Szeben County

Szeben county shared borders with Romania and the Hungarian counties Hunyad, Alsó-Fehér, Nagy-Küküllő and Fogaras. The river Olt flowed through the county. Its area was 3619 km² around 1910.

Szeben county was formed in 1876, when the administrative structure of Transylvania was changed. In 1920, by the Treaty of Trianon the county became part of Romania. Its territory lies in the present Romanian counties Sibiu and Alba (the area around Sebeş).

In 1900, the county had a population of 166,188 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:[1]

Total:

• Romanian: 108,413 (65.2%)
• German: 47,678 (28.7%)
• Hungarian: 8,084 (4.9%)
• Slovak: 106 (0.0%)
• Croatian: 95 (0.0%)
• Ruthenian: 50 (0.0%)
• Serbian: 36 (0.0%)
• Other or unknown: 1,726 (1.0%)

According to the census of 1900, the county was composed of the following religious communities:[2]

Total:

• Eastern Orthodox: 95,380 (57.4%)
• Lutheran: 43,439 (26.1%)
• Greek Catholic: 14,050 (8.4%)
• Roman Catholic: 8,747 (5.3%)
• Calvinist: 3,147 (1.9%)
• Jewish: 1,107 (0.7%)
• Unitarian: 301 (0.2%)
• Other or unknown: 17 (0.0%)

Ethnic map of the county with data of the 1910 census (see the key in the description)

In 1910, county had a population of 176,921 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:[3]

Total:

• Romanian: 113,672 (64.3%)
• German: 49,757 (28.1%)
• Hungarian: 10,159 (5.7%)
• Ruthenian: 205 (0.1%)
• Slovak: 154 (0.0%)
• Serbian: 95 (0.0%)
• Croatian: 84 (0.0%)
• Other or unknown: 2,795 (1.6%)

According to the census of 1910, the county was composed of the following religious communities:[4]

Total:

• Eastern Orthodox: 99,952 (56.5%)
• Lutheran: 45,912 (26.0%)
• Greek Catholic: 16,064 (9.1%)
• Roman Catholic: 9,503 (5.4%)
• Calvinist: 3,528 (2.0%)
• Jewish: 1,565 (0.9%)
• Unitarianist: 379 (0.2%)
• Other or unknown: 18 (0.0%)

In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Szeben county were: