Miercurea Ciuc (; hu, Csíkszereda, ; german: Szeklerburg) is the county seat of

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 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 A ...

, and is situated in the Olt River 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-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...

, 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 ...

, while 17.3% are ethnic

, 0.62% are ethnic

and 0.33% declare other nationalities.Romanian census 2002
/ref> ''Demographic movements according to census data:'' Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:360 height:260 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:50000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:10000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:2000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1912 text:1912 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1948 text:1948 bar:1956 text:1956 bar:1966 text:1966 bar:1977 text:1977 bar:1992 text:1992 bar:2002 text:2002 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1912 from:0 till: 3701 bar:1930 from:0 till: 4807 bar:1948 from:0 till: 6143 bar:1956 from:0 till: 11996 bar:1966 from:0 till: 15329 bar:1977 from:0 till: 30936 bar:1992 from:0 till: 46228 bar:2002 from:0 till: 42029 bar:2011 from:0 till: 37980 PlotData= bar:1912 at: 3701 fontsize:S text: 3.701 shift:(-7,5) bar:1930 at: 4807 fontsize:S text: 4.807 shift:(-11,5) bar:1948 at: 6143 fontsize:S text: 6.143 shift:(-13,5) bar:1956 at: 11996 fontsize:S text: 11.996 shift:(-15,5) bar:1966 at: 15329 fontsize:S text: 15.329 shift:(-15,5) bar:1977 at: 30936 fontsize:S text: 30.936 shift:(-15,5) bar:1992 at: 46228 fontsize:S text: 46.228 shift:(-15,5) bar:2002 at: 42029 fontsize:S text: 42.029 shift:(-15,5) bar:2011 at: 37980 fontsize:S text: 37.980 shift:(-17,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Census data. Graphics made by Wikipedia.

Roman Catholicism 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 ...

is the majority religion of Miercurea Ciuc, its adherents numbering 74.06% of the total population.

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

(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 ...

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 Hungarian monarch, c ...

. 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 and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...

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 (princ ...

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

. 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 Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Feb ...

. 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 so ...

(

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, nota ...

: 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, ...

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 ...

championships, often won by the best-supported local team, HSC Csíkszereda. 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 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 same size as ...

. 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 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 ide ...

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 Gabriel Bethlen ( hu, Bethlen Gábor; 15 November 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of th ...

, 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 Imre Makovecz (November 20, 1935 – September 27, 2011) was a Hungarian architect active in Europe from the late 1950s onward. Makovecz was born and died in Budapest. He attended the Technical University of Budapest. He was founder and "eter ...

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

) 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 let ...

Székely held since 1567, called the "Csíksomlyó Pilgrimage" (Romanian: ''Pelerinajul de la Sumuleu''; Hungarian: ''Csíksomlyói Búcsú''). The event, held on the Saturday before Pentecost, 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

and Csángó Hungarians living in the region, but also by a great number of mostly Hungarian Catholics 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

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 ...

and council members are elected to four-year terms. The present mayor is Attila Korodi from the

Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; hu, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ; ro, Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian m ...

(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 Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

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