Szekler Border Guard Memorial Center

The Pilgrimage and Visiting Center Márton Áron is located in Sândominic commune, Harghita county. The main purpose of the center is to serve pilgrims and tourists who is visiting this location, to provide information, and a place to rest in a civilized atmosphere. At the same time, it is an ideal place for the programs and temporary exhibitions of the Márton Áron Museum. Also, the building will be a practical, comfortable home, worthy of the local community, after school activities and leisure programs.

There are two types of exhibited material: models of monumental buildings made during the recycling of rubbish (13 pcs.) and objects related to crafts in Vlăhița/Szentegyháza (2 pcs.). The models are made by Gogyán József, a pensioner from Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, who uses his spare time to create them. His motivation is to draw attention to the use of different types of waste as raw materials, especially among young people. Such activities can develop children’s different skills and raise awareness of the environment. The scale models presents churches, castles and museums of Transylvania and Szeklerland. In addition to the material displayed here, you can see miniatures of other buildings in the home of the creator (contact - Judith Bokor, tour guide). You can also see the model of the vashámor of Vlăhița/Szentegyháza and the posztóványoló (cloth mill) of Minele Lueta/Lövétebánya. The vashámor operated from 1850 to 1995, where various tools were forged from iron, such as: axes, hoes, picks, shovels, spades, plowshares. The posztóványoló were used to compress and thicken the home-woven woolen cloth to make it better insulated. 

Per spinas ad rosas”… “Through thorns to roses,” proclaims the motto of the Reformed College, which can be read on the school’s coat of arms created in 1716. The thought of a difficult, thorny path to acquiring knowledge seems to succinctly sum up the school’s past as well. The beginnings of Reformed life in Odorheiu Secuiesc date back to the second half of the 16th century. Three hundred and fifty years of secondary Reformed education began in our city in 1670. The “rose garden” in Odorhei was planted during a difficult historical period. At the end of the 17th century, the Reformed Church was in a position of power in Transylvania, but the princedom was already in its last, declining period. The change of power at the end of the century, the establishment of Habsburg rule and a moderate but systematic counter-reformation gradually forced the Protestant denominations into a defensive position. However, the state-level religious intolerance and headwind of the 18th century would not only have eroded the material and spiritual strength of the Reformed life in Odorhei, but, on the contrary, also resulted in an unbroken, upward development by developing self-defense mechanisms. However, there still were plenty of thorns in the 19th and 20th centuries as well: revolution, retaliation, imperial and regime changes, wars and minority existence. Alongside or in spite of these, the result was not missed either: increasing number of students, growing material capital, significant construction projects, scientific, intellectual successes and results indicate the roses among the thorns. Between 1927 and 1940, the Reformed Teacher Training School took the place of the College, which, although relaunched for a few years of war, became a victim of communist nationalization in 1948. The intellectual and material heritage of the College was saved by the Teacher Training School during the decades of dictatorship, until in 1994 the Reformed grammar school education was finally able to continue its historic mission.  In our exhibition we would like to present this journey full of thorns, highlighting the most important historical stages, personalities and accomplishments that prove that among the thorns of the past, roses bloomed and still bloom for an entire community.

Discover Transylvania in one day! Mini Transylvania Park is the only multicultural, thematic mock-up park in Romania, where visitors can see a scaled-down copy of Transylvania's most important historical buildings. The park is located in Szejkefürdő/Băile Szejke, near Székelyudvarhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc. In the area of about 8000 square meters we recommend to our visitors: • our open-air exhibition, which presents scale models of more than 80 of the most significant castles, fortified churches, mansions and other monumental buildings in Transylvania; • most of them are part of the national heritage and UNESCO World Heritage; • a mini-Szekler train tour;  • buffalo carriage rides; • the Mineral Water Museum; • exhibition of the Szekler gates; • the Orbán Balázs Visitor Center; • playground. Tickets: • Ticket for adults: 40 lei • Ticket for children (free for children under 3 years): 25 lei • Ticket for retirees: 25 lei • Adult group ticket (minimum 10 people): 35 lei • Group ticket children / pensioners (minimum 10 people): 20 lei * Ticket price for the Mini Transylvania Park includes admission to the Orbán Balázs Visitor Center. Tickets for the Mini Secler Steam:  • Adult ticket: 10 lei • Children's ticket: 5 lei The idea of the Transylvanian mini-park came from Szekler Legendarium's team. The scale models exposed in our park present the most important buildings of the region's nationalities, in their golden age. The scale models were made by Németh Hajnal Auróra and Vajda Domokos born in Cristuru Secuiesc, with the contribution of historical graphic artist Gyöngyössy János.

An exhibition of garments of Szekler folk costume worth several centuries can be seen, complemented by handmade textiles and lace.

Learn the secrets of Miercurea Ciuc's beloved brew at this factory tour, 12km south of Miercurea Ciuc, through tastings and traditional Hungarian beer snacks. After a few sips, you too will be singing the praises of the Harghita Mountains' spring water and quality hops. Offer: 1 h | 45 Ron / person  • tour, explanation of the technology used • Csík Chips tasting (100 g) • unlimited beer consumption 2 h | 85 Ron / person  • tour, explanation of the technology used • local cuisine tasting • unlimited beer consumption 2 h | 99 Ron / person  • tour, explanation of the technology used  • oven-baked trotters in handmade bread with horseradish and garlic sauce • unlimited beer consumption Booking: +40755 030 895, latogatokozpont@csikisor.hu IMPORTANT! Registration is considered a definite booking after confirmation by phone or e-mail.   We want your visit to be a lasting memory, so you have the opportunity to purchase souvenirs related to Csíki Beer and Csíki Chips in our gift shop. We offer also: • Visiting and tasting tour at "Csíki Csipsz"

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.

The restoration and rescue of the values and treasures of our cultural heritance are noble tasks. Good manual skills, patience, humility and respect are essential in the process of the restoration. The restorer has to be prepared from scientific, historical, cultural and artistic point of view. The documentation, testing of materials, sterilization, dry wet cleaning, neutralization and completion of the missing parts of the exhibited objects were all made by our restorers. Usually the whole process of restoration was written down and documented with photos and video in order for our visitors to get acquainted not only with the exhibited objects, but also with the process of their restoration. You can see in this exhibition manuscripts from the 13th – 17th centuries, old books (bibles, psalm–books, etc.) of the 15th–19th centuries, paper and parchment charters from the 18th – 20th centuries, statues, icons, crucifixes, chasubles from the 17th–20th centuries. The objects made of paper and leather are restored by Éva Benedek, the statues and paintings are restored by Zsuzsa Mara. The restoration of the textile objects is the result of their work.