The Birthplace of the Cannon Caster

The northeast gate of Covasna County. The road that passes through Brețcu, 16 kilometres from Târgu Secuiesc, linking Transylvania and Moldova, was already used by the Romans and has been used since then to transport goods between the two regions. The first written mention of the settlement is found in the papal tithe register of 1332-1337, later King Sigismund raised it to the rank of a border field town in 1426, but in 1888 Brețcu lost its town status and became a large municipality.

The best-known "brand" of the settlement is the legendary artillery major of the 1848-49 War of Independence, the legendary cannon caster Áron Gábor. A full-length statue of the great native of the village can be seen in the main square, while his memorial house and the headquarters of the foundation bearing his name are located along the main road at number 89. A plaque on the building where his birthplace stood marks the historical scale. Next to the entrance of the bell tower of St. Nicholas Church in the main square of the village, you can see the relief of József Bem and Sándor Petőfi, which was placed in 1999, the 150th anniversary of their meeting.

Near the road from Brețcu to the Oituz Pass, in the remotest part of historical Hungary, there is still the classical obelisk in memory of Queen Elisabeth of Hungary, erected in 1899 by the Royal Institute of Architecture of Hungary in Sfântu Gheorghe, based on the design of the chief engineer Győző Gyárfás from Leț. In 1998, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Queen's death, the Gábor Áron Foundation placed a new inscription on the monument damaged in 1916.

Samu Csinta