DESCRIPTION
The Székelys are a Hungarian speaking ethnic group living mainly in the mountainous and hilly regions of Eastern Transylvania. While scholars still debate about their origin, most agree that they descend from the Hungarians, while some researchers and local legends claim that they descend from certain groups of Attila’s Huns that swept across vast parts of Europe towards mid 5th century AD; these groups of Huns would have stayed in Transylvania, later creating an alliance with the Hungarians that conquered and then settled in the Carpathian Basin starting with 895 AD. Later on, in the Kingdom of Hungary, their role, together with the Csángós (ethnic Hungarians living farther Eastwards, deeper into the Eastern Carpathians and sometimes beyond them), was to protect a part of the Eastern border (the Western foothills of the Carpathians in Transylvania) from invasions, most notably from the Ottomans. Their location in sometimes remote regions and close to a feared border helped them preserve their traditions, crafts, lifestyle and the original runic alphabet (Hu. rovásírás) used by the Hungarians until they adhered to Christianity and adopted the Latin alphabet under the rule of King Stephen I (997-1038). Together with all Transylvania, their lands (the Székelyföld or Székely Land) stayed in the Kingdom of
Hungary until the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, when Transylvania became part of Romania. For the contemporary visitor, the Székelyföld is a highly scenic region, with the mountains running down to deep valleys and basins, and visitors are impressed by the great vernacular architecture, craftsmanship and horse-breeding skills, all still alive in the Székely communities. Their main symbols, the Sun and Moon stand for representations of the cosmic world and can be found on their fine richly carved wood gates and house pillars, on their pottery and embroideries, even though their spiritual significance has lost the religious tag after their adherence to Christianity. More than anything, a visit to the Székelyföld allows one witness the way these people have managed to live in harmony with the nature around, in a rare and wonderful manner where natural and man-made heritage complement and support each other, all that often cut off while not that far from the hustle and bustle of popular Transylvanian destinations. Because, while in the countryside, up the hills and down the valleys here, space seems to have been torn away from time allowing one’s mind to freely roam back and forth like in a contemporary Székely writer’s lines, the playful flow of Béla Bartók’s “Transylvanian Dances” acting as an immersing background:
“My friend recalled our going on hunting trips up the Tündérvölgy (En. Fairy Valley) on weekends back then, our learning to ski in summer and to swim in winter, at a time when I played the life game and thought I could trick life while dozing in the dewy grass in summer, at a time when, my friend said, I would have never believed that everything we went through would be recorded on tape, on paper, in our memory. I would have never believed that each of our actions had its significance, like the smell of gunpowder during the early morning hunt up the Tündérvölgy. […] When my friend and I went hunting up the remote Tündérvölgy, roaming across new places with only the horizon line in mind […], we had no idea there is a time that flows upstream, there is a reversed memory, a reversed space where one looks at the Moon while actually keeping his eyes down to the ground. Back then I had no idea there is no eternally valid phrase or truth, that one can never really call it a day or use the period mark.”
Kelemen Hunor – “Reversed Space”
DAY 1
(Bucharest) Brașov – Aita Mare / Nagyajta – Tălișoara / Olasztelek – Vârghiș / Vargyas – Micloșoara / Miklósvár
Starting in Brașov (or Bucharest), we shall head straight to Micloșoara today with an optional break in Aita Mare, where we can see the 16th century fortified Unitarian Church still preserving a fine fresco depicting the legend of St. Ladislaus. A little Northwards, we shall then explore two local traditions: the painted furniture in Vârghiș and the blacksmith workshop in Tălișoara; until not very long ago, every larger village in the region used to have its own craftsmen for the basics: blacksmith, carpenter and wood carver, fabric and local outfit weaver, shoemaker and so on. After these eye opening visits, we shall reach the village of Micloșoara, located at the foothills of the low Baraolt Mountains complete with their extensive woods and pastures, so that carpentry, wood carving and cattle breeding were traditionally important activities for the local population, while the nobility was keen on hunting. Enter the Kálnoky, an aristocratic family that built a stone house in Renaissance style in 1648, that would later be expanded into a hunting mansion. The castle remained in the family possession until the coming of the Communist regime that had it confiscated, and only after the 1989 fall of the regime Count Tibor Kálnoky, belonging to the 25th family generation and born abroad, settled in the Székelyföld, decided to take the mansion over,
have it restored and open it up to the interested in local history. The mansion’s rooms were filled with period furniture, glassware and textiles meant to provide a good image of the aristocratic lifestyle in the Székelyföld, while its quite extensive grounds, including the pond and the grand old tree-flanked access alley were given back their original splendour. A stone’s throw away, Count Tibor Kálnoky maintains a few old, traditional houses and a manor house where we shall stay overnight, providing a great way to explore the lifestyle of the local population. We might not therefore miss the lack of TV sets in the old rustic rooms.
- Optional drive from Bucharest to Brașov (allow 3 to 4 hours) or previous day’s drive from Bucharest to Brașov followed by accommodation in town (not included).
- Pick-up in Brașov in the morning.
- Optional visit to the Unitarian Church in Aita Mare.
- Visit to the painted furniture workshop in Vârghiș and the blacksmith in Tălișoara.
- Visit to the hunting mansion of the Kálnoky Family in Micloșoara.
- Dinner cooked by the local ladies, Micloșoara.
- Accommodation in the old traditional houses on the Kálnoky Estate.
DAY 2
Micloșoara / Miklósvár – Dârjiu / Székelyderzs – Odorheiu Secuiesc / Székelyudvarhely – Inlăceni / Énlaka – Corund / Korond – Valea Boroșului / Borospataka
Our journey will commence today with the fortified church in Dârjiu, built in Romanesque style in the 14th century, restored in Gothic style and added a protective fortress wall a century later. The 15th century frescoes inside will take us back to different stages of St. Ladislaus’ legend, including the specific “Pursuit of the Cuman”. We shall then move on to Oroheiu Secuiesc, an atmospheric old town mentioned for the first time in 1334, with a fortress erected in 1451, some remains of which still remain. While there are older, well preserved buildings in town, the one set in Eclectic – Art Nouveau style in 1909-1910 to host Áron Tamási Highschool founded in 1593 will definitely impress us. It will then be back to the countryside and its gems. The sleepy village of Inlăceni will welcome us with its serene life and fine 15th century fortified church partly built with Roman era stones and still preserving wonderful ceiling wood panels painted with floral patterns and rovásírás script. Back to crafts, we shall then visit an artist’s workshop in Corund, a country-wide famous pottery centre. The pottery here, traditionally mostly blue and white, uses highly appealing floral patterns and motifs, with the tulip being among the most popular flower. And then, after a drive up the Eastern Carpathians and into Csángóföld (Csángó land), we shall find the village of Valea Boroșului, as well as the scenic 2.6 hectare slope on which a local family, the Szász, bought over, took to pieces and rebuilt 14 old houses from the region that were falling into disrepair, hence saving them from ruin. They arranged them in a village manner, and the grounds include a church (the only new building there, but set in traditional style), a small working sheepfold, as well as an ethnographic collection of original local tools, fabrics and furniture.
- Breakfast.
- Visit to the fortified church in Dârjiu.
- Walk in Odorheiu Secuiesc and exterior view of Áron Tamási Highschool.
- Visit to the fortified church in Inlăceni.
- Visit to a potter’s workshop in Corund.
- Walk around the old houses in Valea Boroșului.
- Dinner.
- Accommodation in one of the old houses at Valea Boroșului.
DAY 3
Valea Boroșului / Borospataka – Miercurea Ciuc / Csíkszereda – Armășeni / Csíkmenaság – Sântimbru / Csíkszentimrei – Valea Zălanului / Zalánpatak
Not possible on Sundays and Mondays
In the morning, after visiting the local ethnographic museum, we shall head down the mountains and to Miercurea Ciuc, mentioned for the first time in 1558, seat of the Székelyföld and host to a few very interesting properties among which the Eclectic building of the Márton Áron College with its façade blending in Neoroman, Neogothic, Neobaroque and Secession (Art Nouveau) elements, then the strong Mikó Castle completed in 1631 in Late Renaissance style and nowadays hosting a fine museum including a great collection of Székely textiles, and not least several fine houses including the one built in the early 20th century by Lawyer Gábor Pál and currently hosting the Hungarian Consulate. Also, we cannot ignore a recent building, that of the 2003 Millennium Church, built to celebrate a millennium of Hungarian Christianity; the two sets of great crosses on the sides, each referring to a century of Christianity, the central Mongol yurt-like structure referring to the origins of the Hungarians and the great skylight make this an outstanding piece of architecture. After a short walk along the pedestrian street here, we shall carry on and take a side road to Armășeni. Mentioned for the first time in 1583 and built on the site of an older, 15th (some argue 13th) century church, the local fortified church impresses with some fine painted ceiling panels. A short drive away will deliver us to Sântimbru, a village hosting the recently restored Henter Mansion. Built by the homonymous family at the beginning of the 18th century in Baroque-Renaissance style, the mansion will welcome us with the open porch complete with the family blazon consisting of a crane bird standing with one leg on a crown and with the other holding a stone, an arrow protruding from his neck. Optionally, time allowing, we may see local craftsmen at work: a blacksmith, a weaver or a horse-pulled cart wheel maker. Then, after taking a country road across the scenic Baraolt Mountains, we shall head down to Valea Zălanului, where we shall stay overnight in a heritage, old traditional house, part of a story of its own and, once again, lacking TV sets for one good reason…
- Breakfast.
- Visit to the local ethnographic museum in Valea Boroșului.
- Walk in Miercurea Ciuc.
- Optional (time allowing) visit to the ethnographic (with a focus on the textile) collection in Mikó Castle.
- Visit to the fortified church in Armășeni.
- Visit to the Henter Mansion in Sântimbru.
- Optional (time allowing and according to craftsmen’s availability): presentation of local crafts: weaving, horse-pulled cart wheel making and ironwork.
- Dinner cooked by the local ladies in Valea Zălanului.
- Accommodation in the heritage houses within the farm in Valea Zălanului.
DAY 4
Valea Zălanului / Zalánpatak
It was here that the now King Charles III, invited by his distant relative and friend Count Tibor Kálnoky, fell in love with the village, the natural background and the farm built in 1900, to the point where he bought over the then decaying property, had it restored faithful to the original technology and decorations, and then opened it to tourism in an attempt to promote the region and its traditions. The property consists of a quite generous orchard-like area crossed
by a creek and hosting a manor house, a barn and three old houses. Our day here will commence with a short walk uphill, to the now known as King’s Pasture given the fact that King Charles III greatly enjoyed walking up there for the fine view it affords over the narrow valley the village is tucked in. Then, we shall go like the locals do so to speak, as we shall have half a day’s horse-pulled cart ride across bucolic countryside, including a picnic lunch based on local products. And in the evening we shall look closely into local cuisine while helping the local ladies cooking kürtőskalács, a baked pipe-like dessert topped with walnuts and sugar or honey. At the end of this “static” (i.e. motorized vehicle free) day, it will be clearer why little has changed in villages like Valea Zălanului over the last centuries.
- Breakfast.
- Walk along a smooth uphill trail to the King’s Pasture.
- Horse-pulled cart ride across the countryside.
- Picnic lunch based on local products.
- Kürtőskalács interactive cooking presentation.
- Dinner cooked by the local ladies in Valea Zălanului.
- Accommodation in the heritage houses within the farm in Valea Zălanului.
DAY 5
Valea Zălanului / Zalánpatak – Câlnic / Kálnok – Băile Tușnad / Tusnádfürdő – Sânsimion / Csíkszentsimon – Sfântu Gheorghe / Sepsiszentgyörgy – Brașov (Bucharest)
This morning we shall once again hop over the wooden crest of the Baraolt Mountains and go down to Câlnic, a small village with two old churches: the Reformed church built in the lower part of village in the 17th century and the Unitarian church built in the upper part of the village in the 18th century. Both feature fine wooden bell towers and have their distinctive colour aprons and embroideries inside: red and white for the Reformed church, respectively blue and white for the Unitarian church. Then we shall head to Tușnad Spa and enjoy a mineral water tasting at the two twin springs there, the Mikes and the Apor. And then, farther upstream (the slight backtracking is due to the fact that churches are best visited in the morning and beers tasted in the afternoon!), we shall pay a visit to a brewery with an illegal tag. We shall leave the full story to the local staff at Csíki Sör while only saying that these people went to court with a major international beer brewing company over the beer brand and eventually succeeded to have their own brand which became very popular in both Romania and Hungary. A visit to the plant and a tasting of the different (quite many!) types of ale and stout they make here will be quite rewarding. And then, on the way South, unless opting for a detour to see the scenic volcano crater-hosted St. Ann Lake, we shall call at Sfântu Gheorghe. One of the oldest towns in Transylvania, the town goes back to 1332 or before that. The same century saw the building of the local Gothic style fortified church, while the 19th century economic boost given by the development of light industry (textiles, cigarettes) led to a concerted city development that included the Neoclassical Beör Palace, the market hall with its adjacent clock tower and the Székely National Museum.
- Breakfast.
- Visit to the two churches in Câlnic.
- Mineral water tasting in Băile Tușnad.
- Visit to the beer brewery in Sânsimion and beer tasting joined by local snacks.
- Walk in Sfântu Gheorghe.
- Optionally, the walk in Sfântu Gheorghe may be replaced by a drive up to St. Anna Lake, hosted by an extinct volcano crater and walk on the lake shore.
- Drop off in Brașov or drive to Bucharest (allow 3 to 4 more hours from Brașov).
- End of services.
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