Ațel

For the river in Sibiu County, see Ațel (river).

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.^[3]

Ațel Hetzeldorf
Commune
Aerial view of Ațel/Hatzeldorf with the local medieval Evangelical Lutheran fortified church in the centre
Location in Sibiu County
Ațel Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°09′N 24°28′E
Country	Romania
County	Sibiu
Established	1283 (first attested)
Subdivisions	Ațel, Dupuș
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Ioan-Ovidiu Aldea[1] (PNL)
Area	27.21 km2 (10.51 sq mi)
Population  (2021-12-01)[2]	1,263
• Density	46.42/km2 (120.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Postal code	557020
Vehicle reg.	SB
Website	Primăria Comunei Ațel (in Romanian)

Fortified church of Ațel

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[4]	2,672	205	585	263	-	-	-	-	3,726
2002[5]	1,288	118	34	92	-	6	-	2	1,540
2011[6]	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.