Cultural walks

After Budapest, Sfântu Gheorghe has the largest number of buildings designed and built by Károly Kós. These works lasted for nearly 50 years and included both public and private buildings. The main commissioners were Ferenc Gödri, Mayor of Sfântu Gheorghe, Vilmos Csutak, Director of the Székely National Museum, Dr Kristóf Fogolyán, Director of the Public Hospital of Covasna County, and Dr Gábor Kabay, lawyer. Over the years, 15 Kós buildings have been covered, of which some smaller public buildings were demolished in the past regime. The most iconic Kós-building in Sfântu Gheorghe that can be visited houses the Szekler National Museum (10 Kós Károly Street). Other buildings designed by Kós that can be admired from the outside during a walk in St. George are: - the former Girl’s Grammar School (today it belongs to the "Székely Mikó" National College, 18 Gábor Áron Street) - the former Reformed Elementary School (today the Children's Palace, 19 Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Street) - the Keresztes House (9 Gróf Mikó Imre Street), where Béla Bartók, Hungarian composer and pianist, one of the most important composers of the 20th century, stayed in March 1927 - the Csulak House (family house, 11 Konsza Samu Street) The plan of the buildings on the cover photo is by Kónya Ádám; source: Szekler National Museum.

Monuments from Sfântu Gheorghe 🏙 The image of today’s Saint George city (Sfântu Gheorghe in Romanian, Sepsiszentgyörgy in Hungarian) is that of a European city that preserves its traditions. Time has left us with impressive and imposing buildings, but it is important to realize that they do not represent merely aesthetic and artistic values, but also historical, moral and spiritual ones. Without the intention of being comprehensive, here are some gems from our city's heritage of which we, the citizens of Saint George, are so proud.  🏫🚶🏼 We invite you, during your stay and walks through the city, to look beyond the facades of the buildings and discover their fascinating stories! Every corner, every architectural detail, and every building preserves the memory of past eras, people, and communities that have shaped the city’s unique identity. In this way, your visit to Sfântu Gheorghe can become not just a simple walk, but a true journey through the history and spirit of the place! ⛪🚶🏽‍♀️  Scan the QR codes on the buildings or click on the locations in this text!   - The Hungária Hotel - 16 1 Decembrie 1918 Blvd., built in 1907 - The House of György Nagy - 6 Ciucului St., built in 1910 - The House of Ferenc Gyulai - 22 Ciucului St., built in 1910 - The Serestéj House - 50 Dózsa György Street, built in 1794 - The Former Seat of The County Council - 14 Gábor Áron Street, built in 1832 - The Girl’s Grammar School - Gábor Áron Street, No. 18, built: 1926–1927 - The “Székely Mikó” College - Gróf Mikó Imre Street, No. 1, built: 1870–1877 - The Keresztes House - Gróf Mikó Imre Street, No. 9, built in 1913 - The Bene House - Gróf Mikó Imre Street, No. 11, built in 1908 - The Csulak House - 11 Konsza Samu Street, built: 1924 - Reformed Elementary School - 19 Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Street - Székely National Museum - 10 Kós Károly Street, built: 1911–1913 - The Tobacco Factory - Kós Károly Street, No. 23, built: 1901-1907 - The Teacher's Training School - Kós Károly Street, No. 22, built: 1908-1910 - The Bazaar - Liberty Square, No. 2, built: 1869–1872 - The Arcade House - Liberty Square, No. 7, built: 1818–1822 - The Abattoir - Mikes Kelemen Street, No. 36, built: 1905 - The Pünkösti House - Oltului Street, Nos. 7–9, built: 1839 - The Boy’s Orphanage - Spitalului Street, No. 7, date: 1893 - The Fortified Reformed Church - Cetății Street, No. 1, date: 17th century - The City Hall - 1 Decembrie 1918 Street, No. 2, date: 1896–1897 - The Textile Factory - Kós Károly Street, No. 19, built: 1892 - The Swiss Villa - Kós Károly Street, No. 19A, built: 1911 - The Beör Palace - 2 Martinovics Ignác St., built: 1908 - The Nagy-Bogáts House - 12 József Attila St., built: 1904 - The mansion of Benedek Bora - 30 József Attila St. - The State School - Kossuth Lajos Street, built: 1905-1906 - The Former Orthodox School - 38 Váradi József Street, dated: 1799 - In Memory of Vaszi Jánoska - Mihai Viteazul Square, dated: 2022

Târgu Secuiesc (in Romanian), Kézdivásárhely (in Hungarian) is the easternmost town of the Carpathian Basin inhabited mostly by Hungarians. There was once a Roman military camp in the area of ​​the city, which guarded the Oituz Gorge. The construction style of the city center (once a marketplace) is interesting, unique in Central Europe, and this is due to the network of courtyards,  surrounding the city center. So: take a walk in the oval-shaped historic city center to understand and admire this interesting construction style! Being a guild town, where potters, shoemakers, leather workers, blacksmiths and locksmiths lived and worked, these families built their houses in such a way as to be both the "workplace" and the family's living space. During fairs, they could display their goods directly in front of their houses, workshops, and on the market. The strip of plots surrounding the main square as a ring, known as courtyards (udvartér in Hungarian, Curte in Romanian), have survived to this day and define the individuality of the city to this day. These houses were concentrated around the marketplace (that is, the city center today), from which small streets emerge in the form of sunbeams: the so-called courtyards, i.e. "blocked streets". In the past, courtyards had family names such as Jancsó, Csiszár, Balogh, Kovács, Rácz, etc. From 1851, settlers also appeared in the courtyard community, so the surnames of the courtyards were gradually replaced by numbers. There are currently 73 such courtyards around the former market (today's city center), a third of which start from or are connected to the city center. During your walk, you can see many impressive buildings: most of the buildings in the city center date back to the second half of the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century. Each of them has an interesting and beautiful story. To learn more about the city and get additional tips about Kézdivásárhely's tourist attractions and programs, do not hesitate to visit the Tourist Information Center located in the city center!