Odorhei County covered 2,977 km2 and was located in central part of
Greater Romania, in eastern part of the historical region of
Transylvania. It was bordered by
Târnava-Mică County and
Târnava-Mare County to the west and southwest,
Mureș County to the north,
Ciuc County to the east, and
Brașov County and
Trei-Scaune County to the south. Odorhei county was abolished in the administrative reforms of September 6, 1950. Currently, the territory that comprised the greater part of Odorhei County is now part of
Harghita County, with some territory now belonging to the present-day counties of
Covasna and
Mureș.
History Prior to
World War I, the territory of the county belonged to
Austria-Hungary and was identical with the
Udvarhely County of the
Kingdom of Hungary. The territory of Odorhei County was transferred to Romania from Hungary as successor state to Austria-Hungary in 1920 under the
Treaty of Trianon. After the administrative unification law in 1925, the name of the county remained as it was, but the territory was reorganized. In 1938,
King Carol II promulgated a new
Constitution, and subsequently he had the administrative division of the Romanian territory changed.
10 ținuturi (approximate translation: "lands") were created (by merging the counties) to be ruled by
rezidenți regali (approximate translation: "Royal Residents") - appointed directly by the King - instead of the
prefects. Odorhei County became part of
Ținutul Mureș. In 1940, the county was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of
Northern Transylvania under the
Second Vienna Award. Beginning in 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the ceded territory and reintegrated it into Romania, re-establishing the county. Romanian jurisdiction over the county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947. The county was disestablished
by the communist government of Romania in 1950, and not re-established in 1968 when Romania restored the county administrative system. ==Administrative organization==