The Székely National Museum

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 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.