Săcele

Săcele (German: Siebendörfer, Hungarian: Szecseleváros or Négyfalu) is a city in Braşov County, Romania, in the region of Transylvania, with a population of about 30,000 inhabitants in 2003. It is practically adjacent to the city of Braşov, its city-centre being situated 15 km away from downtown Braşov. The location of Săcele

1 History
2 Buildings
3 Population
4 Gallery

[edit] History

The city is now based on former villages which now form the main sectors: Baciu (Bacsfalu), Turcheş (Türkös), Cernatu (Csernátfalu) and Satulung (Hosszufalu).

After the second half of the 11th century, while under Hungarian occupation, the villages are mentioned as "septem villae valacheles" (seven Vlach villages).

The first official mention is an act issued on May 16, 1366, by the Hungarian King Ludovic I de Anjou in which he offers the area between the Timiş and Tarlung rivers to a trusted friend - Count Stanislav.

The name "Săcele" is first mentioned in a letter between the Wallachian Prince Vlad Călugărul (1482-1495) and the magistrate of Braşov.

The oldest local inhabitants were the "mocani" - local shepherds. They are mentioned in numerous official documents and appear to have had a flourishing material existence and rich cultural and spiritual life. They owned thousands of sheep, the villages being among the richest in the area. They carried the local traditions across many Romanian lands due to the transhumance method of shepherding. This explains the existence of a village near the Black Sea called Săcele, founded by the travelling mocani.

Their customs exist to these days: the "Sintilie" (Saint Elijah) festival, national costumes, architecture etc.

Between the 13th and 14th centuries, an important Hungarian population has established in the region and marked the further development of the area.

After the fall of Communism in Romania in 1990, the city has diversified its economy. In Săcele there are nowadays several small furniture factories, lumber-mills, as well as meat-packaging facilities.

[edit] Buildings

The city has 15 churches of the following denominations: Orthodox, Evangelical, Roman Catholic.

[edit] Population

The major ethnic groups of this town are Romanians 71%, Hungarians 23% and Roma 4%. The Romanians and Hungarians co-habit happily and are a positive example of inter-ethnic relations in Transylvania.