The Székely Land or Szeklerland (, , Székely runes: 𐲥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗𐳌𐳞𐳖𐳇; and sometimes ; ; ) is a historic and ethnographic area in present-day

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, inhabited mainly by

Székelys The Székelys (, Old Hungarian script, Székely runes: ), also referred to as Szeklers, are a Hungarians, Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. In addition to their native villages in Suceava County in Bukovina, a ...

, a subgroup of

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

. Its cultural centre is the city of

Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...

(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, Covasna, 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 ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

. 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, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

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 (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

. In August 1940, as a consequence of the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all of Maramureș and part of Cri ...

, northern territories of Transylvania, including the Székely Land, were returned to

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...

. 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 signed 1947 after World War II. Under the name

Magyar Autonomous Region The Magyar Autonomous Region (1952–1960) (; ) and Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region (1960–1968) were autonomous Regions of the People's Republic of Romania, regions in the Romanian People's Republic (later the Socialist Republic of Romania). H ...

, with

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

Szekely Land is located in the middle of modern-day Romania, in eastern Transylvania. Its historical extent and present-day boundaries—set by the administrative divisions of Romania—are dissimilar. The exact territory of the present-day Székely Land is not disputed. According to Minahan its territory is approximately , though the autonomy proposal of the

Szekler National Council The Szekler National Council (, ; , ) is a NGO civic organization representing the Székelys of Romania. The organisation serves as a platform to promote Szekler autonomy. History The Council was founded on October 16, 2003. Its first presid ...

consists of about 13,000 km². This size is close to the extent of the historical Székely Land, though it does not contain Aranyos Seat. 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 area received a large influx of

Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...

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

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

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 ; or Dacia Felix, ) was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today all in Romania, except the last regi ...

, the present-day territory of the Székely Land became part of the Thervingi kingdom ''" Gutthiuda"''. 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 centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

from the east pressured most of the German tribes to leave. In the Battle of Nedao the East Germanic

Gepids The Gepids (; ) were an East Germanic tribes, 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 religion and language of the G ...

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 centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was pa ...

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 the chronicles of the Rus' people, Rus, the Abaroi or Varchonitai (), or Pseudo-Avars in Byzantine Empi ...

. 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 states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

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 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, 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 A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

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 () 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, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

(later

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

), and governed by imperial governors. In 1848 during the Hungarian revolution and freedom war it was declared the reunion of Hungary proper and Transylvania. The Austrian emperor incited the Romanians and Serbians living in Hungary and Transylvania against the Hungarians, promising them some kind of autonomy. In 1867, as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, Transylvania become again an integral part of the Kingdom of Hungary, within

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. 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 (; ; )Attila M. Szabó: Historical and Administrative Toponymy of Transylvania, the Banat and Partium. Miercurea-Ciuc, 2003, pp. II/1079-80. was the seat (territorial administrative unit) of the Transylvanian Székelys living in the Va ...

became a district of

Torda-Aranyos Torda-Aranyos was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Romania (central Transylvania). The capital of the county was Torda (present-day Turda). Geography Torda-Aranyos county shared b ...

county. In December 1918, in the wake of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...

. The

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spelling: Roumanian; , or , ) is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages, a linguistic group that evolved fr ...

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

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania (, ) 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 the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946), Kingdom ...

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's antisemitic laws, the Romanian version of

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) 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 the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

, 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 (; , or ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Reen'') is a Municipiu, city in Mureș County, Transylvania, central Romania, on the Mureș (river), Mureș River. As of 2021 Romanian census, 2021, it had a population of 2 ...

(''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, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. 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, at the Yad Vashem site On 12 September 1944, the Second Vienna Award was voided by the Allied Commission 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 Paris Peace Treaties 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a

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 purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. Roughly speaking, present-day

Harghita County Harghita County (, and , ) is a county () 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 density of ...

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

Covasna County Covasna County (, , ) 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 Romania's 41 counties and the ...

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

Mureș County Mureș County (, , ) is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative reor ...

. The former

is today divided between

Cluj Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

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 Kingd ...

counties.

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

came to power in 1965. For the next couple of decades, due to the Romanianization efforts, a large number of ethnic Romanians settled in the Székely Land.

Ingrid Piller Ingrid Piller (born in Germany in 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 el ...

, 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 () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

, many hoped that the former

, abolished by

Nicolae Ceauşescu Nicolae may refer to: * Nicolae (name), an Aromanian and Romanian name * ''Nicolae'' (novel), a 1997 novel See also *Nicolai (disambiguation) *Nicolao Nicolao is an Italian given name and a surname. It may refer to the following: Given name *Ni ...

'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 met the Hungarian President

László Sólyom László Sólyom (, ; 3 January 1942 – 8 October 2023) was a Hungarian politician, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 until 2010. Previously he was the first president of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 199 ...

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, the United States Ambassador to Romania, 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 on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

. 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 (66%), Romanians (29%), Germans (1%) and Roma (4%). The area forms a Hungarian

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

within present-day

.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" The population of the historical Székely Land (according to the 2002 census) is 409,000, 312,043 of them Hungarians, accounting for 76.65% 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, (38.82%). According to the 2011 official census, 570,033 Hungarians (53.22%) live in the counties of Covasna, Harghita and Mureș (out of a total population of 1,071,890 inhabitants). In Mureș county the Romanians have a slight majority (52.6%), while in the counties of Covasna and Harghita, the Hungarians make up the majority (79.6% and 85.9%). 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).

is the home for the largest community of Hungarians in Romania (60,669 in 2011), but the town itself has a Romanian majority (69,702 out of 134,290 inhabitants). Important centers of the Székely Land are Târgu-Mureș (''Marosvásárhely''), Miercurea Ciuc (''Csíkszereda''), Sfântu Gheorghe (''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 Sfântu Gheorghe, 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 Gheorgheni (; ) is a Municipiu, city in Harghita County, Romania, with a population of 15,844, as of 2021. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The city administers four villages: Covacipeter (''Kovács ...

(1990) *''Csíki Játékszín Municipal Theatre'' in Miercurea Ciuc (1998) *''Tomcsa Sándor Theatre'' in Odorheiu Secuiesc (1998)

Mass media

Public

* TVR Târgu Mureș (Hungarian and Romanian sections) * Radio Târgu Mureș (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 (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 Farkas, ''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 competitions.

Tourist attractions

*Székely fortified churches – more than 20 Székely villages count fortified churches *Baroque church at

Șumuleu Ciuc Șumuleu Ciuc (, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. Until 1959, it was a separate Communes of Romania, commune. It is the site of an annual Roman Catholic pilgrimage, when Catholics from all over Hungar ...

(''Csíksomlyó''), a major Roman Catholic

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

site * Rural tourism *Hiking in the

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

* Mofette, spas *

Mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce 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
The Former Seat of the County Council
(Fostul Sediu al Scaunelor / Vármegyeháza), Sfântu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy

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 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''; ; ) is a spit cake specific to Hungarians from Transylvania, more specifically the Székelys. Originally popular in the Székely Land, it became popular in both Hungary and Romania. The fi ...

, a local treat Image:Sovata 2.jpg, Salt-water lake in Sovata/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 Covasna/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 ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable landmark of Hungary, and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It is situated o ...

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

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

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 ServicePanoramas from Székely Land
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szekely Land Geography of Transylvania Historical regions of Transylvania