Vâlcele, Covasna

Vâlcele (Előpatak, Hungarian pronunciation : ) is a commune in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania composed of four villages: Araci (Árapatak, the commune center), Ariușd (Erősd), Hetea (Hetye), and Vâlcele.

Geography
The commune is located in the south-western part of Covasna County, 17 km from the county seat, Sfântu Gheorghe, on the border with Brașov County. It is situated at an altitude of 600 m, at the foot of the Baraolt Mountains. The Olt River passes through the southern part of the commune.

Demographics
Vâlcele has an ethnically mixed population. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,292, of which 48.3% or 2,071 were Roma, 39.4% or 1,689 were Romanians, 9.9% or 427 were Székely Hungarians, and 2.3% or 100 people belonged to other ethnicities. At the 2021 census, the commune had a population of 5,559, of which 58.84% were Roma, 31.59% were Romanians, and 5.05% were Székely Hungarians.

Natives

 * Romulus Cioflec (1882 – 1955), writer, journalist, and activist
 * Nicolae Colan (1893 – 1967), cleric, a metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church