TransylvaniaTransylvania (Transilvania or Ardeal; Erdély; Siebenbürgen or Transsilvanien, historically Überwald, also Siweberjen in the Transylvanian Saxon dialect) is a historical and cultural region in Central and Eastern Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains and to the west the Apuseni Mountains. Broader definitions of Transylvania also include the western and northwestern Romanian regions of Crișana and Maramureș, and occasionally Banat.
WalloonsWalloons (wɒˈluːnz; Wallons walɔ̃; Walons) are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloons are historically and primarily Roman Catholic. In modern Belgium, Walloons are, by law, termed a "distinctive linguistic and ethnic community" within the country, as are the neighbouring Flemish, a Dutch (Germanic) speaking community.
Democratic Forum of Germans in RomaniaThe Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (Das Demokratische Forum der Deutschen in Rumänien or Demokratisches Forum der Deutschen in Rumänien, DFDR; Forumul Democrat al Germanilor din România, FDGR; in short Forumul German or Das Forum) is a political party (legally recognized as an association of public utility according to the governmental decision HG 599 as per 4 June 2008) organised on ethnic criteria representing the interests of the German minority in Romania.
History of GermanyThe concept of Germany as a distinct region in Central Europe can be traced to Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation by the Roman Empire, although the Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Germania Inferior were established along the Rhine. Following the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Franks conquered the other West Germanic tribes.
VolksdeutscheIn Nazi German terminology, Volksdeutsche (ˈfɔlksˌdɔʏtʃə) were "people whose language and culture had German origins but who did not hold German citizenship". The term is the nominalised plural of volksdeutsch, with Volksdeutsche denoting a singular female, and Volksdeutsche(r), a singular male. The words Volk and völkisch conveyed the meanings of "folk". The Volksdeutsche shed their identity as Auslandsdeutsche (Germans abroad), and morphed into the Volksdeutsche in a process of self-radicalisation.
Germans of HungaryGerman Hungarians (Ungarndeutsche, magyarországi németek) are the German-speaking minority of Hungary, sometimes also called Danube Swabians (German: Donauschwaben, Hungarian: dunai svábok), many of whom call themselves "Shwoveh" in their own Swabian dialect. There are 131,951 German speakers in Hungary (according to the 2011 census). Danube Swabian is a collective term for a number of German ethnic groups who lived in the former Kingdom of Hungary, including the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and Vojvodina.
LuxembourgersLuxembourgers (ˈlʌksəmbɜːrɡərz ; Lëtzebuerger ˈlətsəbuəjɐ) are an ethnic group native to their nation state of Luxembourg, where they make up around half of the population. They share the culture of Luxembourg and speak Luxembourgish, a West Germanic language. Luxembourgers were, much like Austrians, historically considered to be a regional sub-group of ethnic Germans and viewed themselves as such until the collapse of the German Confederation.
Charles I of HungaryCharles I, also known as Charles Robert (Károly Róbert; Karlo Robert; Karol Róbert; 1288 16 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel, Prince of Salerno. His father was the eldest son of Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary. Mary laid claim to Hungary after her brother, Ladislaus IV of Hungary, died in 1290, but the Hungarian prelates and lords elected her cousin, Andrew III, king.
BiertanBiertan (Birthälm; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: Birthälm/Bierthalmen/Bierthalm; Berethalom) is a commune in Transylvania, Romania. The commune is composed of three villages: Biertan, Copșa Mare (Gross-Kopisch; Nagykapus), and Richiș (Reichesdorf; Riomfalva), each of which has a fortified church. Biertan is one of the most important Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, having been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1993.
Székely LandThe Székely Land or Szeklerland (Székelyföld, ˈseːkɛjføld, Székely runes: 𐲥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗𐳌𐳖𐳞𐳇; Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes Secuimea; Szeklerland; Terra Siculorum) is a historic and ethnographic area in present-day Romania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. Its cultural centre is the city of Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely), the largest settlement in the region. Székelys (or Szeklers) live in the valleys and hills of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, corresponding mostly to the present-day Harghita, Covasna, and parts of Mureș counties in Romania.
