Archita, Mureș


Archita is a village in Romania. Specifically, it lies within the commune of Vânători in Mureș County, Transylvania.
It is located between the villages of Saschiz and Beia.

Name

Archita, the Romanian name of the village, is also known as Arkeden bei Schäßburg in German, while the Hungarian name is Erked. Arkeden bei Schäßburg, or Arkeden in short, could derive its name from the Hungarian toponym Erked or a Germanic anthroponym, its name being first mentioned in 1356 as Erkud. In the Transylvanian Saxon dialect, its name is variously rendered: Ärkeden, Ârkeden or Arkedn.

History

Prior to the arrival of the Transylvanian Saxons, the area in which Archita now lies was occupied by the Székely people. It was founded as Arkeden by the Saxons as an agricultural centre. As one of the oldest settlements of the Schäßburger Stuhl, it was probably in existence by the end of the 12th century.
From the 14th century onward, the local nobility start to be historically recorded. For example, Nicholas of Archita owned parts of the village.
It remained a German-speaking settlement until the 1980s when its population, having been reduced to poverty by the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, emigrated to accept German citizenship. By 2009, there were just three Saxons left in the village and, with some building abandoned, the historic layout of the village is no longer clearly visible.
Recently, the population has been approximately 50% ethnic Romanian and 50% Romani people.
The village is often known on account of its 13th century fortified Lutheran church. There is also a Romanian Orthodox Church in the village who's building dates from 1894.
In May 2011, Prince Charles visited Archita to see the restoration work being carried out by the Maria Nobrega Foundation.