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Székely Land

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The Székely Land or Szeklerland ( Hungarian : Székelyföld , pronounced [ˈseːkɛjføld] , Székely runes : 𐲥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗𐳌𐳞𐳖𐳇; Romanian : Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes Secuimea ; German : Szeklerland ; Latin : Terra Siculorum ) 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.

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54-646: 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 . The self-governing Székely seats had their own administrative system, and existed as legal entities from medieval times until

108-428: A list of the final units ( mountains etc.) from the west to the east and south, in a separate listing at the end. (CZ: Jihomoravské Karpaty , AT: Österreichisch-Südmährische Karpaten ) (CZ: Středomoravské Karpaty ) (CZ/SK: Slovensko-moravské Karpaty ) (CZ: Západobeskydské podhůří , PL: Pogórze Zachodniobeskidzkie ) (CZ: Západní Beskydy , SK: Západné Beskydy , PL: Beskidy Zachodnie ) Western section of

162-549: A list of the final units ( mountains , etc.) from the west to the east and south here: Hajd%C3%BA-Bihar County Hajdú–Bihar ( Hungarian : Hajdú-Bihar vármegye , pronounced [ˈhɒjduː ˈbihɒr] ) is an administrative county ( comitatus or vármegye) in eastern Hungary , on the border with Romania . It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg , Borsod–Abaúj–Zemplén , Jász–Nagykun–Szolnok and Békés . The capital of Hajdú-Bihar county

216-847: 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. 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

270-619: Is Debrecen . Together with Bihor County in Romania it constitutes the Biharia Euroregion . The area of the county does not form a geographical unit; it shares several features with the neighbouring areas: from northeast the sand hills of the Nyírség spread over the county borders. The western part is the Hortobágy National Park (" Puszta "), a large flat area of the country. The county of Hajdú–Bihar occupies

324-500: Is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains . The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya System that stretches from western Europe all the way to southern Asia, and are further divided into " provinces " and "subprovinces". The last level of the division, i.e. the actual mountain ranges and basins, is usually classified as "units". The main divisions are shown in

378-698: 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. Transylvania was populated by Thracian peoples in the First Iron Age . The area received a large influx of Scythians from the East in the first half of the first millennium BC. The Celts appeared in Transylvania in

432-1035: Is denoted as "Eastern Carpathians" only the part basically on their territory (i.e.to the north of the Prislop Pass ), while in Romania sometimes use to call "Eastern Carpathians" ( Carpații Orientali ) only the other part, which lies on their territory (i.e. from the Ukrainian border or from the Prislop Pass to the south). In some Polish classifications, Central Beskids and Central Beskidian Piedmont belongs to Western Carpathians province and Outer Western Carpathians subprovince. Wooded Beskids (PL: Beskidy Lesiste; UA: Лісисті Бескиди): Polonynian Beskids (PL: Beskidy Połonińskie; UA: Полонинські Бескиди; SK: Poloniny): Criș Mountains ( Munții Criș ) : Seș-Meseș Mountains ( Munții Seș-Meseșului ): Bihor Massif ( Masivul Bihor ): Mureș Mountains ( Munții Mureșului ): (Note: sometimes considered part of

486-540: 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 16,943 square kilometres (6,542 sq mi), though the autonomy proposal of the Szekler National Council consists of about 13,000 km. This size

540-468: Is shown by adding the following abbreviations to the names of units within Romania: A similar standard (grouping of outer and inner sections) is traditionally applied within broader use of the term " Wooded Carpathians ", that encompasses all mountain ranges within the central section of Outer Eastern Carpathians , including Eastern Beskids with Polonynian Mountains , and also all mountains within

594-514: 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 ). The following is a list of the most known high schools of each city: Those in italic have

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648-611: The Banat Mountains ), sometimes not considered part of the Carpathians at all. They're included below. The regions of Outer Subcarpathia lay outside the broad arc of the entire formation and are usually listed as part of the individual divisions of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. With the difficulty of finding their exact subdivisions, they are given only as

702-871: The Beskids , including the Western Beskids , the Central Beskids and the Eastern Beskids . Their geologic features are fairly distinct, but multiple traditions, languages, and nationalities have developed overlapping variants for the divisions and names of these ranges. In Romania , it is usual to divide the Eastern Carpathians in Romanian territory into three formal groups (northern, central, southern), instead in Outer and Inner sections of Eastern Carpathians. The Romanian approach

756-771: 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

810-627: 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

864-722: The Western Beskids Northern section of the Western Beskids Eastern section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Eastern Beskids , SK: Východné Beskydy ) Central section of the Western Beskids (in Slovak terminology: Central Beskids , SK: Stredné Beskydy ) Source: (SK: Podhôľno-magurská oblasť , PL: Obniżenie Orawsko-Podhalańskie ) Slovak : Slovenské rudohorie Clarification: In Ukraine sometimes

918-653: 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

972-457: The 2011 census. Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census: Highways no. 4, 33, 35, 42 and 47 lead to the county and the county can also be reached Hajdú–Bihar via the M3 motorway (this motorway is now a spur to Debrecen). The total length of the public roads in the county is 1,511 km. 122 road bridges span the rivers and canals. The roads cross the national borders to Romania at

1026-548: 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

1080-594: 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 the Romanian ancestors, was taken after two wars, in 106 AD by the Roman Empire under the emperor Trajan, who began organizing

1134-1042: The Romanian language as their medium of instruction. 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

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1188-577: 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. Eastern Carpathian Mountains Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system. Below

1242-624: The Southern Carpathians) (Note: sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians) Transylvanian Plateau ( Podișul Transilvaniei ): The Outer Subcarpathian regions are divided into Western, Northern, etc. and are usually treated as part of the individual parts of the Carpathian Mountains, i.e. of Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, etc. Since, however, it was impossible to find their exact subdivision, they are given only as

1296-963: The Székely Land became part of the Thervingi kingdom " Gutthiuda " . The migration of the Huns from the east pressured most of the German tribes to leave. In the Battle of Nedao the East Germanic Gepids defeated the Huns and founded Gepidia in the territory of present-day Transylvania. This marked the end of the Hunnic Empire . The territory of the Székely Land was part of the Avar Khaganate . During this period, Avar and Slavic groups migrated into Transylvania. From around 900 to 1526

1350-600: 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

1404-805: 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,

1458-455: 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. 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 within present-day Romania. The population of

1512-562: 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

1566-642: 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 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

1620-532: 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

1674-470: The cities of Ártánd and Nyírábrány. The Hajdú–Bihar County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections, is made up of 24 counselors, with the following party composition: The following members elected of the National Assembly during the 2022 parliamentary election : Hajdú–Bihar County has 1 urban county , 20 towns , 10 large villages and 51 villages. Hajdú–Bihar has

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1728-414: The city of Târgu Mureș witnessed violent clashes between ethnic Romanian and Hungarian groups. After the fall of communism , many hoped that the former Magyar Autonomous Region , abolished by Nicolae Ceauşescu '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

1782-534: The control of Soviet and Romanian forces in 1944, and were confirmed as part of Romania by the Paris Peace Treaties 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. Szekely Land

1836-446: 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

1890-456: The data was available; other new physiogeographic divisions were used in other cases. Where the classification of a higher level "title" is known/sure, it is added at the end of the name in brackets, e.g. "(subprovince)". The names are also given in the language of the corresponding country and marked by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes : The most confusing and diverse is the classification of

1944-523: The eastern part of Hungary. Most of its territory is completely flat and is part of the Pannonian Plain region (called the Grand Plain in the country). The highest point hardly rises over 170.5 metres in the north. It seems that the county slopes to the south because the lowest point is situated in this part of Hajdú-Bihar and hits the 85 metres height. The wind and rivers formed and shaped

1998-545: 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

2052-496: 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

2106-452: The land for thousands of years. First the area of the present-day Hungary was occupied by an inland sea. Then, after some underground movement, the huge peaks of the Carpathians rose from this sea. The wild and rapid rivers of the mountains slowly made that inland sea disappear. Later, the great Hungarian plain was formed by the alluvial deposits of the rivers, the wind began to work and from the great rocks became smaller and smaller sand-grains,

2160-425: 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

2214-544: The map on the right. To generalize, there are three major provinces (regions): Western Carpathians, Eastern Carpathians, and the Southern Carpathians. The division is largely (with many exceptions) undisputed at the lowest level (except for the Ukrainian part), but various divisions are given for the higher levels, especially for the penultimate level. A geomorphological division has been used as much as

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2268-425: 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

2322-408: 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 , the present-day territory of

2376-471: The northern section of Inner Eastern Carpathians , including Vihorlat-Gutin Area and Maramureș-Rodna Area . The Transylvanian Plateau is encircled by, and geologically a part of, the Carpathians. But it is not a mountainous region and its inclusion is disputed in some sources. Its features are included below. The Serbian Carpathians are sometimes considered part of the Southern Carpathians (together with

2430-557: 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. 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

2484-644: The pre-1938 counties Hajdú and Bihar . See the articles of those counties for the history before World War II. Religion in Hajdú-Bihar County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (63.1%)) In 2015, it had a population of 537,268 and the population density was 87/km . The main minority populations in the county are Roma (about 18,000), Romanian (about 2,000), and German (about 1,000). Total population (2011 census): 546,721 Ethnic groups (2011 census): About 77,000 people in Hajdú-Bihar County did not declare their ethnicity during

2538-434: 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 became part of Hungary again; this territory included most of

2592-683: The so-called loess. This covers thickly the Hajdú-Bihar plain as well and makes a fertile soil. There are two great rivers in this area, the Tisza and the Körös . The Hortobágy area was formed by the first one. It used to be the flood area of the Tisza river and after the river was controlled, the Hortobágy became dry, resulting in special fauna. Hajdú–Bihar county was created after World War II from

2646-469: 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. In March 1990,

2700-400: 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 , then inside the Principality of Transylvania . The autonomy was largely due to

2754-414: Was Udvarhely seat, which was also called the Principal seat ( Latin : 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) Due to the Ottoman conquest Transylvania became a semi-independent polity. From the end of the 17th century, Transylvania became part of

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2808-418: 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 , a Magyar Autonomous Region was created in 1952 under the Soviets' pressure, which encompassed most of

2862-449: 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

2916-405: 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

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