Covasna
town in Covasna County, Romania

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 (1,800–1,970 ft). It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas.
The town administers one village, Chiuruș (Hungarian: Csomakőrös). The village has a population of 451 and has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority.
Before Orbaiszék merged with Sepsiszék and Kézdiszék to create Háromszék County, in 1876, Covasna was the capital village of Orbaiszék.
Name origin
There are several theories regarding the origin of the city's name, the most recognized one being that it originates from the Slavic kvas, which means "bitter", referring to the taste of the mineral water springs located in the city.
According to Szabó Gyula (1914–1984), some legends suggest that the name of Kovászna might have been the result of a fusion between the name of "Kó" and the word "vászon" (it means canvas in Hungarian), thus meaning "Kó's canvas". Theories suggest that the individual of "Kó" might have been a knight, a craftsman or even the last monarch of the Fairies Fortress.
Demographics
At the 2021 census, Covasna had a population of 9,208; of those, 60.34% were Hungarians and 31.14% were Romanians. At the 2011 census, the town had 10,265 inhabitants, of which 7,549 or 66.4% were Hungarians and 3,672 or 32.3% were Romanians.
The public source identifies “Covasna” as town in Covasna County, Romania. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Covasna, town and County.
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Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q837157. VIAF identifies the subject as 244712266. Authority coordinates are 45.849, 26.185. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1876, 1914, 1984 and 2021.
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This entry incorporates text from “Covasna” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.