Upside-Down House

In the early nineties, the number of Pentecostal pilgrims increased significantly in Csíksomlyó/Șumuleu Ciuc. The church and the surrounding area could no longer accommodate hundred thousands of pilgrims. According to the ancient tradition, the Pentecost celebration included a procession on the hill of Kissomlyó, which is why the new altar was settled on the saddle between the Nagysomlyó and Kissomlyó mountains. The so-called "triple hill" altar was designed by Imre Makovecz in 1996, following the request of Father Albert Bartók, the Franciscan householder. According to Makovecz, the Father clearly and precisely described the conception: a triple hill with a double cross to make an altar. He was assisted now and in later modifications by Ernő Bogos, an architect in Miercurea Ciuc, who took a significant role in the planning and construction work. The “Hármashalom” (“Triple hill”), which served as a model for the altar, is a heraldic element that appeared in the coat of arms of Hungary in the 13th century, and while it originally symbolized the three hills of the Golgota, later became the symbol of the former Hungary’s three highest mountains, Mátra, Tátra and Fátra. The altar was inaugurated on 24 November 1996, at the Feast of Christ the King. Today it hosts the annual Pentecostal celebration, the Day of the Thousand Szekler Girls and many other events. On 1st of June 2019, Pope Francis I celebrated Holy Mass at the “Hármashalom” Altar and has given the Golden Rose in honour of the Virgin Mary.

The Golden Rose (Rosa d'Oro) is a special gift from the popes, which is nowadays given to Mary's shrines. This honour was presented by Pope Francis in Șumuleu Ciuc/Csíksomlyó on June 1, 2019, in honour of the Virgin Mary. It is currently the only papal rose in the Carpathian Basin. Originally the popes gave the golden roses to persons of great merit serving the Church. The custom was first mentioned in 1049, in the context that the Pope had donated the rose to an eminent official. Later the kings received the honour, then different bodies, and in the 13-14th century it was given to churches. The first woman to take over was Joanna I of Naples in 1368. From the 17th century onward, the Pope predominantly bestowed the honour on women of royal families for their virtues, and for their church service. Since the mid-20th century, the Pope has honoured with the Golden Rose the Queen of Heaven, the Virgin Mary, at the most important shrines of Mary. Pope Paul VI awarded a church in Bethlehem in 1963, the Fatima in 1965 and the Guadalupe Shrine in 1966. Among others, John Paul II awarded the Golden Roses to the Shrine of Mary in Czestochowa, Loreto and Lourdes. Pope Benedict XVI honoured most of the Mary's shrines when he visited them (including Aparecida and Mariazell, the Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, the Nostra Signora di Bonaria in Cagliari, the Rosary of Pompeii, and the Basilica of the Rosary). Pope Francis also donated Golden Roses to the Mary's shrines in Fatima, Turin, Guadalupe and Czestochowa. The Golden Rose is a symbol of joy and love, a symbol of Christ, according to old ceremonies, and thus its giving is not only a simple acknowledgment but also a mission: the honoured ones must bring Christ into the world. The rose given by Pope Francis to the Virgin Mary of Șumuleu Ciuc/Csíksomlyó is made of silver with 24 karat gold plated stems. It is about 84 cm tall and weighs 1,200 grams. The Golden Rose was placed next to the statue of Virgin Mary, which having a height of 2.27 meters is the largest votive wooden statue in the world.

Crippled Church (Csonkatorony in Hungarian), ruins of the tower of the old village church is located on the western edge of the village Tomeşti (Csíkszenttamás), Harghita County, Romania, near the other two special attractions: Bottomless Lake and Saint Anna Bath. Photo: Munzlinger Attila

Welcome to our countryside! GALFFIS chocolate is the first chocolate factory in Transylvania. Visitors to their factory will be shown the secrets of chocolate making. Our showroom can accommodate up to 25 people. Visitors can listen to our chocolate history lecture while enjoying our finest own-brand coffees and teas. Our cosy terrace can accommodate up to 15 people. GALFFIS offers a Family-friendly programme: • we are presenting the history of the chocolate factory from its beginnings to the present day • a demonstration of chocolate making from cocoa bean to bar • a short introduction to coffee roasting • the highlight of the programme is a tasting of chocolate specialities  The duration of the demonstration and tasting is approximately 35-45 minutes. The visitor can purchase in our showroom and taste the chocolate specialities. The maximum number of people per visit is 15-25. Pre-registration is required: 0040 741 652 167 We look forward to welcoming you. https://www.galffis.com/info/viziteaza-fabrica-de-ciocolata-galffis

The Millennium church is said to have been built somewhere between 2001 and 2003 so as to cater to the needs of growing community of believers. The name Millennium refers to the 1000 years that have passed since the Hungarian people’s Christianity and the two lateral towers have five magnificent crosses. The Church’s central body has a Biblical theme and has been ornamented with decorative elements that were used in the old Churches. The roof has been crowned with a glass dome that has the corners of four angels who look down towards the Church’s altar.  The Millennium church is a memorable landmark of the city and is one of the most beautiful buildings in the area.  Photo: Darvas-Kozma József 

The pig is usually slaughtered on Christmas Eve or in the frosty days of January, this activity becoming the most popular traditional event. For the city folks, it is a tourist attraction and a possibility to cultivate folk traditions. The event consists in slaughtering the pig raised around the farmer's house, processing the meat, and attending the traditional dinner - where different types of sausages (caltaboși, sângerete, cârnați), stew and soup prepared with pickled cabbage are served. The pig slaughtering begins in the morning with a quick drink, then the fire is lit in the hearth and the water is boiled. The actual work starts with stabbing the pig, where the protagonist is the butcher, who has a special knife to commit the "murder." The aids try to hold the agitated animal. The blood is collected in a saucepan, since it will be the raw material for “sângerete”. Afterwards, the pig is placed in a tube, where the hair is removed by scalding. First, the pig is sprinkled with resin (this makes the hairs stick to each other). Then, the animal's hair is removed with a special tool, by rubbing the pig's skin. After the hair is removed, the pig is burned with straw bundles. After the pig's skin browned beautifully, it is washed and cleaned thoroughly. After another round of drinks and best wishes for the health of those present, the pig is lifted on a table to be cut into pieces. The butcher cuts the hams, removes the intestines, the guts, the pig's head and the lard. The ribs are cut with a hatchet in three equal parts, making sure that the meat is not completely removed, but holds the ribs together, which are then salted and smoked. The bacon is cut in desired sizes, salted and smoked. Processing the scapula is done in two ways: after removing the bone, it is either cut off as ham, or used to prepare the sausages. The ham will be smoked. The intestines are cleaned and readied for the sausage preparation (caltaboși, sângerete, cârnați). After cleaning the skin pieces, some of the skin goes to boil and will be the basic material for “sângerete” and ”tobă” (which is a kind of sausage made from swine’s entrails). The sausages will be made from square bacon pieces without rind, and small pieces of meat. Another part of the bacon will be cut into squares, from which, after melting, a white and tasty pig lard is obtained. Entrails - liver, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, tongue - are cooked in 95 ° C water. Boiled meat, cooked rice and the blood of the animal collected at slaughtering are added to the mix. Everything is chopped and stuffed in the intestines, to obtain the “sângerete” and “caltaboș”. Seasoning is done to the taste of each farmer. The unused bits of meat, along with gristle are boiled, to form the stuff for ”tobă”. The sausages are made from minced raw meat, seasoned with paprika, pepper and garlic. The sausages, the bacon, the ham, the ”caltaboși” and ”toba” are smoked. Thus, these products prepared by salting, brining, boiling and smoking are preserved for more than half a year, either in the pantry or in the attic of the house. For details regarding the cost and other details, please call the host of the program at the following phone numbers: Ivó/Izvoare – Botházi András: +40741232744 Tusnádfürdő/Băile Tușnad: +40749066008 Szentegyháza/Vlăhița: +40744680753 Borszék/Borsec: 0266337001 Csíkrákos/Racu: +40745180649 Gyergyócsomafalva/Ciumani: +40746337722

At the request of our guests, we organize cultural and artistic events. Dancers and musicians will present traditions from the local folklore, and the interested guests will have the opportunity to learn how to dance on folk music. Gyimesi Skanzen Guesthouse

The Fairy Glade is a group of mineral springs, which flow in open-air pools. The place has a wardrobe and resting points. In 2009, the Ars Topia Foundation decided to build traditional baths in Borsec, using voluntary work. For ten days, young people from Hungary and Transylvania worked together with the locals to arrange these baths. Since then, the baths enjoyed great success among visitors. The project achieved several goals, such as: building swimming pool with mineral water, foot baths, changing rooms, gazebo, sunbeds. There are indicator panels in widely circulated languages, hand-painted on wood and decorated with floral motifs specific to the area. Year after year, the number of tourists visiting these baths is on the rise, but locals also use these mineral waters for different treatments. The Fairy Glade also has belvedere points and picnic or sunbathing areas.  There is no program or entrance fee. 📷 Rédai Botond

The Caracău Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the Miercurea Ciuc - Ghimeș section, which was put into operation on 18 October 1897. The viaduct was completely destroyed in 1944 as a result of World War II battles. From December 1944 until 12 February 1945, the Romanian engineers built a provisional, completely wooden (3,600 cubic meters) wooden viaduct. This was a unique performance in the history of railway constructions. In parallel, a new viaduct was built, and it was put into operation on 14 September 1946. The new construction of the viaduct was the largest railway bridge made of reinforced concrete in Romania. The total length of the viaduct is 264 m, the vault has an opening of 100 m and the arrow is 37 m. The width of the vault is 6.50 m at the top and 10 m at the base. The vault section has 2.5 m at the top and 4.8 m at the base. Photo: Bartalis Zsombor