The Székely Land or Szeklerland (, , Székely runes: 𐲥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗𐳌𐳞𐳖𐳇; and sometimes ; ; ) is a historic and ethnographic area in present-day Romania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. Its cultural centre is the city of Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely), the largest settlement in the region. and existed as legal entities from medieval times until the 1870s. The privileges of the Székely and Saxon seats 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. In August 1940, as a consequence of the Second Vienna Award, northern territories of Transylvania, including the Székely Land, were returned to Hungary. 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, 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

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 , 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, Transylvania became part of the Habsburg monarchy (later Austrian Empire), 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.

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 became a district of Torda-Aranyos county.

In December 1918, in the wake of the First World War, 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 Treaty of Trianon, Transylvania along with further territories was officially ceded to the Kingdom of Romania. The Romanian language 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.

In 1940, as a result of the Second Vienna Award, Northern Transylvania 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, 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.

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

thumb|250px|right|The Székely Land as envisaged by the autonomy supporters based on the historical Székely seats

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. 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, 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. Roughly speaking, present-day Harghita County encompasses the former Udvarhely and Csík, the latter including Gyergyószék; Covasna County 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 Aranyosszék is today divided between Cluj and Alba counties.

Nicolae Ceaușescu 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. Those Székely Hungarians who possessed degrees were subjected to resettlement. 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 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 Szekler National Council 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. 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.

<gallery class="center">

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

</gallery>

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 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).

Târgu Mureș 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).

<div width="100%" style="overflow:auto">

{| class="wikitable"

|+

|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

| colspan="27" align="center"| Romania according to ethnic group in Harghita, Covasna and Mureș (Censuses 1930–2021)<br/>Source: National Institute of Statistics - INS Romania

|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! rowspan="2" ! colspan="3" | Ethnic group

! colspan="3" | 1930 || colspan="3" | 1956 || colspan="3" | 1966 || colspan="3" | 1977 || colspan="3" | 1992 || colspan="3" | 2002 || colspan="3" | 2011 || colspan="3" | 2021

|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș !! Harghita !! Covasna !! Mureș

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="4" | Hungarians

| colspan="2" | %

| 86.61 || 76.69 || 41.59 || 89.55 || 79.07 || 45.18 || 88.14 || 79.43 || 44.46 || 85.07 || 78.45 || 44.31 || 84.72 || 75.24 || 41.42 || 84.65 || 73.82 || 39.31 || 85.21 || 73.74 || 38.09 || 85.67 || 71.77 || 35.58

|- style="text-align:center;"

| colspan="2" | Pop

| 216,615 || 116,961 || 176,990 || 245,300 || 136,388 || 231,875 || 248,886 || 140,472 || 249,675 || 277,587 || 156,120 || 268,251 || 295,104 || 175,502 || 252,651 || 276,038 || 164,158 || 228,275 || 257,707 || 150,468 || 200,858 || 232,157 || 133,444 || 165,014

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="2" | Total

| %

| colspan="3" | 61.65 || colspan="3" | 63.94 || colspan="3" | 62.60 || colspan="3" | 62.08 || colspan="3" | 60.70 || colspan="3" | 59.20 || colspan="3" | 58.91 || colspan="3" | 57.63

|- style="text-align:center;"

| Pop

| colspan="3" | 510,566 || colspan="3" | 613,563 || colspan="3" | 639,033 || colspan="3" | 701,958 || colspan="3" | 723,257 || colspan="3" | 668,471 || colspan="3" | 609,033 || colspan="3" | 530,615

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="4" | Romanians

| colspan="2" | %

| 9.99 || 19.94 || 43.55 || 9.38 || 18.21 || 47.49 || 11.07 || 19.28 || 49.57 || 13.73 || 19.57 || 49.10 || 14.05 || 23.40 || 52.05 || 14.07 || 23.29 || 53.27 || 12.96 || 22.06 || 52.60 || 12.41 || 22.99 || 54.42

|- style="text-align:center;"

| colspan="2" | Pop

| 24,996 || 30,405 || 185,367 || 25,694 || 31,416 || 243,720 || 31,272 || 34,099 || 278,386 || 44,794 || 38,948 || 297,205 || 48,948 || 54,586 || 317,541 || 45,870 || 51,790 || 309,375 || 39,196 || 45,021 || 277,372 || 33,634 || 42,752 || 252,400

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="2" | Total

| %

| colspan="3" | 29.07 || colspan="3" | 31.35 || colspan="3" | 33.68 || colspan="3" | 33.69 || colspan="3" | 35.34 || colspan="3" | 36.05 || colspan="3" | 34.98 || colspan="3" | 35.71

|- style="text-align:center;"

| Pop

| colspan="3" | 240,768 || colspan="3" | 300,830 || colspan="3" | 343,757 || colspan="3" | 380,947 || colspan="3" | 421,075 || colspan="3" | 407,035 || colspan="3" | 361,589 || colspan="3" | 328,786

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="4" | Romani

| colspan="2" | %

| 1.08 || 2.02 || 4.10 || 0.55 || 2.00 || 2.69 || 0.49 || 0.83 || 2.03 || 0.99 || 1.77 || 3.31 || 1.10 || 1.13 || 5.70 || 1.18 || 2.69 || 6.96 || 1.76 || 4.05 || 8.90 || 1.82 || 5.11 || 9.68

|- style="text-align:center;"

| colspan="2" | Pop

| 2,702 || 3,080 || 17,444 || 1,514 || 3,450 || 13,804 || 1,390 || 1,465 || 11,402 || 3,228 || 3,522 || 20,019 || 3,827 || 2,641 || 34,798 || 3,835 || 5,973 || 40,425 || 5,326 || 8,267 || 46,947 || 4,928 || 9,507 || 44,880

|- style="text-align:center;"

| rowspan="2" | Total

| %

| colspan="3" | 2.80 || colspan="3" | 1.96 || colspan="3" | 1.40 || colspan="3" | 2.37 || colspan="3" | 3.46 || colspan="3" | 4.45 || colspan="3" | 5.86 || colspan="3" | 6.44

|- style="text-align:center;"

| Pop

| colspan="3" | 23,226 || colspan="3" | 18,768 || colspan="3" | 14,257 || colspan="3" | 26,769 || colspan="3" | 41,266 || colspan="3" | 50,233 || colspan="3" | 60,540 || colspan="3" | 59,315

|}

</div>

<gallery class="center">

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

</gallery>

<!-- Before editing this section to reinsert statements about the census, note that it MUST be cited and please review the talk page for discussion about why this was problematic -->

Culture

thumb|The contemporary building of the Târgu Mureș National Theatre inaugurated in 1973

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 (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

thumb|Teleki-Bolyai Library

  • 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-Mureș/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
  • Toplița/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

thumb|220px|right|Fortified church of [[Aita Mare]]

  • Székely fortified churches – more than 20 Székely villages count fortified churches
  • Baroque church at Șumuleu Ciuc (Csíksomlyó), a major Roman Catholic pilgrimage site
  • Rural tourism
  • Hiking in the Carpathians
  • Mofette, spas
  • Mineral springs, 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

<gallery widths="220">

File:Darjiu Ansamblu (1).JPG|The fortified church of Dârjiu (Székelyderzs) is on UNESCO's World Heritage List

File:PerkoFotoThalerTamas.JPG|St. Stephen chapel of Sânzieni (Kézdiszentlélek), originally built in the 12th century

File:Castelul Lazar - Lăzarea.jpg|Lázár Castle

File:Miercurea Ciuc Cetatea (1).JPG|Mikó Castle

File:Korond.jpg|Pottery shop in Corund (Korond)

File:Lacul Rosu 092.jpg|Mountains surrounding the Red Lake

File:Hódolat Hungáriának.JPG|Palace of Culture, Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely)

File:Kezdi centre6.jpg|Târgu Secuiesc (Kézdivásárhely), 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 tool from the Székely Land

Image:Kürtőskalács.jpg|Kürtőskalács, a local treat

Image:Sovata 2.jpg|Salt-water lake in Sovata (Szováta)

Image:Gábor Áron Bereck.jpg|Áron Gábor's sculpture in Brețcu (Bereck)

Image:Kőrösi Csoma Sándor szobra Kovásznán.jpg|Sándor Kőrösi Csoma' statue in Covasna (Kovászna)

File:Sacrifice cup - Székely Land.jpg|Sacrifice cup – Csíkszentmihályi Sándor family

File:Székely flag (1).JPG|Székely flag flying above the Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest

File:Területi autonómiát Székelyföldnek ! - Budapest, 2014.03.10 (19).JPG|Demonstration in Budapest on the Székely Freedom Day

</gallery>

See also

  • Hungarians in Romania
  • Magyar Autonomous Region
  • Székely autonomy movement
  • Csángó Land
  • Partium
  • Szekler National Council
  • Székely himnusz
  • Székely Land football team

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

  • Székely Anthem
  • Szeklerland Portal
  • Szekler National Council
  • The Population of Covasna and Harghita Counties. Aspects of Interethnic Co-Existence
  • Kézdi.Infó Digital Community Service
  • Panoramas from Székely Land