Szekler Border Guard Memorial Center

The Szekler Museum of Ciuc, as an institution, was born in 1950. Since 1970, the headquarters of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc is the Mikó Castle Fortress, known as “the Fortress", the oldest and most important historical monument in Miercurea-Ciuc/Csíkszereda. The museum’s collections: 1. Plastic arts, with 7823 works from 207 artists; 2. Ethnography, including folk furniture, wooden and metal objects used in agriculture, objects used in animal husbandry and shepherding, objects used in milk processing, folk handicraft items, folk ceramics and folk musical instruments: cello, folk violin, clarinet and trumpet. The textile collection (3336 pieces) is made of indoor textiles and folk costumes; 3. An open-air exhibition with peasant houses and Szekler gates built of wood; 4. Archeology, a collection of 90,000 objects of clay, stone, bone, metal, etc., jewelery, numismatics; 5. Old books, a collection containing the old inventory of the Library of the Franciscan Order from Şumuleu Ciuc, the library of the Roman Catholic Gymnasium, manuscripts, printouts, magazines, archival materials and the toolbox of the Franciscan Book Binding from Şumuleu; 6. Natural sciences, including the following collections: "Mineral Waters", "Herbarium", "Birds and Mammals", "Minerals and Rocks"; 7. Arms Collection; 8. Religious art. PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS: • The Story of the Mikó Caste • The Franciscan printing workshop from Şumuleu Ciuc • Pace of time in Ciuc (Csík) • Preserved sacred art tresures

History of the castle: In 1466 we first hear about the landowner noble Geréb family, who owned the main estate in Fiatfalva, and whose manor house had stood here since the 15th century, on the site of the castle that still stands there today. There are no written records left about this building; it is assumed that in 1588, György Geréb arranged for the renovation of the manor house or the construction of another farm building. In 1625, András Geréb, the captain of the guards of Gábor Bethlen, rebuilt the collapsed manor house in stone, in the form of a castle. In 1628, after the death of András Geréb, leaving no heir, the estates were transferred to the treasury, which were donated by Prince Gabriel Bethlen to Moses Székely the Younger, who was the king's justice in Udvarhelyszék and his fiancée, Judit Lónai. In 1635, George I Rákóczi granted the entire castle of Fiatfalva, along with the associated estates to Matthias Huszár de Brenhida, his steward the chief judge of Marosszék. The castle was in the possession of Moise Székely, but because of his infidelity it passed to the prince. Matthias Huszár died in 1652, and among his two daughters, Borbála Huszár, or after her first husband, Györgyné Torma, inherited the castle of Fiatfalva. Borbála Huszár and her second husband, János Nemes de Hídvég, held their wedding in the Fiatfalva castle in February 1676. Read more... Castle visit: Individual and group castle tours are also possible: ugroncastle.ro. Castle Rental: Thanks to the reconstruction completed between 2021 and 2024, the castle shines in its new yet timeless splendor. One wing houses the event halls, while the gate wing has 12 hotel rooms, each with its own bathroom and a view of the garden. The entire castle is available for rent. We recommend it for 2-3 day gatherings with friends or family, corporate team-building events, or multi-day weddings and receptions. Request a quote here!

Szőcs Lajos, whose family has three generations of straw hat makers, has decided to set up the first Straw Hat Museum in the country at Crişeni. The museum was established in a traditional renovated farmhouse. In the first room displays the straw hat models in the country, the middle room displays different objects of use and decoration, and the last room presents the hatter technique, all the way from straw harvesting to the finished hat. It is also possible to see and even try the largest hat in the country, with a diameter of two meters and a weight of 2.65 kg. 500 m of straw and 1.5 km of thread were used for its manufacture. In the courtyard of the Museum, the visitor can admire an extraordinary collection. More than 600 stones sculptured by nature, with special shapes such as duck, dove, cap, etc. There is also a five-meter hat in the yard. The museum can be visited daily. If it's closed, ask at the bar.

The windmill in Călugăreni/Homoródremete is a monument of local importance. The building from the 19th century is unique in Harghita county. Another curiosity is that at that time a water mill was built next to it. The monument changed its owner in 2001, and the new owner transformed the building in a romantic style. The two-levels building has a round shape and is covered with shingles. The first floor has stone walls, which are divided by simple windows with square closure. At the top of the walls there is only a semicircular window. The windmill, considered a local curiosity, does not work since the 19th Century - it is just a special attraction of the region.

Golgota from Şumuleu, known as "Jesus Pass", is the most famous Cross Station in Transylvania. You can reach the Salvator chapel by following the path through the fir forest, on the Western slopes of the Şumuleu Mic hill. The Stations of the Cross Way, which could be found on the steep slope, represent the passions of Jesus. Many people follow the Way during the Whitsuntide Pilgrimage, praying. The stations declare the faith and the sacrifice of a person or a group. The first written mention of Golgotha from Şumuleu dates back to 1834. After 1868, stone crosses were erected in place of the old wooden ones, but only a few remain today. The new crosses were raised in the early twentieth century and are the work of the sculptor Kovács Béla from Jigodin.

At the Southern edge of Lueta there is the Salt House, which stands out as a monument that supplies not only the Lueta village but also the surrounding ones. In the region there are such houses in Mereşti, Mărtiniș, Corund and Praid, but the villagers believe that here is the best quality salt. The history of the house spans over a hundred years. It was built in 1866 above the fountain (the inscription above the entrance is witness). In 1996, the building received a new roof. The settlement once had a salt mine, but it only worked for a short time. The village was built on a large salt field that is linked to the salt field of Praid. Somewhere below the village, the salt deposit meets a water source resulting the Salt Fountain, the salty solution here being highly concentrated. The locals take great care of the well, from where they get the salt they need.

Tinovul Mohoş is located in the eastern corner of the Ciomatu Mare Massif, at the southern foot of Mohoş Peak (1177 m) at an altitude of 1050 m. It has a diameter of 800 m, an area of 80 ha and a depth of 10 m. Tinovul Mohoş is actually an alpine peat bog. From the ancient lake, only 13 puddles of water remained. The view of the pine trees growing on the peat layer, as well as the thick bilberry bushes, offer a great sight. Among the rare species of the reserve are the carnivorous plants of the quaternary era such as the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), Drosera obovata, the english sundew (Drosera anglica) and the bog cranberry (Vacccinium oxicoccos). There are also species from the last ice age: the bog-rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and the hare's-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Photo source: http://www.greenharghita.ro

The lake St. Ana, located in the crater of Ciomatul Mare, is the only volcanic lake in Central and Eastern Europe, being the most visited travel destination of the Szeklerland.  The steep walls of Ciomatul Mare’s volcanic cone surround it, with a few higher peaks: Ciomatul Mare (1301 m), Ciomatul Mic (1238 m), Tata hill (1174 m) or Pietros peak (1125 m). Unique in Europe, the lake is at 946 m altitude, with a diameter of 1737 m and a maximum depth of 7 m. From the edge of the crater, 13 temporary brooks, which form during heavy rains, bring water and gravel into the lake.  The lake is fed by rainwater and snow melt. The process of sedimentation began on the northern and western edges, an increasingly thick layer of sludge covering the bottom of the lake. When the weather is fine, especially without wind, you can see bubbles of gas rising from the bottom of the lake, which are actually manifestations of post-volcanic activity. In the north and northeast of the lake, one can see a layer of floating peat about one meter thick. Cover photo: Fodor István

Lázár Castle, built close to the center of Lăzarea/Gyergyószárhegy village, is one of the most beautiful examples of Transylvanian Renaissance architecture. The castle with battlements was one of the most attractive 17th-century noble residences in Transylvania. There are Gothic letter inscriptions from the year 1532 in the lobby, which has an ogive vault. The enclosing wall has four bastions. The entrance to the castle’s courtyard is through the gate tower on the southern side. The castle was built during the time of István Lázár, Gabriel Bethlen's playmate, later a trusted man of the Prince and the supreme royal judge of Giurgeu, Ciuc and Caşin areas. His coat of arms from 1632 is located on the wall of the bastion in the left corner, inside the courtyard. The same year marks the date when the castle was completed. In 1707, the Imperial Army burned the castle during a campaign of retaliation against the "Kuruc", who opposed the Habsburgs, as was the case of the castle's lord, Ferenc Lázár. His name is linked to the construction and reconstruction of the Knights' House. Among the outstanding personalities who visited the castle is Prince Gabriel Bethlen, whose mother was a member of the Lázár family. Mihnea Voda of Muntenia hid in Lázár Castle for a year after the Turks banished him, and Petru Rares of Moldavia spent 11 years here, between 1527 and 1538. Lázár Castle has been repeatedly burned, and in 1842 it fell into ruin, following another fire. Since 1967, the castle has undergone renovation and restoration, which is still ongoing. The ultimate goal is to recreate the former splendor of the building, as it is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Transylvania. During the renovation, it was designated as an archaeological site. In 2013, the state returned it to the descendants of the Lázár family, which is why the fortune of the castle is still undecided. Visits on Sundays by prior arrangement! +40 745 295 925 ENTRY • adult: 35 RON • groups over 25 people: 30 RON • senior citizens: 30 RON • students: 20 RON • residents of Lăzarea/Gyergyószárhegy: 20 RON • children under 7 years: free of charge • Professional filming/photography fee: 200 RON