The Csángó Attraction in Zăbala

It is not necessarily a well-known fact that the richest collection of Csángó artefacts can be found in Covasna County in Zăbala, known primarily through the Mikes family. In the course of ethnographic and local history research, which began in the 1970s, artefacts reflecting the specific culture of the population of the larger commune, located less than six kilometres from the spa town of Covasna, and then of the narrower region, became part of the collection, which from the 1980s onwards was enriched with Transylvanian Saxon artefacts, as well as with groups of Csángó artefacts of considerable museum value from Moldova and Ghimeș. 

The collection, which is housed in an old house in Zăbala, has been open to the public since 1974 but gained a real dimension under the direction of Ferenc Pozsony, a native of the village, professor of the Department of Hungarian Ethnography and Anthropology of the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, and president of the Kriza János Ethnographic Society. It now primarily protects and showcases the culture and serves the interests of the Csángó community. Born from the village collection, the Csángó Ethnographic Museum has been gradually growing since its first exhibition on 14 September 2003, with a collection of high-quality publications, dozens of exhibitions, and educational and professional events, proving its legitimacy and viability. It is a must-see destination in Covasna County. And not just to increase the number of visitors of three to four thousand a year.

Samu Csinta