Dăneşti (hun. Csíkdánfalva)

The settlement is limited by the Olt on the East, which unites with the waters of Lesőd. At the left edge of Dăneşti the Olt assimilates the Madicsa creek from the right. The settlement is crossed by the railway line and also by the highway; hence it has a very good connection both in the direction of Braşov (Brassó) and of Târgu Mureş (Marosvásárhely).

Time passed and Dăneşti grew together with the neighbours: Olt-falva with its southern part called the Town (Város) and Ábrándfalva destroyed by the Tartars. Its present position as well follows the structure of the string settlements which are characteristic to Upper Ciuc. The railway embankment is the only thing that builds a border on the side to Cârţa (Csíkkarcfalva).

The town is a settlement populated since ancient times. In its border parts called „Örvendő” and „Balázs kútja”, there were found remnants of the Bronze Age, archaeological remains belonging to the La Tène era (late Iron Age) turned up in the place of the cemetery. At the beginning of the 8^th century, the historiographer Timos Sámuel called it Dani Villa, meaning Dan’s village from Latin phrasing. The first mentioning of the village in a charter occurred relatively late, it originates in 1567, where it appears under the name of Danffalwa, with 43 tax-paying gates. At the conscription of troops from 1614, the number of families increased already to 106, with the majority being primipili and free Szeklers serving on the border regiment at Frumoasa (Hun. Csíkszépvíz). In 1685 it appears as Dankfalva.

In the 19^th century the population of the village had a sudden and significant increase. From the measurements carried out by Venczel József it can be concluded that the population growth between 1800 and 1935 was of 4101 people, but half of the population emigrated in the hope of a better living.  

For centuries the main occupation of the population was the agriculture and animal husbandry, but since the quality of the soil is poor, like in the other villages of the Upper Ciuc, the people of Dăneşti in order to ensure the daily living had to find other activities as well, like mining carried out together with the people of Mădăraş (Csíkmadaras), but they also had their own iron hammer mills.

In the eastern region of its territory there was discovered good quality clay fact which contributed to the slow formation of the still existing and famous pottery of Dăneşti. The basic condition of its development was the clay found which proved to be a cheap and unfailing resource of raw material. The name of the village reminds the people that live here about two things: the bath called Dugás and the black ceramics. Both of them have a representational character. The black ceramics is made of the same material as the usual tile-coloured ceramics, but during the baking the oven is closed, so the smoke cannot escape and the pots absorb the smoke in 1 cm thick layer inside and outside. Today various pots are made for decoration purposes, using two colours: red and black; both types are unglazed rustic ceramics.

The thermal water of Dugás bath, rich in minerals at a temperature of 29 C°, attracts the people living nearby. Here functions the only swimming pool of Upper Ciuc that is a popular place of amusement for the young. Till the autumn of 1919 Dăneşti belonged to the Csíknagyboldogasszony (the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) parish. Before their church was built they held the masses in the assembly room of the present parish hall. In 1922 they received a statue of the Virgin Mary and this is when they started the construction of the church. The catholic church of the village was built in neo-Gothic style between 1922 and 1935, so it is the most recent church of this region. The Patronal Feast of the church is celebrated on the 8 December, on the day of the Immaculate Conception.

One of the sights of the village is the landmark dedicated to the memory of Queen Elisabeth of Hungary, a memorial column unique in the entire region of Ciuc.

Its cultural and scholastic traditions date back almost 400 years ago. Its elementary school was expanded in a prestigious agricultural high school. In Dăneşti is the only high school of Upper Ciuc which offers to many young people learning possibilities.

The folk traditions occupy a special place in the hearts of the locals. This is proven by the folk dance taught to the young ones and also by the various traditional programmes that are organised.