Biborțeni, the Miracle of Water

During the decades of communism, its name became practically synonymous with mineral water throughout the country and in the shops of the Romanian coast, it was the generic name for mineral water. It has always been famous for its rich sources of mineral water, which was carried far and wide, and from 1880 onwards bottled. Its spa was in operation until 1972, and since then no one has been found to revive the establishment.

Biborțeni, a forest village 42 km north-west of Sfântu Gheorghe and administratively part of Baraolt, probably takes its name from the old personal name Tiborc and, according to legend, its springs were dug out of the fairy castle above Lake Sfânta Ana at the request of his wife. The origins and fate of the castle above the village are unknown, but it is probably an Iron Age fortress. The remains of a Bronze Age settlement have been found on the left bank of the Dungó stream. The settlement was first mentioned in 1332 as Bybouth. Until the Treaty of Trianon, it was part of the Homoród District of Odorhei County, with 883 Hungarian inhabitants in 1910, while the 2021 census found 672 inhabitants, a Hungarian majority of 99.2 percent. 

The Reformed church was built in the early 14th century, rebuilt in the Gothic style in the early 15th century, and it took its present form after reconstruction in 1897. Its walls are decorated with 15th-century frescoes, and the north wall shows a scene from the legend of St. Ladislaus.

Samu Csinta