Covasna is a town in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of 550 –. It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas. The town administers one village, Chiuruș. The village has a population of 451 and has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. Before Orbaiszék merged with Sepsiszék and Kézdiszék to create Háromszék County, in 1876, Covasna was the capital village of Orbaiszék.

Name origin

There are several theories regarding the origin of the city's name, the most recognized one being that it originates from the Slavic kvas, which means "bitter", referring to the taste of the mineral water springs located in the city. According to Szabó Gyula (1914–1984), some legends suggest that the name of Kovászna might have been the result of a fusion between the name of "Kó" and the word "vászon" (it means canvas in Hungarian), thus meaning "Kó's canvas". Theories suggest that the individual of "Kó" might have been a knight, a craftsman or even the last monarch of the Fairies Fortress.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, Covasna had a population of 9,208; of those, 60.34% were Hungarians and 31.14% were Romanians. At the 2011 census, the town had 10,265 inhabitants, of which 7,549 or 66.4% were Hungarians and 3,672 or 32.3% were Romanians. Demographic movement according to the censuses:

History

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Covasna is twinned with:

Natives

The Hungarian explorer and linguist Sándor Kőrösi Csoma was born in Chiuruș/Csomakőrös in 1784. Kőrösi is widely seen as the founder of Tibetology, he was the compiler and author of the first Tibetan-English dictionary and grammar book. He died in Darjeeling, India in 1842. A statue in his honour was erected in the centre of the village in 1972 and there is an exhibition in the cultural centre.