Sfântu Gheorghe

Information

Sfântu Gheorghe is also a town in the Danube Delta, Tulcea County.
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: -->Sfântu Gheorghe (Hungarian: Sepsiszentgyörgy, German: Sankt Georgen) is a city in central Romania in Transylvania on the Olt River. It is located in a valley between the Baraolt and Bodoc mountains. Sfântu Gheorghe is the capital of Covasna county. It has 60,900 inhabitants (2004), most of whom are Hungarian. There are also approximately 5,000 Roma.

History

Sfântu Gheorghe is one of the oldest cities in Transylvania, as settlement was first documented there in 1332. The city's name is derived from the patron saint of a local church, Saint George. It was an economic and administrative center for the Hungarian county Háromszék, now Covasna and Braşov counties. In the second half of the 19th century, Sfântu Gheorghe developed both a textile and a cigarette factory. Sfântu Gheorghe is a center for the Szeklers in the cultural region known as Székelyföld, and is home to the Székely National Museum. The city hosts two market fairs each year.

Sights

  • Fortified Church (Romanian: Biserică Fortificată; Hungarian: Vártemplom)- constructed in the 14th century in the Gothic style
  • State Archive, the former headquarters of the Hussar battalions
  • City library constructed in 1832 as the seat of the county council
  • Theater used from 1854-1866 as the town hall
  • The market bazaar built in 1868, with a clock tower built in 1893
Municipalities in RomaniaCovasna County