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far Easte ...

through the Armistice Agreement with Romania, and the Romanian-Soviet forces seized the area in Autumn 1944; however, the Romanian administration was expelled from these territories in October due to the activities of the Romanian paramilitary groups created in the area to avenge the atrocities committed by the Hungarians against the Romanians during the Hungarian rule in Northern Transylvania. For instance, the so-called ''Iuliu Maniu Guards'' terrorized the Székely villages, butchered the local Hungarians by axe and hatchet and operated a death camp in Feldioara."Magyar civilek internálása 1944 őszén Romániában, Hungarian Civilians' Relocation in the Autumn of 1944 in Romania. The Death Camp from Feldioara in the Collective Memory)"
, Hungarians from Transylvania in Soviet Captivity between 1945 and 1953 – Lectures, Exhibitions at Sapientia University – This paramilitary group was described as "''a band of terrorist-chauvinistic criminals''" by the Soviets. The USSR let the Romanian authorities back to the area in March 1945, and the

officially returned Northern Transylvania to Romania. Following the Northern Transylvania's return to Romania after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a Magyar Autonomous Region was created in 1952 under the Soviets' pressure, which encompassed most of the land inhabited by the Székelys. In 1960, the region was renamed to Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region. It was abolished in 1968, when Romania, following an administrative reform, returned to its traditional local administrative system based on

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. Roughly speaking, present-day

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 ...

encompasses the former Udvarhely and Csík, the latter including Gyergyószék;

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romani ...

covers more or less the territory of the former Háromszék; and what was once Maros-Torda is mostly part of present-day Mureș County. The former

is today divided between

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , ...

and

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...

counties.

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He ...

came to power in 1965. For the next couple of decades, due to the

Romanianization Romanianization is the series of policies aimed toward ethnic assimilation implemented by the Romanian authorities during the 20th and 21st century. The most noteworthy policies were those aimed at the Hungarian minority in Romania, Jews and as ...

efforts, a large number of ethnic Romanians settled in the Székely Land.

Ingrid Piller Ingrid Piller (born 1967) is an Australian linguist, who specializes in intercultural communication, language learning, multilingualism, and bilingual education. Piller is Distinguished Professor at Macquarie University and an elected fellow of ...

, Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice: An Introduction to Applied Sociolinguistics, Oxford University Press, 2016, p. 101 Those Székely Hungarians who possessed degrees were subjected to resettlement. In March 1990, the city of Târgu Mureș witnessed violent clashes between ethnic Romanian and Hungarian groups. After the fall of

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

, many hoped that the former Magyar Autonomous Region, abolished by

Nicolae Ceauşescu Nicolae may refer to: * Nicolae (name), a Romanian name * ''Nicolae'' (novel), a 1997 novel See also *Nicolai (disambiguation) Nicolai may refer to: *Nicolai (given name) people with the forename ''Nicolai'' *Nicolai (surname) people with the s ...

's regime, would soon be restored. This did not happen; however, there are Székely autonomy initiatives and further efforts from Székely organisations to reach a higher level of self-governance for the Székely Land within Romania. On 4 June 2005, the Civic Forum of the Romanians of Covasna, Harghita and Mureș was founded in Miercurea Ciuc. It is an organization aimed at organizing the ethnic Romanian population in the counties that compose Székely Land. On 2 February 2009, Romanian President

Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions between 1991 ...

met the Hungarian President László Sólyom in Budapest and discussed the issues of minority rights and regional autonomy. Băsescu stated "The Hungarian minority will never be given territorial autonomy." In 2014, the UDMR and the Hungarian Civic Party had a joint autonomy proposal for the Székely Land, but the

also possessed its own suggestion. In 2016,

Hans G. Klemm Hans George Klemm (born August 21, 1957) is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Romania from September 21, 2015, to December 2019. Previously he also served as the United States ambassador to East Timor from June ...

, the

United States Ambassador to Romania A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the ...

, together with other local officials, were pictured with a Székely flag during his visit to the Székely Land. The photo was posted by the mayor of

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...

on Facebook. The reactions of the politicians in Bucharest were turbulent. In a response Klemm affirmed that the only two flags that are important to him, as a diplomat, are the U.S. and the Romanian ones. Image:Székely counties towns.svg, Traditional Székely Land (19th century) File:Hungarian autonomous province02.png, Hungarian autonomous provinces under the Communist era File:Szekelyfold.svg, Present-day counties of Harghita, Covasna, and Mureș within Romania

Constitutional issues

Article 1 of the Romanian Constitution defines the country as a "sovereign, independent, unitary and indivisible national state." It has often been argued that, as a result of this provision, any ethnic-based territorial autonomy, including that of the Székely Land, would be unconstitutional. The Supreme Council of National Defence of Romania declared that an autonomy of the so-called Székely Land would be unconstitutional.

Population

In 2002 the estimated ethnic composition of the Székely Land (Mureș, Covasna and Harghita counties) consisted of Hungarians (61%), Romanians (33%), Germans (3%) and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

(3%). The area forms a Hungarian ethnic enclave within present-day Romania.Béla Tomka
A Social History of Twentieth-Century Europe
Routledge, 2013, p. 411Sherrill Stroschein
Ethnic Struggle, Coexistence, and Democratization in Eastern Europe
Cambridge University Press, 2012, p. 210 Cited: "Székely, a Hungarian sub-group that is concentrated in the mountainous Hungarian enclave" Locals refer this situation as "''Everybody speaks Hungarian,'' ''here you have to speak Romanian with police and public officials".'' The population of the historical Székely Land (according to the 2002 census) is 809,000, 612,043 of them Hungarians, accounting for 75.65% of the total. The Hungarians represent 59% of the populations of Harghita, Covasna and Mureș counties. The percentage of Hungarians is higher in Harghita and Covasna (84.8% and 73.58% respectively), and lower in Mureș County, not all of which falls inside the traditional region (37.82%). According to the 2011 official census, 609,033 Hungarians (56.8%) live in the counties of Covasna, Harghita and Mureș (out of a total population of 1,071,890 inhabitants). In Mureș county the Romanians are the most numerous (52.6%), while in the counties of Covasna and Harghita, the Hungarians make up the majority (71.6% and 82.9%). The 2011 census compared to the data of the previous census (2002) also shows that the Romanian ethnic ratio in the Székely Land has been decreasing (due to emigration). Târgu Mureș is the home for the largest community of Hungarians in Romania (57,532 in 2011), but the town itself has a Romanian majority (66,943 out of 127,849 inhabitants). Important centers of the Székely Land are Târgu-Mureș (''Marosvásárhely''),

Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; hu, Csíkszereda, ; german: Szeklerburg) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt Ri ...

(''Csíkszereda''),

(''Sepsiszentgyörgy''), and Odorheiu Secuiesc (''Székelyudvarhely''). Image:Szekely03 original map.png, Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna, and Mureș based on the 1992 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority Image:Szekely03.png, Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna, and Mureș based on the 2002 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority Image:Szekely04.png, Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna, and Mureș based on the 2011 data, showing areas with Hungarian majority

Culture

Theatres and orchestras

* Târgu Mureș National Theatre is the continuator of the Székely Theater established in 1946 by Miklós Tompa; it has two language sections, Hungarian and Romanian *''Tamási Áron Theatre'' in

, established in 1948 *''Ariel Theatre for Children and Youth'' in Târgu Mureș, established in 1949 (Hungarian and Romanian sections) * Târgu Mureș State Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1950 *''Figura Stúdió Theatre'' in Gheorgheni (1990) *''Csíki Játékszín Municipal Theatre'' in

(1998) *''Tomcsa Sándor Theatre'' in Odorheiu Secuiesc (1998)

Mass media

Public

* TVR Târgu Mureș (Hungarian and Romanian sections) *

Radio Târgu Mureș Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

(Hungarian and Romanian sections)

Private

* Erdély TV (Târgu Mureș) *''Erdély FM'' (Târgu Mureș) *''Radio GaGa'' (Târgu Mureș) *''Sepsi Rádió'' (Sfântu Gheorghe) *''Siculus Rádió'' ( Târgu Secuiesc)

Education

* Teleki Library in Târgu Mureș (1802) *

University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mureș The University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș ( ro, Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Știință și Tehnologie din Târgu Mureș, or UMFST; hu, Marosvásárhelyi Orvosi, Gyógyszerészeti, Tudomány és Techn ...

(1945) * Târgu Mureș University of Arts (1946) * Sapientia University (2001) (in Târgu Mureș and Miercurea Ciuc) The following is a list of the most known high schools of each city: * Târgu-Mureş/Marosvásárhely: Bolyai Frakas, ''Unirea, Alexandru Papiu Ilirian'' * Sovata/Szováta:Domokos Kázmér * Odorheiu-Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely: Tamási Áron, Benedek Elek * Cristuru-Secuiesc/Székelykeresztúr: Orbán Balázs * Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda: Márton Áron, ''Octavian Goga'' * Gheorgheni/Gyergyószentmiklós: Salamon Ernő * Topliţa/Maroshévíz: ''O. C. Tăslăuanu'' * Sfântu-Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy: Székely Mikó, ''Mihai Viteazul'', Mikes Kelemen * Târgu-Secuiesc/Kézdivásárhely: Nagy Mózes * Covasna/Kovászna: Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Those in ''italic'' have the Romanian language as their medium of instruction.

Sport

The Székely ice hockey team Sport Club of Csíkszereda, with mainly home trained, local players (Székelys), plays simultaneously in the Erste League (Hungarian League) and in the Romanian Ice Hockey Championship. Starting with the 2010/2011 season, the Sport Club ice hockey team participated at the championships under the name HSC Csíkszereda and that year it won its first Erste League title as well. The team's main achievements so far: The Romanian Championship (fifteen times winner): 1949, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. The Romanian Cup (ten times winner): 1950, 1952, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014. Pannonian League (one-time winner): 2004. Erste League (one-time winner): 2011. The majority of the Romanian men's national ice hockey team consist of Székely players. The national team are ranked 28th in the 2010 IIHF World Rankings and currently compete in Division IIA. The Székely Land football team represents the Székely Land in

ConIFA The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Competitions Women's football All members of CONIFA are encouraged to in ...

competitions.

Tourist attractions

*Székely fortified churches – more than 20 Székely villages count fortified churches *Baroque church at Șumuleu Ciuc (''Csíksomlyó''), a major Roman Catholic

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site * Rural tourism *Hiking in the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretche ...

* Mofette, spas *

Mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage un ...

s, thermal baths * Salt mines (treatment against allergy and asthma) *Traditional Székely handicrafts (pottery, wood carving) * Mikó Castle
Kálnoky Castle
* Teleki Library *Székely National Museum (Muzeul Național Secuiesc/Székely Nemzeti Múzeum), Sfântu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy *Székely Museum of Ciuc (Muzeul Secuiesc al Ciucului/Csíki Székely Múzeum), Miercurea-Ciuc/Csíkszereda

Image gallery

File:Darjiu Ansamblu (1).JPG, The fortified church of Dârjiu/Székelyderzs is on UNESCO's World Heritage List File:Szent István kápolna Kézdiszentlélek.jpg, St. Stephen chapel of Sânzieni/ originally built in the 12th century File:Castelul Lazar, Lazarea.jpg, Lázár Castle File:Hídvégi Mikó Ferenc - 2013.06.19 (2).JPG, Mikó Castle File:Korond.jpg, Pottery shop in Corund/Korond File:Lacul Rosu 092.jpg, Mountains surrounding the

Red Lake Red Lake may refer to: Lakes Australia * Red Lake (Western Australia) Croatia * Red Lake (Croatia) (Crveno jezero) Romania *Red Lake (Romania) (Lacul Roşu) United States * Red Lake (Arizona–New Mexico) * Red Lake (Orlando), Florida *Red Lake ...

File:Kezdi centre6.jpg, Târgu Secuiesc/ town in the Székely Land File:Szeklergaterem.jpg, A typical Székely gate in Remetea/Gyergyóremete Image:Decorated woden artefact from Seklerland.jpg, Decorated wooden

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

tool from the Székely Land Image:Kürtőskalács.jpg,

Kürtőskalács (; sometimes improperly rendered as ''Kurtosh Kolach''; ro, Colac/Cozonac secuiesc; german: Baumstriezel) is a spit cake specific to Hungarians from Hungary, more specifically the Székelys. Originally popular in the Hungarian-speaking region ...

, a local treat Image:Sovata 2.jpg, Salt-water lake in

Sovata Sovata (; hu, Szováta; Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a town in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Căpeți (''Kopac''), Ilieși (''Illyésmező''), and Săcădat (''Szakadát''). In 2004, the vill ...

/Szováta Image:Gábor Áron Bereck.jpg, Áron Gábor's sculpture in Bretcu/Bereck Image:Kőrösi Csoma Sándor szobra Kovásznán.jpg, Alexander Csoma de Kőrös' statue in

/Kovászna File:Sacrifice cup - Székely Land.jpg, Sacrifice cup – Sándor family File:Székely flag (1).JPG, Székely flag flying above the

Hungarian Parliament Building The Hungarian Parliament Building ( hu, Országház , which translates to "House of the Country" or "House of the Nation"), also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable ...

, Budapest File:Területi autonómiát Székelyföldnek ! - Budapest, 2014.03.10 (19).JPG, Demonstration in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

on the Székely Freedom Day

Notes

:1.''"The Romanian hatred of Hungarians reminds us of the Croatian hatred of Serbs. Olteanu's method was to decapitate the men "by the use of axes" or impale them in front of their families"'' (Eric Markusen, David Kopf, The Holocaust and strategic bombing: genocide and total war in the twentieth century, Westview Press, 1995, p. 116)

References

External links

Székely AnthemSzeklerland Portal

Szekler National Council

The Population of Covasna and Harghita Counties. Aspects of Interethnic Co-ExistenceKézdi.Infó Digital Community Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szekely Land Geography of Transylvania Historical regions of Transylvania Hungarian-speaking countries and territories