Upside-Down House

Tinovul Mohoş is located in the eastern corner of the Ciomatu Mare Massif, at the southern foot of Mohoş Peak (1177 m) at an altitude of 1050 m. It has a diameter of 800 m, an area of 80 ha and a depth of 10 m. Tinovul Mohoş is actually an alpine peat bog. From the ancient lake, only 13 puddles of water remained. The view of the pine trees growing on the peat layer, as well as the thick bilberry bushes, offer a great sight. Among the rare species of the reserve are the carnivorous plants of the quaternary era such as the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), Drosera obovata, the english sundew (Drosera anglica) and the bog cranberry (Vacccinium oxicoccos). There are also species from the last ice age: the bog-rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and the hare's-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Photo source: http://www.greenharghita.ro

The lake St. Ana, located in the crater of Ciomatul Mare, is the only volcanic lake in Central and Eastern Europe, being the most visited travel destination of the Szeklerland.  The steep walls of Ciomatul Mare’s volcanic cone surround it, with a few higher peaks: Ciomatul Mare (1301 m), Ciomatul Mic (1238 m), Tata hill (1174 m) or Pietros peak (1125 m). Unique in Europe, the lake is at 946 m altitude, with a diameter of 1737 m and a maximum depth of 7 m. From the edge of the crater, 13 temporary brooks, which form during heavy rains, bring water and gravel into the lake.  The lake is fed by rainwater and snow melt. The process of sedimentation began on the northern and western edges, an increasingly thick layer of sludge covering the bottom of the lake. When the weather is fine, especially without wind, you can see bubbles of gas rising from the bottom of the lake, which are actually manifestations of post-volcanic activity. In the north and northeast of the lake, one can see a layer of floating peat about one meter thick. Cover photo: Fodor István

Lázár Castle, built close to the center of Lăzarea/Gyergyószárhegy village, is one of the most beautiful examples of Transylvanian Renaissance architecture. The castle with battlements was one of the most attractive 17th-century noble residences in Transylvania. There are Gothic letter inscriptions from the year 1532 in the lobby, which has an ogive vault. The enclosing wall has four bastions. The entrance to the castle’s courtyard is through the gate tower on the southern side. The castle was built during the time of István Lázár, Gabriel Bethlen's playmate, later a trusted man of the Prince and the supreme royal judge of Giurgeu, Ciuc and Caşin areas. His coat of arms from 1632 is located on the wall of the bastion in the left corner, inside the courtyard. The same year marks the date when the castle was completed. In 1707, the Imperial Army burned the castle during a campaign of retaliation against the "Kuruc", who opposed the Habsburgs, as was the case of the castle's lord, Ferenc Lázár. His name is linked to the construction and reconstruction of the Knights' House. Among the outstanding personalities who visited the castle is Prince Gabriel Bethlen, whose mother was a member of the Lázár family. Mihnea Voda of Muntenia hid in Lázár Castle for a year after the Turks banished him, and Petru Rares of Moldavia spent 11 years here, between 1527 and 1538. Lázár Castle has been repeatedly burned, and in 1842 it fell into ruin, following another fire. Since 1967, the castle has undergone renovation and restoration, which is still ongoing. The ultimate goal is to recreate the former splendor of the building, as it is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Transylvania. During the renovation, it was designated as an archaeological site. In 2013, the state returned it to the descendants of the Lázár family, which is why the fortune of the castle is still undecided. Visits on Sundays by prior arrangement! +40 745 295 925 ENTRY • adult: 35 RON • groups over 25 people: 30 RON • senior citizens: 30 RON • students: 20 RON • residents of Lăzarea/Gyergyószárhegy: 20 RON • children under 7 years: free of charge • Professional filming/photography fee: 200 RON

Mikó Fortress Castle, known as the "Fortress", is the oldest and most important historical monument in Miercurea-Ciuc. It bears the name of the builder, Hídvégi Mikó Ferenc (1585-1635), the documents of the time also mentioning it as Mikó’s new fortress. The construction began in the spring of 1623, ten years after the owner, Mikó Ferenc, became the supreme captain of the Szekler counties Ciuc, Gheorgheni and Casin. A prominent personality of the Transylvanian political life at the beginning of the 17th century, Mikó Ferenc, besides this function, was the counselor of Prince Bethlen Gábor, and also a diplomat and chronicler. The castle had a quadrilateral plan and a surface of 75x70 m. Its construction began on 26 April 1623 and was probably finished in fourth decade of the 17th century. Its style resembles the castles of Iernut, Vintu de Jos and Lazarea. The first written document certifying the existence of the fortress dates back to 1631. After the premature death of Mikó Ferenc's heirs, the fortress passed into the property of Damokos Tamás, the supreme judge of the Ciuc County. On October 21, 1661, the Turkish-Tatar troops led by Timisoara’s Pasha, Ali, invaded Ciuc, occupying and burning the fortress. The fortress was rebuilt in 1714-1716 under the direction of the imperial general Stephan Steinville, as evidenced by the stone inscription above the entrance. In 1735, Johann Conrad Weiss, an engineer and colonel of the Austrian army, draws the plan of the fortress, the oldest known plan so far, which is also an important document of the history and stages of construction. Around the rebuilt fortress, the Austrians designed a defense system with four Italian bastions, whose traces are still visible on the southern side. They built a gunpowder depot on the southwestern side, and turned the southern bastion into a chapel. The ceiling of the chapel is decorated with modest stucco in late Baroque style. The Gothic framing of the windows is the result of further transformations. The ground floor rooms have cylindrical ceilings, in the form of double-curved vault penetrations. Tall and narrow square crenelles were built above the sill. The fortified castle had an important strategic role on the Eastern border of the Habsburg Empire. Until the middle of the 20th century, various military troops used the building. In 1970, after a general restoration, it became the headquarters of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc.