The Hungarian Kalotaszeg region is a compact area of Hungarian villages situated around the Huedin (Bánffyhunyad) basin and along the valleys towards Cluj (Kolozsvár). The wider ethnographic zones are on our Cluj region page.
This region is part of the estate of the Bánffy family (one of the longest established noble families who owned a large estate between the 14th and 19th centuries). Settlement of Hungarians was relatively early with villages listed in documents from 13th century with the name Kalotaszeg being first documented in 1443. Some more central villages were, and are, predominantly Hungarian population whereas others are mixed ethnicity or have a Romanian history, predominantly in the Alszeg/Almașului valley.