Ațel
# Ațel

Ațel (German: Hetzeldorf; Transylvanian Saxon: Hätselderf; Hungarian: Ecel) is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Ațel and Dupuș (Tobsdorf; Táblás). The commune first appears in written history in 1283 as villa Echelini. Later appearances in written documents are villa Heclini (1289), Hetzelini villa and villa Eczlen (1359), Ecczel (1365), and Heczeldorf (1548). A church is mentioned as of 1380.

## Demographics

Population number (grouped by ethnicity) from 1850 to 2011:

| Year | Romanians | Roma | Hungarians | Germans (more specifically Transylvanian Saxons) | Jews | Slovaks | Russians | Other/ Unknown | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1850 | 2,078 | 152 | 454 | 1,359 | 19 | - | - | - | 4,062 |
| 1992 | 2,672 | 205 | 585 | 263 | - | - | - | - | 3,726 |
| 2002 | 1,288 | 118 | 34 | 92 | - | 6 | - | 2 | 1,540 |
| 2011 | 1,138 | 154 | 20 | 77 | - | - | 3 | 37 | 1,429 |

## Local architecture

The local medieval Evangelical Lutheran fortified church of Ațel was built by the native Transylvanian Saxon community and completed by the end of the 15th century; it is surrounded by double walls. Above the entrance rises the Old School tower, and close by is the Oat Tower. The fortified church of Dupuș was also built during the 15th century.

