The

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, ...

(, , ) are an

ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, Alena Gecse and Dezideriu Gecse, "Istoria și cultura cehilor din Banat", i
''Minorităţi în zonele de contact interetnic. Cehii şi slovacii în România şi Ungaria''
p.45-60, ed. Jakab Albert Zsolt and Peti Lehel, Editura Institutului pentru Studierea Problemelor Minorităților Naționale and Editura Kriterion, Cluj-Napoca, 2010, . numbering 3,938 people according to the 2002 census. The majority of Romanian Czechs live in the south-west of the country, with around 60% of them living in

Caraș-Severin County Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Re� ...

, where they make up 0.7% of the population. As an officially recognised ethnic minority, Czechs, together with

Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...

, have one seat reserved in the Romanian

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon Res ...

associated within

Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs of Romania The Democratic Union of Slovaks and Czechs of Romania ( ro, Uniunea Democratică a Slovacilor și Cehilor din România, UDSCR; cz, Demokratický svaz Slováků a Čechů v Rumunsku, DSSCR; sk, Demokratický zväz Slovákov a Čechov v Rumunsku, ...

History

The Czechs were among the last peoples colonized by the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...

. Their colonization took place in three main waves/stages: 1823, 1827 and 1862, as a consequence of the need to populate the sparsely populated territories, to clear the forests and to ensure, together with the inhabitants of the Romanian villages, the protection of the borders.

Communes with the largest Czech population percentage

# Dubova, Mehedinți—40.70% # Gârnic, Caraș-Severin—33.46% #

Coronini Coronini (; until 1996 Pescari ; hu, Lászlóvára or ''Koronini''; occasionally referred to as ''Peskari'' in German) is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, western Romania, with a population of 1,674.Berzasca Berzasca ( hu, Berszászka, german: Bersaska, sr, Берзаска ''Berzaska'') is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, in the Banat region of western Romania with a population of 3,123 people. It is composed of five villages: Berzasca, Bigăr, ...

, Caraș-Severin—14.24% # Șopotu Nou, Caraș-Severin—10.92% # Lăpușnicel, Caraș-Severin—10.75% #

Socol Socol ( ro, Socol, sr, Сокол/Sokol, or Соколовац/Sokolovac, hu, Nérasolymos) is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, Romania (in the '' Clisura Dunării'' area of Banat). In 2011, the population of the commune numbered 1,873 peopl ...

, Caraș-Severin—4.60% # Peregu Mare, Arad—3.83% #

Eșelnița Eșelnița ( hu, Jeselnica) is a commune located in Mehedinți County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Eșelnița. It is one of four localities in the county located in the Banat. At the 2011 census, 74% of inhabitants were Romania ...

, Mehedinți—2.31% #

Orșova Orșova (; german: Orschowa, hu, Orsova, sr, Оршава/Oršava, bg, Орсово, pl, Orszawa, cs, Oršava, tr, Adakale) is a port city on the Danube river in southwestern Romania's Mehedinți County. It is one of four localities in the ...

, Mehedinți—1.85% There are six villages with a Czech majority. Five are in Caraș-Severin County: Bigăr,

Berzasca Berzasca ( hu, Berszászka, german: Bersaska, sr, Берзаска ''Berzaska'') is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, in the Banat region of western Romania with a population of 3,123 people. It is composed of five villages: Berzasca, Bigăr, ...

Commune; Gârnic, Gârnic Commune; Ravensca, Șopotu Nou Commune; Sfânta Elena,

Notable Czech-Romanians

* Ignat Bednarik, painter *

Anton Chladek Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

, painter * Matilda Cugler-Poni, poet * Ludovic Dauș, novelist * Julius Podlipny, painter * Jan Tausinger, violinist, conductor and composer * Anton Vorel, herbalist * Lascăr Vorel, painter

History

Communes with the largest Czech population percentage

Notable Czech-Romanians

Notes

See also