down

[ About Site | About Services | About Team ]

Located at the cross-roads of the routes connecting the East and the West, Covasna county territory attests the presence in this area, besides the Dacians, of several migratory tribes – Celts, Avars, Slavs, Magyar, Petchenegs, Cumans – after the withdrawal of the Roman legions, which shows in the names of several old localities (Covasna, Cernat, Ozun, Baraolt, Biborteni, etc.). The county – formerly named Trei Scaune – is inhabited by Hungarians (75 per cent) and Romanians (24 per cent). The ancestors of the Magyar-Szeckler came to this area in the 12th-13th centuries AD. They were already Christian, had their own territorial and administrative organisation – divisions called scaune – and had as main obligation to defend the passes in the Carpathian Mountains. Along the centuries, the inhabitants of the county fought bloody battles to defend the rights and liberties bequeathed by their forefathers. The revolution of 1848-1849 wrote glorious pages in the history of the county.  At Targu-Secuiesc, the leather dressers’ guild was set up as early as 1572, the bootmakers’ guild – in 1638, and the potters’ one – in 1649. Industrial activities proper started with the opening of the coal mines in 1872, and the textile and tobacco industries were inaugurates end 19th century at Sfantu-Gheorghe. Opening of the railway line between Brasov and Targu-Secuiesc in 1891 and that to Miercurea-Ciuc in 1897 had a great say in the upsurge of industries in the area. Industry witnessed a considerable recovery and upsurge after the county reinstatement in 1968, prevailing in the county economy.

[ back to TOP ]

Geographical Outline

Covasna county is located in central Romania, in the Carpathian curve. It borders Brasov, Buzau, Vrancea, Bacau and Harghita counties. It stretches over 3,710 sq. km, i.e. 1.6 per cent of the total Romanian expanse – it is one of the smaller Romanian counties, which is also mirrored by the population numbering (according to the 1992 census) 231,904 persons (1.0 per cent of total Romanian population). The county seat is the town of Sfantu-Gheorghe. Situated on the right bank of the Olt, it has a population of 68,395 people. The town is 30 km away from Brasov, one of the best populated and industrialised towns in Romania, and 200 km away from the Romanian Capital City with which it is connected by railway and national road. 53 per cent of the county population lives in urban localities (5 towns), the balance 47 per cent in rural establishments (33 communes and 122 villages). Covasna soil and sub-soil are very rich: hundreds of table and medicinal mineral water springs, only a very small part of them being exploited – Biborteni, Malnas, Bodoc, Valcele, Covasna, Poiana. The lignite ores of Baraolt are also exploited. Some 47 per cent of the county area is covered with forests – resinous and deciduous species –, which shows the great wood-working and tourism potential of this expanse.

[ back to TOP ]

Touristic Information

A land of mofettes, table waters and spas. This is the Covasna county which is situated on the middle course of the Olt River in the arch of the Carpathians' Curvature.  Having a surface of about 4,000 sq.m, rounded by mountains covered by beech and fir forests, the Covasna county has an ozonized and ionized climate. The relief consists mainly in volcanic mountains of a low altitude. The table waters and mofettes are to be mentioned. Only around the town of Covasna - an important watering place - there are over 1,000 springs of table waters - some of them having a flow of ten thousand liters per hour. Rich in carbonic acid, these table waters are very different in taste and curative effects. This is the reason Covasna is a watering county with a lot of spas. The ionized air, the radioactive mofettes situated on 40 km in radius, and carbogaseous waters determined the fame of Covasna Spa as the most complex cure spa in Europe. There are also other smaller spas as follows: Balvanyos, Malnas-Bai, Biborteni, Ozunca-Bai, Valcele, Bodoc, Doboseni, Filia, Micfalau, Valea Zalanului, Batanii Mici a.o. Here a lot of diseases can be cured as: dermatologic, rheumatic, orthopedic, cardiologic, nutrition, endocrine, gynecological or male genital diseases.  Having the municipality of Sfintu Gheorghe as its capital city, the Covasna county is also the county of the old fortified churches, peasant fortresses, wooden gates with dovecots and pillars carved in wood. They can be seen in towns as Sf. Gheorghe, Covasna, Intorsura Buzaului, Targu Secuiesc or Baraolt, but also in villages as Aita Mare, Araci, Arcus, Batanii Mari, Bodoc, Capeni, Cernat, Chichis, Chilieni, Estelnic, Filia, Ilieni, Lemnia, Olteni, Ozun, Reci, Sanzieni, Valea Crisului, Zagon, Zabala a.o.  A picturesque place is the Quay of Varghis on the Varghis Valley, in the Rarghita Mountains. The river cut in stone a narrow path which is 3 km long, and of an impressive wildness and natural beauty, with about 60 caves. The biggest one is the Meresti Cave and it is the longest cave in the Oriental Carpathians. Famous are here the Karstic intermitent springs too.   The fauna is very rich here especially in the Brelcu zone, but also in other forests and zones of this county. The hunting of bear, wolf, Carpathian stag, roebuck, capercaillie, hare is an usual sport. The Reci, Oltul and Raul Negru Lakes, numerous valleys and clear rivulets are good places for fishers.  The peat bog from Ozunca and the birch grove from Reci diversify the rich flora so that till September the smell of flowers gather with the one of fir trees all over the alpine pastures. In winter or in summer, the Covasna county waits for its guests for a cure or tourism.

[ back to TOP ]

Economy Profile

[ back to TOP ]

up

[ Back | Home | Latest News | Tools | Clubs | Quick Links | Contact us ]