Valea Crișului (Hungarian: Sepsikőröspatak[ˈʃɛpʃikørøʃpɒtɒk]) is a commune in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania composed of two villages: Calnic (Kálnok) and Valea Crișului. In 2004, the village of Arcuș split away from Valea Crișului to form an independent commune.
In 1950, after Communist Romania was established, Valea Crișului became part of the Sfântu Gheorghe Raion of Stalin Region. From 1952 and 1960, it was part of the Magyar Autonomous Region, and between 1960 and 1968 it reverted to Brașov Region. In 1968, when Romania was reorganized based on counties rather than regions, the commune became part of Covasna County.
Demographics
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1850
1,538
—
1930
1,952
+26.9%
1977
2,184
+11.9%
2002
2,175
−0.4%
2011
2,307
+6.1%
2021
2,354
+2.0%
Source: Census data
The commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 census, it had a population of 2,175, of which 98.44% were Hungarians. At the 2011 census, it had 2,307 inhabitants, of which 92.59% were Hungarians and 1.04% Romanians. At the 2021 census, Valea Crișului had a population of 2,354, of which 91.67% were Hungarians and 1.32% Romanians.[3]
Points of interest
There is a historic Roman Catholic church at Valea Crișului. 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 Brașov 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 the 17th 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).
The neighboring village of Calnic (3 km) belongs administratively to Valea Crișului.
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.
