Sfântu Gheorghe

Sfântu Gheorghe (or Szentgyörgy ; ; English lit.: Saint George) is a city that serves as the seat of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and, consequently, in the historical region of Transylvania, it lies on the Olt River in a valley between the Baraolt Mountains and the . The town administers two villages, Chilieni (Kilyén) and Coșeni (Szotyor).
History
Sfântu Gheorghe is one of the oldest urban settlements in Transylvania, the town first having been documented in 1332. The town takes its name from Saint George, the patron of the local church. Historically, it was also known in German as Sankt Georgen. The "sepsi" prefix (sebesi → sepsi, meaning "of Sebes") refers to the area which the ancestors of the local Székely population had inhabited before settling to the area of the town. The previous area of their settlement was around the town of "Sebes" (now Sebeș, in Alba County) which later became populated mainly by Transylvanian Saxons, being known as Mühlbach in German.
While part of the Kingdom of Hungary, the town was the economic and administrative center of the Hungarian county of Háromszék, which spanned the present-day Covasna County and parts of Brașov County. In the second half of the 19th century, Sepsiszentgyörgy witnessed the development of light industry, a textile and a cigarette factory being built. In the aftermath of World War I, the Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared in December 1918. At the start of the Hungarian–Romanian War of 1918–1919, the town passed under Romanian administration. After the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, it became part of the Kingdom of Romania and the seat of Trei Scaune County. In 1940, the Second Vienna Award granted Northern Transylvania to the Kingdom of Hungary. Near the end of that period, the Sfântu Gheorghe ghetto briefly existed in the town. In October 1944, during World War II, Romanian and Soviet armies entered the town. The territory of Northern Transylvania remained under Soviet military administration until March 9, 1945, after which it became again part of Romania; the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947 reaffirmed the town and the entirety of Transylvania as a Romanian territory. Between 1952 and 1960, Sfântu Gheorghe was the southernmost town of the Magyar Autonomous Region, and between 1960 and 1968 it was part of the Brașov Region. In 1968, when Romania was reorganized based on counties rather than regions, the city became the seat of Covasna County.
Sfântu Gheorghe is one of the centres for the Székely people in the region known to them as Székelyföld in Hungarian – which means "Székely Land", and is home to the Székely National Museum. The town hosts two market fairs each year.
Demographics
At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 50,080. The majority of the inhabitants are Hungarians. At the 2011 census, 41,233 (74%) of the city's 56,006 inhabitants declared themselves as ethnic Hungarians, 11,807 (21%) as Romanians, 398 (0.7%) as Roma, and 2,562 as other ethnicities or no information. 74% had Hungarian as first language, and 21% Romanian.
Sights
, constructed in the 14th century in Gothic style
, constructed in the 19th century in Neoclassical style
State Archive, the former headquarters of the Hussar battalions
, constructed in 1832 as the seat of the county council
Theater used from 1854 to 1866 as the city hall
The market bazaar, built in 1868, with a clock tower built in 1893
, founded 1875
Economy
The predominant industry in the city is the textile industry. The city holds underutilized production capabilities such as a downsized automobile transmission parts and gearboxes factory (IMASA SA) and a tobacco factory.
Services sector contains growing areas such as IT services with ROMARG SRL the leading domain registrar and web hosting provider in Romania having its headquarters here.
Sports
Football
The main sport in the city is football. The city has a men's football team, called Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgyi OSK). In the 2016–2017 season the team was promoted from Liga II and currently plays in Liga I.
Basketball
Sfântu Gheorghe has also a women's basketball team, called ACS Sepsi SIC. The club competes in Liga Națională (the Romanian First League). Sepsi SIC has won the Romanian Championship 7 times: in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons.
Futsal
The city also has a futsal team which plays in the Romanian First Division. The name of the team is Futsal Club Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgyi Futsal Club).
Culture
The city has two theaters (the Andrei Mureșanu Theater and the Tamási Áron Theater), a county library (the ), and two museums (the and the ).
The Hungarian artist Jenő Gyárfás was born there and was a lifelong resident. His former studio is now an art gallery and exhibition hall.
Education
Puskás Tivadar High School
Székely Mikó High School
Mikes Kelemen High School
Mihai Viteazul National College
Plugor Sandor Art High School
Váradi József School
Natives
Tibor Benkő (1905–1988), fencer and modern pentathlete
István Berde (born 1988), footballer
Gavrilă Birău (born 1945), footballer and football manager
Annamari Dancs, singer
Endre Elekes (born 1968), wrestler
Jenő Gyárfás (1857–1925), portrait painter, graphic artist, and writer
Attila Hadnagy (born 1980), footballer
Kriszta Incze (born 1996), freestyle wrestler
Laura Codruța Kövesi (born 1973), prosecutor
Nandor Kuti (born 1997), basketball player
Edit Matei (born 1964), handballer
Szilárd Mitra (born 1987), footballer
Csongor Olteán (born 1984), javelin thrower
Gabriela Rotiș (born 1980), handballer
Valentin Suciu (born 1980), football manager
Marius Szőke (born 1993), handballer
Maria Török-Duca (born 1959), handballer and handball manager
Lajos Veress (1889-1976), Hungarian military officer
Zsombor Veress (born 1999), footballer
References
External links
Populated places in Covasna County
Localities in Transylvania
Cities in Romania
Capitals of Romanian counties