Vlăhița

Vlăhița Szentegyháza
Town
Vlăhița church square
Coat of arms
Location in Harghita County
Vlăhița Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°21′0″N 25°31′48″E
Country	Romania
County	Harghita
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Csaba Lőrincz[1] (AMT)
Area [2]	75.25 km^2 (29.05 sq mi)
Elevation	860 m (2,820 ft)
Population  (2021-12-01)[3]	6,468
• Density	86/km^2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	535500
Area code	(+40) 02 66
Vehicle reg.	HR
Website	www.primariavlahita.ro

Vlăhița (listen^ⓘ) (Hungarian: Szentegyháza, pronounced [ˈsɛntɛchaːzɒ] ^ⓘ, until 1899 Szentegyházas-Oláhfalu) is a town in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania.

The town administers two villages: Băile Homorod (Homoródfürdő) and Minele Lueta (Lövétebánya). Its Romanian name is of Slavic origin, meaning "little Vlach", while its Hungarian name means "Church of the Saint".

Location

Vlăhița is situated on national road DN13 [ro], midway between Odorheiu Secuiesc and the county seat, Miercurea Ciuc. Its 860 m (2,820 ft) altitude makes it the highest town in Harghita County.

History

In Roman times a Roman fort was functioning in nearby Băile Homorod. The town was part of the Székely Land area of the historical Transylvania province. It belonged to Udvarhelyszék until the administrative reform of Transylvania in 1876, when it fell within the Udvarhely County of Austria-Hungary. After the Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919 and the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, it became part of Romania and fell within plasa Odorhei of Odorhei County during the interwar period. In 1940, the Second Vienna Award granted Northern Transylvania to Hungary and the town was held by Hungary until the fall of 1944, when Romanian and Soviet troops regained control during World War II. After a brief Soviet occupation, the Romanian administration returned in March 1945. In 1950, after Communist Romania was established, Vlăhița became part of the Odorhei Raion of Stalin Region. Between 1952 and 1960, the town fell within the Magyar Autonomous Region, between 1960 and 1968 the Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region. In 1968, the region was abolished, and since then, the town has been part of Harghita County.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1977	6,636	—
1992	7,667	+15.5%
2002	7,392	−3.6%
2011	6,820	−7.7%
2021	6,468	−5.2%
Source: Census data

At the 2011 census, the town had a total population of 6,820 of which 6,749 (98.96%) were Székely Hungarians, making it the town with the highest proportion of Hungarians in Romania. At the 2021 census, Vlăhița had a population of 6,468; of those, 94.12% were Hungarians.[4]

Culture

The Children's Orchestra

The town is famous for its Children's Orchestra (Filarmonica de copii/Gyermekfilharmónia), in which more than 140 youngsters sing and play instruments.

Twin town

• Szarvas, Hungary (1994)

References

1. "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
2. "Primăria Vlăhița". www.ghidulprimariilor.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved October 7, 2024.
3. "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
4. "Populația rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.

• 
  The Pearl of Vlăhița
• 
  Minele Lueta
• 
  Băile Homorod, 1970
• 
  Wooden miner's house from 1950