Represented by three humble forget-me-nots growing out of a heart on its coat of arms, Csikszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) is a modest town if we regard its size and the number of its inhabitants. It is not so, though, if it comes about its history, cultural and built heritage and it definitely does not hold good for its flourishing present.

Surrounded by mountains covered with evergreen pine forests, this small town was formed in the first part of the 15th century, in the neighbourhood of a few even older settlements. Csikszereda fulfilled the role of a market-town, its name coming from the day when fairs were –and still are - held here (‘Szereda’ - Wednesday).  Due to a number of reasons - its geographical isolation, the status of its inhabitants (the Szeklers served in the border regiment), its stormy history (Turkish-Tartar invasions, participation in the 1848 Revolution etc.) the town saw a relatively slow development throughout the centuries.

One of its oldest and most beautiful monuments, the Miko Castle dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. So does its gymnasium founded by the Franciscan order (1630), and the first printing house was set up by Johannes Kajoni only a few decades later (1676). It was also the century which saw the appearance of the first guilds (around 1650) and the raiding Tartar hoards soon afterwards. By the middle of the 18th century the number of the inhabitants had barely reached 450 and it hardly doubled within the next hundred years.

A real upswing came with the railway at the end of the 19th century when the town started to develop spectacularly. The appearance of industrial units and the electric network as well as the fact that the neighbouring settlements gradually became parts of Csikszereda significantly changed the townscape and its role. Some of the most impressive buildings of the town were built at about the turn of the century. The building of the Court of Justice, the Town Hall, the “Marton Aron” High School as well as dozens of buildings in the pedestrian (Petofi) street of the town count among them. The number of its inhabitants increased rapidly.

In the last two decades, especially in the last few years, the town has changed a lot. Though seriously affected by the economic instability after 1989, Csikszereda has managed to build its own democratic institutions, attract foreign capital and demonstrate again that it has the potential to develop and flourish in spite of the difficulties it faces.

According to the last census in 2002, the town counts 42,029 inhabitants, the majority (81.75%) being Hungarian, the rest Romanian (17.3%) and other nationalities (0.5%).