Valea Crişului

For the village in Bihor County, see Bratca.

Valea Crişului Sepsikőröspatak
—  Commune  —
Location of Valea Crişului
Coordinates: 45°55′0″N 25°46′0″E / 45.916667°N 25.766667°E / 45.916667; 25.766667Coordinates: 45°55′0″N 25°46′0″E / 45.916667°N 25.766667°E / 45.916667; 25.766667
Country	Romania
County	Covasna County
Status	Commune
Government
– Mayor	Silviu Ioachim (Democratic Liberal Party)
Population (2002)
– Total	3,463
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
– Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Valea Crişului (Hungarian: Sepsikőröspatak, Hungarian pronunciation: [’ʃɛpʃikørøʃpatak]) is a commune in Covasna County, Romania composed of two villages:

• Calnic / Kálnok, on the Calnic River
• Valea Crişului

History

It formed part of the Székely Land region of the historical Transylvania province. Until 1918, the village belonged to the Háromszék County of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, it became part of Romania. In 2004; the village of Arcuş split away from Valea Crişului to form an independent commune.

Demographics

The commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 3,463 of which 97.26% or 3,368 are Hungarian.

Points of interest

There is a historic Roman Catholic church at Valea Crişului. In its semicircular apse dating from the era of the Arpad dynasty, there are fragments of medieval frescoes considered to be of the 14th century. Its smaller bell was made in Brasov in 1512. The patronal feast of the church is on Trinity Sunday.

The ancestral castle of the family of Count Kálnoky. The ancient Renaissance castle, built at the cusp of the17th century, has been renovated several times.

There are man-made caves in the rocky slopes of the Fenyős peak, which in winter serve as a refuge for insects and moths. The longest among them is the Ploti cave (14 m).

People

• Kőröspataki Kálnoky family

Calnic

The 18th century bell tower at Calnic

The neighboring village of Calnic (3 km) belongs administratively to Valea Crişului.

The masterpiece of wood carving is the 18th century bell tower at Calnic, covered by two wooden. The Unitarian church next to it dates from 1781. Not a single iron nail was used in its construction. Both structures are listed monuments.

The Unitarian church at Calnic, dating to 1674, is a historic monument. Its floral-patterned coffered ceiling dates from the same century. Its two carved portals are the work of folk artists Dénes Nemes and András Bálint.

Gallery

Valea Crişului

• 

  Fortified church of Calnic

• 

  Village gate

• 

  Panorama

• 

  Roman Catholic church, Mural

• 

  Apostle Matthew

• 
• 

  Kálnoky Ludmilla school

• 

  Chapel ruin

• 

  Chapel ruin

• 

  Reformed church

• 

  Unitarian church

Calnic

• 

  Unitarian Church and wooden belfries, 18th century

• 

  Reformarted church, 15th century

• 

  Reformed church' wooden belfrie, 18th century

• 

  Unitarian church gate

• 

  Unitarian church, flower pattern, 17th century

• 

  Bedő Albert statue

References

External links

• Valea Crişului (Sepsiköröspatak), PowerPoint Presentation
• Valea Crişului (Sepsiköröspatak), Pictures
• Churches in Valea Crişului (Sepsiköröspatak)
• Calnic (Kálnok), PowerPoint Presentation
• Calnic (Kálnok), Pictures