Mansion in Simeria

The most spectacular building in the former village of Simeria, now part of Sfântu Gheorghe, stands at the exit to Vâlcele. The eclectic tower house, known as the Szotyori-Nagy Mansion, was built in 1904 according to his own plans by Ferenc Szotyori Nagy, a landowner from Simeria. The owner's son-in-law, Dénes Csíkmadarasi Bogáts, a curator and local historian, lived and worked in one of the apartments of the house. Born in Sibiu but a local of Sfântu Gheorghe to the core, the historian-linguist and museum archivist, who died more than 70 years ago, is remembered as a researcher and historian of Simeria and Sfântu Gheorghe.

The construction of the stone fence on the street front was financed by the Hungarian state, in exchange for which Ferenc Szotyori Nagy offered land from his own estate for the widening and rehabilitation of the road to Vâlcele. The history of the house after the Second World War was quite turbulent, and after nationalization, it suffered a lot due to the rather bad management of the successive owners. The ordeal ended in the 1980s when the building was given over to a research unit of the National Institute of Geology. The building, which has been returned to the family, is now partially restored and still attracts visitors.

Samu Csinta