Covasna

Covasna Kovászna
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Covasna
Country	Romania
County	Covasna County
Status	Town
Government
• Mayor	Lőrincz Zsigmond (UDMR)
Area
• Total	155.11 km2 (59.89 sq mi)
Population  (2004)
• Total	11,369
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Website	http://www.covasna.net/

Covasna or Kovászna (Template:Lang-ro; Hungarian: Kovászna, 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.

Chiuruş

Chiuruş or Csomakőrös (Template:Lang-ro; Template:Lang-hu) is a village administratively part of the town. The village has a population of 451 and has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority.

Demographics

According to the 2002 Census, Covasna has 11,369 inhabitants. It has a Székely Hungarian majority: 7,549 or 66.4%. 3,672 (32.3%) Romanians also live in the town.

History

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

Famous natives

The famous Hungarian explorer and linguist Sándor Kőrösi Csoma was in Chiuruş/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's an exhibition in the cultural centre.

External links

• www.cosys.ro/kovaszna/rom - unofficial site of the town of Covasna, accessible in Romanian, Hungarian and English
• www.covasna.tk - unofficial site of the town of Covasna in English, Hungarian, German and Romanian