Must see attractions in Székely Land

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This ornate secessionist-style building, ostentatiously tiled on the outside and colourfully furnished within, is unlike anything else in Transylvania…

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Ethnographic exhibitions can be humdrum, so Târgu Mureş’ hay-strewn and vividly soundtracked museum is a welcome surprise. A voiceover (in Romanian),…

This lacey-looking building, 1900-built Haberstumpf cottage, seems slightly lost, standing next to the roaring main road through town. But the gallery…

Believe it or not, boarding a bus that trundles down into a salt mine isn’t the most surreal part of visiting Salina Praid. Once inside, you’ll see ping…

About 200m south of Parcul Elisabeta, this wide-ranging museum has exhibitions on natural history, local history, Székely crafts and costumes, plus…

Learn the secrets of Miercurea Ciuc's beloved brew at this factory tour, 12km south of Miercurea Ciuc, through tastings and traditional Hungarian beer…

Miercurea Ciuc’s centrepiece, and the proud source of the Ciuc beer logo, is Mikó Castle. Today it houses the impressive Csíki Székely Múzeum, which hosts…

Next door to the Culture Palace is the County Council Building (1905–7), also secessionist in style. Its decorative orange and green tiled roof and ornate…

From the modern church on the main road, Biserica Sfânta Maria, a cobbled path leads down to the lake. Wonderfully scenic thanks to a mountain backdrop…

Some 2km south of town, a striking wooden gateway carved in filigree leads to the small, conical Jesus Chapel, encircled by a stone wall. Estimated to…

The salty waters of Bear Lake are a popular place to soak in summer. People have been coming here for the lake’s restorative properties – some claim the…

Visitors can wander freely within the walls of Târgu Mureş' citadel, whose foundations date to 1492. It houses the Fortress Church and City Museum, and…

The dominating Orthodox Cathedral (1925–34) was designed to impress, with Byzantine-style paintings and gold-haloed icons of saints – plus a politically…

Some 2km northeast of the centre in the Şumuleu district (Csíksomlyó in Hungarian) is a fine Franciscan monastery, built in 1442 by Iancu de Hunedoara …

Just 6km northwest of Gheorgheni on the road to Topliţa is the tiny village of Lăzarea (Gyergyószárhegy in Hungarian). The predominantly Hungarian village…

Opened in 1802, this is one of the oldest libraries in Transylvania, named for its founder Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék. Technically still used as a public…

Some 400m east of Piaţa Libertăţii, the county museum is housed in an 18th-century baroque-style building, one of the oldest in town. The collection of…

A block west of the Ethnographic Museum is an ornate and well-preserved synagogue from 1899–1900. Before WWII more than 6000 Jews lived in Târgu Mureş; in…

In high summer when the mercury tops 40°C, this swimming complex, 2.5km north of the centre, is a welcome oasis. There's a couple of giant pools, a few…

Also known as the ‘small cathedral’, this sanctuary at the southern tip of Piaţa Trandafirilor was built in 1934–36 in the style of a scaled-down homage…