About
Thematic Route of Székelyderzs – Pilgrimage and Heritage Trail
STATIONS
1. Reformed Church
The earliest documentary reference to the establishment of the Reformed congregation dates from 1808. According to this source, the Reformed filial congregation (daughter church) of Derzs was founded in 1717. The present church was probably built in 1886, as a document states that it was consecrated on the second day of Pentecost in 1887. The church was built at the personal expense of the retired minister Pál T. Bodor of Kányád and donated to the Reformed believers of Derzs.
2. Border Crossing at Csónak Hill
As a result of the Treaty of Trianon, large parts of Transylvania were separated from Hungary. Through the Second Vienna Award on August 30, 1940, Northern Transylvania (43,104 km²) was returned to Hungary. In the reannexed territories, the period between 1940 and 1944 is still remembered as the “Little Hungarian World.”
During this period, a border crossing operated here: Székelyderzs belonged to Romania, while Bögöz and Agyagfalva, located on the opposite side of the hill, belonged to Hungary.
3. Erős Hill
The highest point of Székelyderzs (766 m) offers panoramic views of sixteen villages in the Odorhei Basin. The site preserves the memory of the Mongol invasion of 1241 through the legend of Tatar Well and Polenta Field:
“Long ago, during the Tatar invasion, the dog-headed invaders ravaged the region and burned everything. The villagers fled into the surrounding forests. The Tatars became very hungry after all the destruction, but despite searching for food, they found nothing except a bushel of cornmeal. The khan ordered a huge batch of polenta to be cooked. So it was done. The polenta was poured out into the middle of the field, and all the Tatars ate their fill. Afterwards they went to the well and drank deeply from it. When the Tatars finally left, the people named the field Polenta Field and the well Tatar Well.”
(Collected by Ilona Lőrincz)
4. Border Crossing: Kányád Gate
As a result of the Treaty of Trianon, large parts of Transylvania were separated from Hungary. Through the Second Vienna Award on August 30, 1940, Northern Transylvania (43,104 km²) was returned to Hungary. In the reannexed territories, the period between 1940 and 1944 is still remembered as the “Little Hungarian World.”
During this period, another border crossing operated here: Székelyderzs belonged to Romania, while Kányád belonged to Hungary.
5. Great Watch Hill – Petki Pine Grove
Located near the border of Székelypetek, this area is today known as the Petki Pine Grove because of its small pine forest. Its historical name was Great Watch Hill. Hills bearing names such as Watch Hill, Lookout Hill, Observation Hill, or Sentinel Hill generally indicate former defensive functions.
Situated on the historic border between Székely Land and Saxon Land, Great Watch Hill offers spectacular views reaching as far as the Făgăraș Mountains. Saxon Land refers to the region between Sighișoara, Mediaș, Orăștie, and Sibiu.
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)
6. Saint Ladislaus Hill
According to local tradition, King Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077–1095), who was canonized in 1192, rested here while returning home from a battle. His legends are preserved throughout the Carpathian Basin in church murals and place names. Saint Ladislaus Hill stands at an elevation of 624 metres.
7. Ramocsa
According to local legend:
“Once there lived a great lord in Csík who had three fairy daughters: Klára, Dála, and Ramocsa. They travelled throughout Transylvania in a pink carriage drawn by twelve maidens. At that time, there were three great castles in the region: the castle of Bágy, the castle of Dálya—also called Szabács Castle—and another at Bereck. When the carriage reached Bágy Castle, the twelve maidens turned into birds and flew away.
The three fairy daughters met three shepherd lads beneath the castle and fell in love with them. Klára remained there with the eldest shepherd, but was later disappointed in love. She wept so much that she eventually took her own life. From her tears a spring emerged, which is still known today as Klára’s Well.
The second fairy daughter, Dála, settled with her beloved beside a nearby stream, where a village was later founded and named Dálya, today’s Székelydálya.
The happiest of all was the youngest daughter, Ramocsa. Wherever she stepped, flowers sprang up in her footprints. These flowers are still called Ramocsa Flowers and bloom only beneath Bágy Castle and in the lands of Derzs, at Ramocsa, where, according to the legend, the youngest fairy settled with her beloved.”
(Orbán Balázs: Description of Székely Land)
The Ramocsa Flower (Daphne cneorum), which blooms in May and June, is considered a botanical rarity and is a protected species.
8. Pénzes
“Travelling from Derzs toward Musna, there is a stream flowing into the Derzs Brook from the right, known as Pénzes Stream. Long ago, a village once stood here, now forgotten even by name. Its inhabitants settled in the Felszeg district of Derzs. Their descendants still own much of the surrounding land. Local tradition holds that many treasures are buried there—golden pickaxes, golden violins, and other valuables—guarded by supernatural beings.”
(Orbán Balázs: Description of Székely Land)
9. Kata’s Well
During the devastation of Transylvania in 1602, the Habsburg army led by the mercenary commander Giorgio Basta set fire to the Unitarian fortified church of Derzs. János Petki, a local landowner, poet, captain of the Odorhei Seat, and Chancellor of Transylvania, financed its reconstruction from his own resources and also donated a church bell.
As a member of Transylvania’s highly educated aristocratic elite, János Petki became one of the church’s most significant patrons. His wife was Katalin Kornis of Homoródszentpál, whose gravestone can still be found in the castle garden. This part of the boundary preserves her memory through its name.
10. Upper Village Cemetery
The area is known as Beautiful Meadow (Szépmező). According to local burial customs, only residents of the Upper Village (Felszeg) section of the settlement could be buried in this cemetery. Other villagers were laid to rest in the Lower Village (Alszeg) cemetery on the opposite hillside.
The cemetery belongs to the Unitarian congregation.
“And this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
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