Mikes-Szentkereszty Castle

❗️ IMPORTANT! Temporarily closed for renovation. 🏰 The Daniel-castle, as well as the park surrounding it, is one of the most well-known monuments in Erdővidék. The details of the building-complex strung along the longitudinal east-west axis are witnessing the sequences of several rebuilding’s and restorations. The chronology of the building process can also be described from east to west. Its earliest wing, namely the flat ceiling room of the main building and the intersecting-barrel-vaulted one, has allegedly been built in the late 16th century. In the mid-17th century, Ferenc Daniel expanded the building with several rooms with a westward view. Also, it is very likely that he was the one building the protection gallery on the northern facade, which has since been included into the overall volume of the building. 📜 The castle became famous mostly for its many late renaissance stone carvings that adorn its southern facade, but none of them – except for the pillars of the loggia – is in its initial spot. In 1687, one of the most spectacular structural elements of the castle, the southern arcaded portico, was erected thanks to István Daniel. At the corners of the main building, the three baroque avant-corps with curved gables, framing from both, the right- and the left-hand-side the cross-vaulted arches of the loggia arcade were also built by István Daniel, who was known to have been the famous chief royal judge of Udvarhelyszék in 1723. The main entry, just as it can still be seen today, must have been built during the aforementioned reparations, too, because its frame bears fragments of similar late renaissance stone carvings. 🧱 Elek Daniel started a somewhat more comprehensive construction in 1797, resulting in the levelled wing of the palace, as well as the penthouse roof on the main building. Inserted between the windows with segmental arches, the huge double coat-of-arms made of sandstone bears the inscription „1745”. The embellished carving was probably ordered to mark the election of István Daniel as chief royal judge of Scaunul Odorheiului/ Udvarhelyszék, and it represented the coat-of-arms of the castle owner, and also that of his wife, Perki Polyxena. Gábor Daniel erected the two-levelled circular bastion attached to the south-western corner of the palace wing between 1850 and 1853. During the same period, a neoclassical wing was added to the northern face of the main building. ⚜️ The castle was amended with several new elements throughout the 20th century. Somewhere around 1920, Ferenc Daniel attached a round bastion to the north-eastern corner of the neoclassical wing, and in 1937 he had the last extension works concluded. The westward open loggia, with the little belfry in its corner, was also built in that very period. Such as the northern, two-levelled stone loggia, recalling a somewhat renaissance atmosphere, which was duly accomplished under the guidance of the art historian József Keöpeczi Sebestyén.  🔗  Text source: https://www.virtualisszekelyfold.ro/en/pano/28

⚱️🏛 The museum's exhibitions showcase objects from research and archaeological excavations, memoirs and local historical features in a welcoming and attractive space that stimulates the creativity and imagination of each visitor. The museum's collection now consists of more than 16,000 items. The archaeological exhibition of the prehistoric settlement of Dâmbul Cetății in Păuleni-Ciuc presents reconstructions of rituals and dwellings, hearths and ovens from the period. There will also be games, puzzles, interactive videos, creative workshops and a virtual guided tour, to which everyone is expected to take part. 👉 The virtual tour of the exhibition "Prehistoric settlement Păuleni-Ciuc, Dâmbul Cetății" can be accessed HERE! ❗️ During the weekend, visits to the museum are only possible by prior appointment.

🐗🐾 The collection is housed in the Bene House, where you can learn about the richness of the region's species and game, as well as the local hunting culture, through nearly 300 trophies and hundreds of hunting-related objects. The diorama of the Sub Carpathians of Curvature illustrates the species of game that can be hunted in full life-size, showing their habitats. On the walls of the exhibition there are also a number of important trophies, which occupy prominent positions in world rankings, such as the largest deer shot in Romania. You can also see the skin of a bear shot by the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu in Covasna County. 🐻

🏺 The Ethnographic House from Arcuș village has come to life thanks to a passion for over 20 years, being a rich collection of ethnographic, folkloric and local history objects. Bálinth Zoltán started to collect various objects that testify to the life of the ancestors and the collection has grown to more than 8,000 exhibits, which is constantly being enriched with new pieces. The uniqueness of the exhibition is due to the collection of more than 500 charcoal irons of different types and brands. ✨ ❗️ The location can be visited by prior telephone appointment!

🏛 The Museum of the Baraolt Basin is the home of the famous four million year old mastodon skeleton, which is of great importance, as only a few skeletal remains have been found in the world. It is also home to a diorama exhibition on the history of Transylvania, with an astonishing six to seven thousand miniatures. The ten, eighteen and twenty-nine millimetre lead soldier figures give a detailed account of the battles of the 1848-49 revolution. ⚜️ 🕰 The first museum in Baraolt was founded by Gáspár Kászoni (Baraolt, 1896 – Baraolt, 1989) watchmaker and antiquities collector of Hungarian and Szekler heritage. After many years of exploration in the area in 1979 he donated a collection to the community of Baraolt. The small museum is closed in 1984.  The collection was transported to Sfântu Gheorghe in the stores of the Székely National Museum for conservation and preservation. From the initiative of Gaál Mózes Cultural Association and the cooperation between Local Government of Baraolt and Székely National Museum on 17th November 2006 these three institutions inaugurated The Museum of the Baraolt Basin (Erdővidék Múzeuma). 

🤎 After the regime change in 1989, the focus on the Csángó-Hungarians became more and more. As a result, not only their unique folk music, folk costumes and folk customs, but also elements of their material culture became the focus of interest. The Csángó costumes, everyday and ritual objects of use, lead us into an interesting and precious world. 🧥 The collection contains pieces from the traditional interiors of Lespezi, Oituz Bacau, Pustiana, and the workshop of the potter Gabor Raymund. The collection includes home textiles, carpets, wool tapestry, rugs, towels, icons and religious representations, pottery from Oituz and Frumoasa. Most objects are related to the essential moments of the sacred and profane life of Moldovan Csangos, from birth to death: for example they include objects related to customs, everyday and sacred life, traditional garb for the rites of passage, art of weaving, sacred objects (prayer books, songs, rosaries, etc.), musical instruments, symbols of baptism, wedding and funeral.

🤎📻 The "Haszmann Pál" Museum in Cernat is set in the Damokos mansion, built in a neoclassical style. Exhibits from the building heritage of Szeklerland are displayed on the two hectares around the mansion: houses and gates of the szeklers, a water mill, as well as Szekler funerary monuments carved from wood and stone. The exhibition of tools and agricultural machines in the open air provokes the curiosity of the visitors, being unique in Transylvania. 🚜 🔸 You can find more information about the museum HERE.

🏛🔒 The city of courtyards was once home to many guilds. The museum hosts valuable collections and exhibitions about the history of the city, guilds and crafts. You can see the tools and workshop equipment of potters, bootmakers, shoemakers, embroiderers, locksmiths, gingerbread makers, hatters and tailors, all of which are now rare. You can learn about the history of the town, its civic culture and see local artefacts from the 1848-49 War of Independence. 👧👦 Another special collection of the museum is the collection of Zsuzsi and Andris dolls, dressed in folk costumes from all the regions of Transylvania and Csángó Land.

🏛 The Székely National Museum is one of Central Europe’s oldest museums. Its first home was in Imeni, the manor of Zathureczky Emília, the wife of Cserey János. The first entry in its visitor’s log dates back to June 1875. The museum has been open to visitors since 1875, it has been present in international professional life since 1876, has had its current name since 1877 and moved from Imeni to Sfântu Gheorghe in 1879 thus becoming public property. 📖 The museum’s main building, which was completed in 1913, is a true architectural encyclopedia. It was designed by Kós Károly, who was influenced by the Arts and Crafts artistic movement. The cultural palace of Háromszék combines elements from medieval urban architecture and folk architecture. The founder’s collection, which started with nearly ten thousand items, has now grown to hundreds of thousands of artifacts.  The most exceptional treasure in our library is the Codex Apor, which dates back to around 1500 and contains, among other texts, the first Hungarian biblical psalms translation. Our natural science department’s collection of Ice Age fauna is internationally recognized, and it houses Romania’s most significant collection of macrofungi (large mushrooms) as well. The museum’s excavations at the Ariușd/ Erősd prehistoric archaeological site and the 7,000-year-old painted ceramics unearthed there in the 1920s also piqued the interest of Cambridge University. 📌 The most outstanding relics in our historical collection are the symbols of Székely freedom. Gábor Áron’s cannon is a unique piece, together with Bem József’s field printing press; they stand as enduring mementos of Háromszék’s glorious struggle for self-defense. In our ethnographic collection, unique noble embroideries, diverse ceramics, and furniture pieces captivate researchers and serve as an inspiration for artisans and craftsmen alike. Our open-air exhibition, the relocated 18th-century house from Csík, became the second Hungarian open-air museum when it opened its doors in 1937. The art collection contains the works of renowned classical and contemporary artists from Háromszék, Szeklerland, and Transylvania. 📜 The exhibition "Mrs. Cserey – 200 - We are reborn!" is the permanent exhibition organized in the memory of the founder of the Museum and guides you with wonderful objects and interesting questions and games in the world of objects from the XVIIIth - XIXth centuries and in the life full of tragedies and dreams of Mrs. Emília Zathureczky Cserey. Visit the exhibition to learn more about a lady who in the XIXth century - when ladies' social connections were very narrow, and it was very rare for a woman to found a museum - had the determination and perseverance to make a museum happen. However, how was it possible that a museum that, 25 years after the first exhibition, already participated at the world exhibition in Paris, and its manuscripts, documentary archives were studied by academics and researchers? Find out everything at The Székely National Museum!   Today, the institution is widely recognized as an intellectual hub and a center of knowledge. It serves as a popular venue for spectacular exhibitions, scientific conferences, classical music concerts, and outdoor performances. Additionally, it hosts city events and even cozy family gatherings. 🤎