Covasna

For the village in Iaşi County, see Costuleni, Iaşi.

Covasna (Romanian pronunciation: [koˈvasna], Hungarian: Kovászna, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈkovaːsnɒ], German: Kowasna) is a town in Covasna county, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of 550–600 m.

Known as the "town of 1,000 mineral springs", Covasna is famous for its mineral waters. Each spring has a different mixture of minerals, chiefly carbon dioxide, sulfur, and ammonia. Its name is derived from the Slavic word Cvaz, meaning sour, referring to the taste of its mineral waters.

Chiuruș

The town administers one village, Chiuruș (Hungarian: Csomakőrös). The village has a population of 451 and has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census, Covasna has 10,265 inhabitants. It has a Hungarian majority: 7,549 or 66.4%. 3,672 (32.3%) Romanians also live in the town.

Demographic movement according to the censuses:

History

• 1567 - First mentioned in a document.
• 1952 - Covasna became a town.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania

Twin towns – Sister cities

Covasna is twinned with:

• Pápa, Hungary

Famous natives

The famous 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.