Székely Land: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 21:28, 8 July 2025

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{{Short description|Historical and ethnographic region of Transylvania}}

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{{lead rewrite|date=May 2022}}

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{{Multiple images|total_width=275|direction=horizontal|align=right|image1=Flag of Szekely Land.svg|image2=Coat of arms of Szekely Land.svg|footer=[[Flag of the Székelys|Flag]] and [[Coat of arms of the Székelys|coat of arms]] of the Székelys}}

[[File:Tört Székelyföld.png|thumb|250px|The historical Székely seats on the map of present-day Romania]]

{{Contains special characters|Old Hungarian}}

The '''Székely Land'''<ref name=Tomka/><ref name="news">{{Cite news |last=Montague |first=James |date=6 February 2013 |title=Symbol of a Struggle |work=Adevarul |url=https://adevarul.ro/stiri-locale/botosani/cine-au-fost-cu-adevarat-secuii-originea-lor-e-1897037.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315175414/https://adevarul.ro/stiri-locale/botosani/cine-au-fost-cu-adevarat-secuii-originea-lor-e-1897037.html?_r=0 |archive-date=15 March 2025}}</ref> or '''Szeklerland'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schöpflin |first=George |url={{GBurl|id=JihdzOzz9Z0C|p=404}} |title=Nations, Identity, Power: The New Politics of Europe |date=2002 |publisher=Hurst |___location=London |page=404 |isbn=9781850654100 }}</ref> ({{langx|hu|Székelyföld}}, {{IPA|hu|ˈseːkɛjføld|pron}}, [[Old Hungarian script|Székely runes]]: 𐲥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗𐳌𐳞𐳖𐳇; {{langx|ro|Ținutul Secuiesc}} and sometimes {{lang|ro|Secuimea}}; {{langx|de|Szeklerland}}; {{langx|la|Terra Siculorum}})<ref name="Minahan">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Szeklers |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around the World |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |url={{GBurl|id=Zu5GpDby9H0C|p=1810}} |last=Minahan |first=James |date=2002 |volume=4: S-Z |page=1810 |isbn=9780313323843 }}</ref> is a historic and ethnographic area in present-day [[Romania]], inhabited mainly by [[Székelys]], a subgroup of [[Hungarians]].<ref name=Stroschein/><ref>{{Cite book |url={{GBurl|id=O4GGgAmzl3gC|p=160}} |title=Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras |date=1992 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=0-8223-1241-7 |editor-last=Ramet |editor-first=Sabrina Petra |volume=3 |___location=Durham |page=160 |quote=...the Szekler community, now regarded as a subgroup of the Hungarian people.}}</ref> Its cultural centre is the city of [[Târgu Mureș]] (Marosvásárhely), the largest settlement in the region.<ref name=Minahan/>

Székelys (or Szeklers) live in the valleys and hills of the [[Eastern Carpathian Mountains]], corresponding mostly to the present-day [[Harghita County|Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]], and parts of [[Mureș County|Mureș]] counties in Romania.

[[Image:Szekelyfold.png|thumb|250px|Harghita, Covasna, and Mureş Counties within Romania.]]

[[Image:Szekely03.png|thumb|250px|Ethnic map of Harghita, Covasna, and Mureş Counties (2002 data).]]

Originally, the name ''Székely Land'' denoted the territories of a number of [[History of the Székely people|autonomous Székely seats]] within [[Transylvania]]. The self-governing Székely seats had their own administrative system,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hévizi |first=Józsa |url={{GBurl|id=TBUiAQAAIAAJ}} |title=Autonomies in Hungary and Europe: A Comparative Study |date=2005 |publisher=Corvinus Society |page=195 |isbn=9781882785179 |translator-last=DeKornfeld |translator-first=Thomas J.}}</ref> and existed as legal entities from medieval times until the 1870s. The privileges of the Székely and [[Transylvanian Saxons|Saxon]] [[Seat (territorial-administrative unit)|seat]]s [[Counties of the Kingdom of Hungary#Modernised counties .281867 - 1920.29|were abolished and seats were replaced with counties in 1876]].

'''Székely Land''' ({{lang-hu|Székelyföld}}; {{lang-la|Terra Siculorum}}; {{lang-ro|Ţinutul Secuiesc}}) is used today in a cultural-ethnographical sense to refer to the territories inhabited by the [[Székely]], a [[Hungarian minority in Romania|Hungarian minority]] lying in the centre of [[Romania]]. They live in the valleys and hills of the Eastern [[Carpathian Mountains]], corresponding to the present-day [[Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]], and parts of [[Mureş County|Mureş]] Counties in Romania.

Along with Transylvania and eastern parts of [[Administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary#After the 1848.2F1849 Revolution|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 Transylvania|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,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kürti |first=László |url={{GBurl|id=tHJPU14MvfMC|p=30}} |title=The Remote Borderland: Transylvania in the Hungarian Imagination |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-7914-5023-6 |___location=Albany |page=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Romanian Campaign in Hungary, 1944–1945 |encyclopedia=War in the Balkans: An Encyclopedic History from the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Breakup of Yugoslavia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |___location=Santa Barbara, California |url={{GBurl|id=wy3TBAAAQBAJ|p=249}} |last=Kane |first=Robert B. |date=2014 |editor-last=Hall |editor-first=Richard C. |page=249 |isbn=978-1-61069-031-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Armistice Agreement with Rumania; September 12, 1944 |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/rumania.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710164854/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/rumania.asp |archive-date=July 10, 2011 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=The Avalon Project}}</ref> and were confirmed as part of Romania by the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Paris Peace Treaties]] signed 1947 after World War II.

Originally, the name ''Székelyföld'' denoted an autonomous region during the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. It ceased to exist as a legal entity after the [[Habsburg Monarchy]] took control of the region.

Under the name [[Magyar Autonomous Region]], with [[Târgu Mureș]] as capital,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bottoni |first=Stefano |title=Kisebbségi Magyar Közösségek a 20. Században |date=2008 |publisher=Gondolat Kiadó — MTA Kisebbségkutató Intézet |editor-last=Nándor |editor-first=Bárdi |___location=Budapest |pages=246–249 |language=hu |chapter=A romániai modell sajátosságai: a Magyar Autonóm Tartomány. I. V. Stalin- féle modell és a soviet államnacionalizmus |editor-last2=Fedinec |editor-first2=Csilla |editor-last3=Szarka |editor-first3=László |chapter-url=http://adatbank.transindex.ro/regio/kisebbsegkutatas/pdf/V_fej_04_Bottoni.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029220917/http://adatbank.transindex.ro/regio/kisebbsegkutatas/pdf/V_fej_04_Bottoni.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=live}}</ref> parts of the Székely Land enjoyed a certain level of autonomy between 8 September 1952 and 16 February 1968.

There is a local Székely initiative to attain regional autonomy for the Székely Land, within similar boundaries to those of Romania's [[Hungarian Autonomous Region]] (1952-60). Most Romanians, however, oppose this idea. It is also doubtful whether the present constitution of Romania (which defines the country as a unitary nation-state) could accommodate any autonomous regions based on ethnicity.

There are [[Székely autonomy movement|territorial autonomy initiatives]] with the aim to obtain self-governance for this region within Romania.

==Population==

There are approximately 670,000 [[Székely]], an ethnic group kin to the [[Hungarian people|Magyars]], living in [[Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]] and parts of [[Mureş County|Mureş]] Counties, with the highest densities in Harghita and Covasna (~85% and ~74% respectively).

==Geography==

{{See also|List of Székely settlements}}

Most of the land inhabited by the [[Székely]] lays within the [[Harghita]], [[Covasna]], and [[Mureş]] Counties of Romania. Historically centred in the town of [[Odorheiu Secuiesc]] (''Székelyudvarhely''), other important centers of Székely Land have included [[Miercurea Ciuc]] (''Csíkszereda''), [[Sfântu Gheorghe]] (''Sepsiszentgyörgy''), and [[Târgu-Mureş]] (''Marosvásárhely'').

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 {{convert|16,943|km2|sqmi}},<ref name=Minahan/> though the autonomy proposal of the [[Szekler National Council]] consists of about 13,000&nbsp;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==

''Further{{See information: [[also|History of the Székely people|Hungarians in ]]''Romania}}

From the [[12th century|12th]] and [[13th century|13th]] centuries until [[1876]], the Székely Land enjoyed a considerable but varying amount of autonomy, first as a part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]], then inside the [[Transylvania|Principality of Transylvania]], and finally as a part of the [[Habsburg Monarchy|Habsburg Empire]]. The autonomy was largely due to the special service the Székely provided as border guards until the beginning of the [[18th century]]. As a result of the [[Ausgleich|Austro-Hungarian Compromise]] in [[1867]], Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of Hungary within [[Austria-Hungary]] and ceased to exist as a legal or administrative entity.

[[ImageFile:Székely villageflag - Bugac, Kurultáj 2014 (2).jpgJPG|thumb|right220px|400px|AThe Székely villageflag flown in [[CovasnaGreat CountyKurultáj|Kurultáj]] (roughlyin corresponding to the older [[Háromszék]] County)2014]]

===The ancient period===

In 1876, a [[Administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary|general administrative reform]] abolished all the autonomous areas in the Kingdom of Hungary and created a unified system of counties. As a result, the autonomous Székely Land came to an end as well. Four counties were created in its place: [[Udvarhely]], [[Háromszék]], [[Csík]], and [[Maros-Torda]].<ref>Only half of the territory of [[Maros-Torda]] originally belonged to Székely Land, as the other half belonged to other regions. Roughly speaking, present-day [[Harghita]] County encompasses Udvarhely (capital city: ''Székelyudvarhely'', now [[Odorheiu Secuiesc]]) and Csík (capital city: ''Csíkszereda'', [[Miercurea Ciuc]]); [[Covasna County]] covers more or less the same territory as did Háromszék (capital city: ''Sepsiszentgyörgy'', [[Sfântu Gheorghe]]); and what used to be Maros-Torda (capital city: ''Marosvásárhely'', [[Târgu-Mureş]]) is part of present-day [[Mureş County]].</ref>

{{See also|Celts in Transylvania|Dacian kingdom|Roman Dacia|Thervingi|Huns|Gepids}}

Transylvania was populated by [[Thracians|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 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 ([[Dacian fortress of Covasna|Cetatea Zânelor]]) or Jigodin (Harghita county).

In the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920 following [[World War I]], the [[Kingdom of Romania]] acquired [[Transylvania]]. This was accompanied by unsatisfied promises of autonomy for the new Hungarian minority. The Romanian language officially replaced Hungarian in Székely Land, but Székely county boundaries were preserved, and Székely districts were able to elect their own officials at local level and to preserve a church-based Hungarian-language education. In [[1940]], Romania was forced to cede [[Northern Transylvania]] to Hungary in the [[Vienna Awards|Second Vienna Award]]; this territory included most of the historically Székely areas. Hungarian authorities subsequently restored the pre-Trianon structure with slight modifications.

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).

Following the territory's restoration to Romania after [[World War II]], a [[Hungarian Autonomous Region]] was created in [[1952]], which encompassed most of the land inhabited by the Székely. This region lasted until [[1968]] when the administrative reform divided Romania into the current counties.

After the fall of [[Roman Dacia]], the present-day territory of 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]].

Since [[2005]] and [[2006]], representatives of the Hungarian minority have presented their desire to re-create the autonomous region under the name "Székely Land (Szekler Land)". The proposal stirred a series of scandals within the Romanian press and political system.

With the re-creation of the autonomous region, the Hungarian minority is trying to obtain rights similar to those in autonomous [[South Tyrol]] ([[Italy]]), [[Catalonia]] ([[Spain]]), [[Basque Country (autonomous community) | Basque Country]] (Spain), [[Gagauzia]] ([[Moldova]]), [[Nagorno-Karabakh]] ([[Azerbaijan]]), [[Åland Islands]] ([[Finland]]), [[Faroe Islands]] ([[Denmark]]), etc.

===The medieval period===

At this time, the Hungarians are the only major national minority in Europe that does not have any sort of autonomy (cultural or regional).{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The right for autonomy is just one in the long list of themes which are controversial in the Romanian society. Some Hungarians request the re-opening of a separate Hungarian-speaking only Bólyai University (transformed into a bilingual [[Babeş-Bolyai University]]), also request the return of cultural and religious properties to the Hungarian community, as well as the creation of a minority law.

{{See also|History of the Székely people}}

The territory of the Székely Land was part of the [[Avar Khaganate]]{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. During this period, Avar and Slavic groups migrated into Transylvania{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. From around 900 to 1526 the area was under the direct control of the Hungarian state{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. The Székelys presumably settled in Transylvania in the 12th century from present day [[Hajdú-Bihar County|Bihar]] and [[Bihor county|Bihor]] counties{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}.

Hungarians using the Székely symbols, Hungarian inscriptions, or singing the Hungarian and Székely anthems face aggressive opposition from the Romanian side.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The Székely banner is a dark blue field, which contains a golden Sun and a silver Moon. In 2006, a group of Székely Hungarians placed a plaque containing the Székely banner near a road at the entrance to [[Covasna County]]. The act got to the headlines of Romanian newspapers and the [[Romanian Police]] removed it from the spot.

Ancient Hungarian legends suggest a connection between the Székelys and Attila's Huns{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. The [[Székelys#Origins|origin of the Székely people]] is still debated. The [[Seat (territorial-administrative unit)|Székely seats]] were the traditional self-governing territorial units of the Transylvanian Székelys during medieval times{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. (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{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}.

Székely Hungarians are seeking territorial autonomy, inspiring from Western European models, such as the [[Catalonia]]n minority's model in [[Spain]]. The autonomy must have a legal basis and will have to be voted by the Romanian parliament. The Romanian political system and the press considers this initiative an "attempt against the Romanian state's territorial integrity" and therefore rejects it.

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 (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]]{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. The autonomy was largely due to the military service the Székely provided until the beginning of the 18th century{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. The medieval Székely Land was an alliance of the seven autonomous Székely [[Seat (territorial-administrative unit)|seats]] of ''Udvarhely'', ''Csík'', ''Maros'', ''Sepsi'', ''Kézdi'', ''Orbai'' and ''[[Aranyosszék|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''){{citation needed|date=January 2020}}.

In 2006, President [[Traian Băsescu]] of Romania condemned the idea of an autonomous Székely region.

The main seat was Udvarhely seat, which was also called the Principal seat ({{langx|la|Capitalis Sedes}})<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pascu |first=Ștefan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIW2AAAAIAAJ&q=principal+'capitalis+sedes)+Odorhei82.+Este+cea+dintfi+subliniere+a+locului+%C5%9Fi+rolului+scaunului+Odorhei+cu+statut+de+scaun+principal. |title=Voievodatul Transilvaniei |date=1972 |publisher=Dacia |isbn=973-35-0005-4 |edition=2nd |volume=4 |___location=Cluj}}</ref> At [[Székelyudvarhely]] (Odorheiu Secuiesc) were held many national assemblies of the Székelys<ref>{{Cite web |title="capitalis sedes" – Cutare Google |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=%22capitalis+sedes%22&btnG=C%C4%83utare+de+c%C4%83r%C5%A3i&tbm=bks&hl=ro#hl=en&tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22Sz%C3%A9kelyudvarhely%2C+an+ancient+settlement%2C+is+the+mother-town+of+the+Sz%C3%A9kely+people%2C+seat+of+the+earlier+Udvarhelysz%C3%A9k+along+the+river+Nagy-Kukullifi.+Many+Sz%C3%A9kely+national+assemblies+were+held+here%22&oq=%22Sz%C3%A9kelyudvarhely%2C+an+ancient+settlement%2C+is+the+mother-town+of+the+Sz%C3%A9kely+people%2C+seat+of+the+earlier+Udvarhelysz%C3%A9k+along+the+river+Nagy-Kukullifi.+Many+Sz%C3%A9kely+national+assemblies+were+held+here%22&gs_l=serp.3...67210.69697.6.70039.3.3.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.3...1c.1.17.psy-ab.WcUgAPdVoas&pbx=1&fp=fd4e6becb3f1e211&biw=930&bih=593&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&cad=b&sei=IcO5UdnmOueN7QbI64GwBA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212064136/https://www.google.com/search?q=%22capitalis+sedes%22&btnG=C%C4%83utare+de+c%C4%83r%C5%A3i&tbm=bks&hl=ro#hl=en&tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22Sz%C3%A9kelyudvarhely%2C+an+ancient+settlement%2C+is+the+mother-town+of+the+Sz%C3%A9kely+people%2C+seat+of+the+earlier+Udvarhelysz%C3%A9k+along+the+river+Nagy-Kukullifi.+Many+Sz%C3%A9kely+national+assemblies+were+held+here%22&oq=%22Sz%C3%A9kelyudvarhely%2C+an+ancient+settlement%2C+is+the+mother-town+of+the+Sz%C3%A9kely+people%2C+seat+of+the+earlier+Udvarhelysz%C3%A9k+along+the+river+Nagy-Kukullifi.+Many+Sz%C3%A9kely+national+assemblies+were+held+here%22&gs_l=serp.3...67210.69697.6.70039.3.3.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.3...1c.1.17.psy-ab.WcUgAPdVoas&pbx=1&fp=fd4e6becb3f1e211&biw=930&bih=593&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&cad=b&sei=IcO5UdnmOueN7QbI64GwBA |archive-date=12 December 2021 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> A known exception is the 1554 assembly, which took place at Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Balogh |first=Judit |url=http://mek.oszk.hu/03100/03187/03187.pdf |title=A székely nemesség kialakulásának folyamata a 17. század első felében |date=2005 |publisher=Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület |isbn=973-8231-48-5 |___location=Kolozsvár |language=hu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185404/http://mek.oszk.hu/03100/03187/03187.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[February 2007]], a local Székely commission organized a public opinion research campaign in the Székely areas. Over 80% of the population voted "yes" for the autonomy of Székely Land, but this act created conflict again and the subject appeared in the headlines of the Romanian news. The public opinion research campaign was called a "[[Separatism|separatist attempt]]" by the Romanian side.

===Modern era===

On [[February 11]], [[2007]] [[Emil Boc]], the mayor of [[Cluj-Napoca]], maintained the referendum is illegal and called it an "instigation to territorial separatism".<ref name="ZiuaRef">[http://www.ziua.ro/display.php?data=2007-02-13&id=215856 An article on Székely referendum published in Ziua, [[13 February]] [[2007]]] {{ro icon}}</ref>

{{See also|Eastern Hungarian Kingdom|Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania (1711–1867)}}

Due to the Ottoman conquest Transylvania became a semi-independent polity. From the end of the 17th century, [[Principality of Transylvania (1711–1867)|Transylvania]] became part of the [[Habsburg monarchy]] (later [[Austrian Empire]]), and governed by imperial governors.<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Transylvania |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/603323/Transylvania |access-date=2008-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420084452/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/603323/Transylvania |archive-date=2015-04-20}}</ref> 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 of 1867|Austro-Hungarian Compromise]], Transylvania become again an integral part of the Kingdom of Hungary, within [[Austria-Hungary]].

In 1876, a [[Administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Hungary|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.

On [[February 12]], [[2007]], President [[László Sólyom]] of [[Hungary]] visited Romania and met Băsescu. The discussions included the controversial topics of minority rights and and autonomy. Băsescu has pointed out the situation of the Székely in Romania is in full respect with the standards of the [[European Union]]. He also mentioned a referendum for territorial autonomy is illegal and characterized the Székely initiative not as a test of the public opinion, but as a test of Romanian laws.<ref name="RoPresidency">[http://www.presidency.ro/?_RID=det&tb=date&id=8471&_PRID= Romanian presidency's press release, [[12 February]] [[2007]]] {{ro icon}}</ref> Romania's Interior Ministry has said that organizing an informal poll is actually not illegal.[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/12/europe/EU-GEN-Romania-Hungary-Ethnic-Minority.php]

In December 1918, in the wake of the [[World War I|First World War]], Romanian delegates from throughout Transylvania [[Union of Transylvania with Romania|voted to join the Kingdom of Romania]]. There was an attempt in [[Székelyudvarhely|Udvarhely]] to found a "Székely republic" on 9 January 1919; however, its creation was unsuccessful.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://mek.niif.hu/03400/03407/html/439.html |title=History of Transylvania |date=2002 |publisher=Atlantic Research and Publications |isbn=0-88033-497-5 |editor-last=Zoltán |editor-first=Szász |volume=3: From 1830 to 1919 |page=784 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721220118/http://mek.niif.hu/03400/03407/html/439.html |archive-date=2021-07-21}}</ref> 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.

==Notes==

{{reflist}}

After 1930, the Romanian authorities began to [[Romanianization|Romanianize]] the Hungarian population of the Székely Land,<ref>Sándor Bíró, The Nationalities Problem in Transylvania, 1867–1940: A Social History of the Romanian Minority Under Hungarian Rule, 1867–1918 and of the Hungarian Minority Under Romanian Rule, 1918–1940, Social Science Monographs, 1992, p. 486.</ref> with the presence of minorities in political life being repressed.<ref name=Mandelbaum/> The election of Hungarians was consistently nullified.<ref name=Mandelbaum/> The place-names were subjected to Romanianization.<ref name=Mandelbaum/> The minority languages were excised from official life and the local authorities were mostly led by appointed ethnic Romanians.<ref name="Mandelbaum">{{Cite book |title=The New European Diasporas: National Minorities and Conflict in Eastern Europe |date=2000 |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations Press |editor-last=Mandelbaum |editor-first=Michael |___location=New York |page=33}}</ref>

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.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

[[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 [[Labour service (Hungary)|forced labor battalions]].<ref name=wiesel/> For example, 1,200 Jewish males of [[Marosvásárhely]] (''Târgu Mureș'') were conscripted between 1941 and 1944; over half died in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Targu-Mures |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust. This period is well known for the atrocities committed by the Hungarian army which, when it entered Romania, massacred the Romanians and Saxons indiscriminately, and there are writings and evidence explaining and showing genocide. |publisher=New York University Press |___location=New York, New York |date=2001 |editor-last=Spector |editor-first=Shmuel |volume=3: Seredina-Buda - Z |page=1289 |isbn=0-8147-9378-9}}</ref>

However, despite discrimination and many casualties, most of the community lived in relative safety until the March 1944 [[Operation Margarethe|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 [[Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe|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.<ref name="wiesel">{{Citation |title=The Holocaust in Northern Transylvania |url=https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/wiesel/holocaust_in_northern_transylvania.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108142129/http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/wiesel/holocaust_in_northern_transylvania.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-08 |mode=cs1}}, part of the Final Report of the [[International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania]], at the Yad Vashem site</ref>

[[Image:Szeklerland.png|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.<ref name="Brubaker">{{Cite book |last1=Brubaker |first1=Rogers |title=Nationalist Politics and Everyday Ethnicity in a Transylvanian Town |last2=Feischmidt |first2=Margit |last3=Fox |first3=Jon |last4=Grancea |first4=Liana |date=2006 |publisher=Princeton University Press |___location=Princeton |page=80}}</ref><ref name=Case2009>{{cite book|author=Holly Case|title=Between States: The Transylvanian Question and the European Idea during World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1BA1CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT285|date=5 May 2009|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-8755-0|pages=285–}}</ref> For instance, the so-called ''Iuliu Maniu Guards'' terrorized the Székely villages, butchered the local Hungarians by axe and hatchet{{ref|a}} and operated a death camp in [[Feldioara]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ECYUAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Olteanu+Manin+beheaded+innocent+Szeklers+with+hatchets%22 FBIS Daily Report: East Europe, Issues 159–169], Issues 159–169, The Service, 1988, p. 6</ref><ref>The New Hungarian Quarterly, Volumes 31–32, Corvina Press, 1990, p. 34</ref><ref name=Foldvar>[http://et.sapientia.ro/index.php?id=magyar-civilek-internalasa-1944-oszen-romaniaban "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)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130162442/http://et.sapientia.ro/index.php?id=magyar-civilek-internalasa-1944-oszen-romaniaban |date=2019-01-30 }}, Hungarians from Transylvania in Soviet

Captivity between 1945 and 1953 – Lectures, Exhibitions at Sapientia University –</ref> This paramilitary group was described as "''a band of terrorist-chauvinistic criminals''"<ref>Bogdan C. Iacob, History of Communism in Europe vol. 3 / 2012, Zeta Books, 2012, p. 53</ref> by the Soviets. The USSR let the Romanian authorities back to the area in March 1945,<ref name=Brubaker/> and the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|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,<ref>Nicolae Edroiu, Vasile Pușcaș, The Hungarians of Romania, Fundația Culturală Română, 1996, p. 27</ref><ref>Plural Societies, Volume 18, Foundation for the Study of Plural Societies., 1988, p. 71</ref> 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 divisions of Romania|administrative reform]], returned to its traditional local administrative system based on [[Counties of Romania|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 County|Cluj]] and [[Alba County|Alba]] counties.

[[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] came to power in 1965. For the next couple of decades, due to the [[Romanianization]] efforts, a large number{{How many|date=April 2018}} of ethnic Romanians settled in the Székely Land.<ref name="Piller">[[Ingrid Piller]], Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice: An Introduction to Applied Sociolinguistics, Oxford University Press, 2016, p. 101</ref> Those Székely Hungarians who possessed degrees were subjected to resettlement.<ref name=Piller/>

In March 1990, [[Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș|the city of Târgu Mureș witnessed violent clashes]] between ethnic Romanian and Hungarian groups.

After the fall of [[communism]], many{{Who|date=June 2013}} 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<ref>{{cite news|title=Kosovo's Actions Hearten a Hungarian Enclave|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/world/europe/07hungarians.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Szekler&st=nyt&oref=slogin|access-date=2008-04-08|first=Nicholas|last=Kulish|date=2008-04-07|archive-date=2013-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524133515/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/world/europe/07hungarians.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Szekler&st=nyt&oref=slogin|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071104064402/http://freeszekelyland.uw.hu/manifesto.html Manifesto of the Szekely Assembly]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://basilica.ro/a-fost-infiintat-forumul-civic-al-romanilor-din-harghita-si-covasna/|title=A fost înființat Forumul Civic al Românilor din Harghita și Covasna|newspaper=[[Basilica News Agency]]|date=4 June 2005|language=ro}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.budapesttimes.hu/2013/03/18/world-protests-back-szekely-autonomy/|title=World protests back Székely autonomy|access-date=10 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417070517/http://budapesttimes.hu/2013/03/18/world-protests-back-szekely-autonomy/|archive-date=2015-04-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2014, the [[UDMR]] and the [[Hungarian Civic Party (Romania)|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.<ref name=Flag>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/romania-us-ambassador-minority-group-flag-controversy-42081430|title=Romania: US Ambassador in Minority Group Flag Controversy|publisher=abcnews|date=14 September 2016|access-date=19 September 2016|archive-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919163632/http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/romania-us-ambassador-minority-group-flag-controversy-42081430|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agerpres.ro/english/2016/09/14/us-embassy-klemm-ambassador-to-all-of-romania-mae-visiting-diplomats-need-to-consider-local-sensitivities-20-32-36|title=US Embassy: Klemm ambassador to all of Romania; MAE: Visiting diplomats need to consider..|last=AGERPRES|website=www.agerpres.ro|access-date=2016-09-22|archive-date=2016-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923035236/http://www.agerpres.ro/english/2016/09/14/us-embassy-klemm-ambassador-to-all-of-romania-mae-visiting-diplomats-need-to-consider-local-sensitivities-20-32-36|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nineoclock.ro/new-reactions-in-row-over-photo-showing-american-ambassador-holding-szekely-flag-we-were-not-dishonest-with-ambassador-u-s-ambassador-says-sfantu-gheorghe-mayor/|title=New reactions in row over photo showing American ambassador holding Szekely flag: We were not "dishonest" with ambassador U.S Ambassador, says Sfantu Gheorghe Mayor|date=16 September 2016|access-date=22 September 2016|archive-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923060301/http://www.nineoclock.ro/new-reactions-in-row-over-photo-showing-american-ambassador-holding-szekely-flag-we-were-not-dishonest-with-ambassador-u-s-ambassador-says-sfantu-gheorghe-mayor/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<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 [[Constitution of Romania|Romanian Constitution]] defines the country as a "sovereign, independent, unitary and indivisible national state." It has often been argued{{by whom|date=October 2014}} 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 (Romania)|Supreme Council of National Defence of Romania]] declared that an autonomy of the so-called Székely Land would be unconstitutional.<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|title=Proiectul de autonomie a "Ţinutului secuiesc" – iniţiativă separatistă sau un pas pe calea unei reale autonomii locale|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/040121140338.shtml|website=BBC|access-date=8 May 2016|archive-date=21 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221024916/http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/040121140338.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Population==

{{Main|Székelys}}

In 2002 the estimated ethnic composition of the Székely Land (Mureș, Covasna and Harghita counties) consisted of Hungarians (66%), Romanians (29%), Germans (1%) and [[Romani people|Roma]] (4%).<ref name=Minahan/> The area forms a [[Hungarian people|Hungarian]] [[Enclave and exclave#Ethnic enclaves|ethnic enclave]] within present-day [[Romania]].<ref name=Tomka>Béla Tomka, [https://books.google.com/books?id=bwQhUiwTRJIC&pg=PA411 A Social History of Twentieth-Century Europe], Routledge, 2013, p. 411</ref><ref name=Stroschein>Sherrill Stroschein, [https://books.google.com/books?id=SC5B3NXPiU4C&pg=PP1 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"</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sznt.ro/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=210|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416140906/http://www.sznt.ro/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=210|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 April 2013|title=The szeklers and their struggle for autonomy – SZNC – Szekler National Council|author=Zsolt Árus|access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> 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%).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://statisztikak.erdelystat.ro/adatlapok/maros/3263 | title=Maros (Mureș) - statisztikai adatlap }}</ref><ref name=Tab2011>{{cite web|url=http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/|title=Rezultatele recensământului din 2011|access-date=2015-04-04|archive-date=2020-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509214326/http://www.recensamantromania.ro/rezultate-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> 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).<ref>Horváth István, Tonk Márton, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ibCVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA204 Minority politics within the Europe of regions], Editura ISPMN, 2014, p. 205</ref>

[[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).<ref>{{cite report|publisher=National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|url=http://www.mures.insse.ro/phpfiles/Comunicat_presa_rez_preliminare_Mures_RPL-2011.pdf|access-date=2015-04-04|language=ro|title=COMUNICAT DE PRESĂ 24 august 2012 privind rezultatele preliminare ale Recensământului Populaţiei şi al Locuinţelor – 2011 în judeţul Mureş|date=2012-08-24|page=14|archive-date=2015-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416014728/http://www.mures.insse.ro/phpfiles/Comunicat_presa_rez_preliminare_Mures_RPL-2011.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 County|Harghita]], [[Covasna County|Covasna]] and [[Mureș County|Mureș]] (Censuses 1930–2021)'''<br/>Source: National Institute of Statistics - [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INS Romania]]<ref name="Censuses1930-2021">{{cite web |url=https://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tabel-2.01.xls |title=2.1. Populația după etnie pe județe la recensămintele din perioada 1930-2021 |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INS Romania]] |website=www.insse.ro |language=ro}}</ref>

|-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 in Romania|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 people in Romania|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==

[[File:Marosvásárhely, Nemzeti Színház 2.jpg|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)

*[[Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company|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==

[[File:Biblioteca Teleky-Bolyai Targu Mures.JPG|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 Mureş|Târgu-Mureş/Marosvásárhely]]: Bolyai Farkas, ''Unirea, Alexandru Papiu Ilirian''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://marosvasarhelyinfo.blogspot.com/2011/11/iskolak.html | title=Marosvásárhely Info: Iskolák }}</ref>

*[[Sovata|Sovata/Szováta]]:Domokos Kázmér<ref>{{cite web | url=https://primariasovata.ro/hu/directory/liceul-tehnologic-domokos-kazmer/ | title=Domokos Kázmér Óvoda, Gimnázium és Szakközépiskola }}</ref>

*[[Odorheiu Secuiesc|Odorheiu-Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely]]: Tamási Áron, Benedek Elek <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.udvarhely.ro/intezmenyek/iskolak/ | title=Oktatási Intézmények }}</ref>

*[[Cristuru Secuiesc|Cristuru-Secuiesc/Székelykeresztúr]]: Orbán Balázs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://keresztur.info/hasznos/oktat%C3%A1s.html|title=Oktatási intézmények|access-date=}}</ref>

*[[Miercurea Ciuc|Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda]]: Márton Áron, ''Octavian Goga''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.szereda.ro/iskolak | title=Csíkszereda Városháza › Iskolák }}</ref>

*[[Gheorgheni|Gheorgheni/Gyergyószentmiklós]]: Salamon Ernő<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gheorgheni.ro/polgarmesteri-hivatal/kozintezmenyek/oktatasi-intezmenyek/ | title=Oktatási intézmények - Gyergyószentmiklós - Gheorgheni }}</ref>

*[[Topliţa|Topliţa/Maroshévíz]]: ''O. C. Tăslăuanu''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.toplita.info/despre-toplita/institutii-de-invatamant | title=Instituții de învățământ }}</ref>

*[[Sfântu Gheorghe|Sfântu-Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy]]: Székely Mikó, ''Mihai Viteazul'', Mikes Kelemen<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sepsiszentgyorgyinfo.ro/liceumok | title=Líceumok }}</ref>

*[[Târgu Secuiesc|Târgu-Secuiesc/Kézdivásárhely]]: Nagy Mózes<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kezdi.info/centrum/oktatas | title=Iskolák, óvodák, oktatási intézmények }}</ref>

*[[Covasna|Covasna/Kovászna]]: Kőrösi Csoma Sándor<ref>{{cite web | url=https://korosicsomasandor.ro/index.php/hu/ | title=Főoldal }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportclub.ro/a_short_historical_overview|title=Csíkszeredai Sportklub – A Short Historical Overview|website=www.sportclub.ro|access-date=2017-09-29|archive-date=2017-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929135801/http://www.sportclub.ro/a_short_historical_overview|url-status=live}}</ref>

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==

[[File:Nagyajtai unitarius templom.JPG|thumb|220px|right|Fortified church of [[Aita Mare]]]]

*Székely [[Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania|fortified churches]] – more than [[List of fortified churches in Transylvania#List of Székely towns and villages|20 Székely villages]] count fortified churches

*Baroque church at [[Șumuleu Ciuc]] (''Csíksomlyó''), a major Roman Catholic [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrimage]] site

*[[Rural tourism]]

*Hiking in the [[Carpathians]]

*[[Mofette]], spas

*[[Mineral spring]]s, [[thermal bath]]s

*[[Salt mines]] (treatment against allergy and asthma)

*Traditional Székely handicrafts (pottery, wood carving)

*[[Mikó Castle]]

*[http://www.transylvaniancastle.com/ Kálnoky Castle]

*[[Teleki Library]]

*[https://sznm.ro/en/ Székely National Museum] (Muzeul Național Secuiesc/Székely Nemzeti Múzeum), Sfântu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy

*[https://www.csikimuzeum.ro/en Székely Museum of Ciuc] (Muzeul Secuiesc al Ciucului/Csíki Székely Múzeum), Miercurea-Ciuc/Csíkszereda

*[https://sepsimuemlek.ro/details.php?p=5&lng=en The Former Seat of the County Council] (Fostul Sediu al Scaunelor / Vármegyeháza), Sfântu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy

==Image gallery==

<gallery widths="220">

File:Darjiu Ansamblu (1).JPG|[[Dârjiu fortified church|The fortified church]] of [[Dârjiu]]/<wbr/>Székelyderzs is on [[Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania|UNESCO's World Heritage List]]

File:Szent István kápolna Kézdiszentlélek.jpg|St. Stephen chapel of [[Sânzieni]]/<wbr/>{{nowrap|Kézdiszentlélek,}} 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, Harghita|Corund]]/<wbr/>Korond

File:Lacul Rosu 092.jpg|Mountains surrounding the [[Red Lake (Romania)|Red Lake]]

File:Kezdi centre6.jpg|[[Târgu Secuiesc]]/<wbr/>{{nowrap|Kézdivásárhely,}} town in the Székely Land

File:Szeklergaterem.jpg|A typical Székely gate in [[Remetea, Harghita|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 [[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 – {{nowrap|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==

* [[Hungarian minorityHungarians in Romania]]

* [[HungarianMagyar Autonomous ProvinceRegion]]

*[[Székely autonomy movement]]

* [[List of Székely settlements]]

*[[Csángó Land]]

* [[Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureş]]

*[[Partium]]

*[[Szekler National Council]]

*[[Székely himnusz]]

*[[Székely Land football team]]

==Notes==

:1.{{note|a}}''"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==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons|Székely Land}}

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozFTzRq5-1M Székely Anthem]

*[http://szekelyfoldportal.info/ Szeklerland Portal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422095639/http://www.szekelyfoldportal.info/ |date=2016-04-22 }}

*[http://www.sznt.eu/ Szekler National Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230012212/https://www.sznt.eu/ |date=2020-12-30 }}

*[http://www.edrc.ro/publicatii/Cartea_Alba/eng/annex7.pdf The Population of Covasna and Harghita Counties. Aspects of Interethnic Co-Existence]

*[https://www.kezdi.info/ Kézdi.Infó Digital Community Service]

*[https://www.virtualisszekelyfold.ro/home-eng Panoramas from Székely Land]

{{coord missing|Romania}}

[[Category:Geography of Romania|Szekely Land]]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Transylvania|Szekely Land]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szekely Land}}

[[de:Szeklerland]]

[[Category:Székely Land| ]]

[[eo:Sikullando]]

[[Category:Geography of Transylvania]]

[[hu:Székelyföld]]

[[Category:Historical regions of Transylvania]]

[[nl:Szeklerland]]

[[ro:Ţinutul Secuiesc]]

[[sv:Seklerlandet]]