Administration of Covasna prefecture

Collection

Holding institution:: National Archives of Romania, Covasna county directorate

Holding institution (official language):: Serviciul judeţean Covasna al Arhivelor Naţionale Române

Scope and content:: The fonds comprises the files of the administration of Covasna prefecture from 1900 to 1950. It includes orders, circular letters of the county authorities, reports, statistics, tables and petitions received from subordinated localities, records concerning the administrative, economic, agricultural, sanitary and financial issues of the prefecture, authorisations for local firms and entrepreneurs, contracts for apprentices, labour certificates, issue of passports and authorisations of residency for foreigners, issue of military and pension records. The following files include Jewish references: File No. 13/1923 - list of authorisations for Jewish firms; File No. 16/1924 - list of factory owners; File No. 67/1936 - petitions for the recognition of the nationality rights for Jewish families; File No. 129/1944 - police reports concerning the state of mind of the Jewish population; File No. 130/1944 - confiscation of Jewish properties; File No. 276/1949 - restitution of Jewish properties.

Archival history:: The fonds was preserved by the Popular Council of the town Covasna being transferred to the Covasna county directorate of the Romanian National Archives between 1960 and 1976. It was inventoried in 2003 and made available to researchers.

Administrative/biographical history:: The county of Trei Scaune was established in 1876 in accordance with the legislation adopted by the Hungarian parliament in Budapest. It included the localities of the further prefecture of Covasna in the district of Orbai, with its capital in Covasna town. After the First World War the Romanian administration issued in 1925 the law concerning the administrative unification of Greater Romania and five prefectures were included in Trei Scaune county: Baraolt, Covasna, Ozun, Sfîntu Gheorghe and Tîrgu Secuiesc. The prefecture of Covasna included 27 localities. Between 1940 and 1944 the Hungarian administration was reinstalled, while after the Second World War the Romanian system of the interwar period was reintroduced in 1945. A new reorganisation of the territorial structure took place on 1 April 1948, while in 1950 Covasna prefecture became part of the Hungarian Autonomous Region. The last reform happened in 1968 when Covasna county was established, including, among others, the localities of the former prefecture of Covasna.

Subject terms:: Citizenship; Plunder; Real estate; Restitution and compensation; Trade and commerce

System of arrangement:: The fonds is organised in thematic sections, within which the files are arranged in chronological order.

Finding aids:: Inventory no. 105, held by the Covasna county directorate of the Romanian National Archives.

Yerusha Network member:: Romanian Institute for the Research of National Minorities

Author of the description:: Tóth Levente, archivist - Protestant Theological Institute - 2019; Ladislau Gyémánt, emeritus professor - 2019