Bird Garden Corund/Korond

Besides the most famous mountain areas of the Szeklerland such as the Harghita mountains, Bicaz gorges, the Red Lake or St. Ana Lake, this region hides many travel spots worthy of admiration. These include the Hășmaș Massif, known among hikers especially due to their number one attraction, the Lonely Rock. Many travelers follow the hiking paths of the Hășmașul Mare, Hășmașul Negru, those of the Öcsém peak or those at the base of the fascinating talus deposit called the Devil’s Mill. The chalet built at the feet of the Lonely Rock is an important meeting point of several hiking trails, and it offers a fascinating view over the Ciuc depression, Ciucaş mountain, Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Massifs. The marked hiking routes are easy to follow and can be safely traveled by any hiker who is accustomed to the mountains. The same is not true about the escalation of the chimney leading to the top of the Lonely Rock. Even though the trail was improved with steel cables in 2008, the escalation requires skill, physical strength and plenty of care from amateur climbers. Those who get to the top at 1608 m altitude will be rewarded with a truly overwhelming panorama. Photo: Dezső László

The Szekler Museum of Ciuc, as an institution, was born in 1950. Since 1970, the headquarters of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc is the Mikó Castle Fortress, known as “the Fortress", the oldest and most important historical monument in Miercurea-Ciuc/Csíkszereda. The museum’s collections: 1. Plastic arts, with 7823 works from 207 artists; 2. Ethnography, including folk furniture, wooden and metal objects used in agriculture, objects used in animal husbandry and shepherding, objects used in milk processing, folk handicraft items, folk ceramics and folk musical instruments: cello, folk violin, clarinet and trumpet. The textile collection (3336 pieces) is made of indoor textiles and folk costumes; 3. An open-air exhibition with peasant houses and Szekler gates built of wood; 4. Archeology, a collection of 90,000 objects of clay, stone, bone, metal, etc., jewelery, numismatics; 5. Old books, a collection containing the old inventory of the Library of the Franciscan Order from Şumuleu Ciuc, the library of the Roman Catholic Gymnasium, manuscripts, printouts, magazines, archival materials and the toolbox of the Franciscan Book Binding from Şumuleu; 6. Natural sciences, including the following collections: "Mineral Waters", "Herbarium", "Birds and Mammals", "Minerals and Rocks"; 7. Arms Collection; 8. Religious art. PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS: • The Story of the Mikó Caste • The Franciscan printing workshop from Şumuleu Ciuc • Pace of time in Ciuc (Csík) • Preserved sacred art tresures

The Kőzúgó Waterfall is a charming place hidden in the forests of the Szeklerland, a spot that enchants the passerby, not by its magnificence (it measures just over 3.5 m), but by its wildness and naturalness. Balázs Orbán, an ethnographer and writer from Harghita county, described it very poetically, considering that nature has sculpted the rocks around the waterfall so that man can comfortably admire the unique flow of the water, which "breaks the stones". The Stone Breaker has a particular significance due to the numerous water mills. It is easy to find the waterfall because there are hiking trails crossing the area, near Ciumani. Text, image and video source: http://www.csomafalva.ro/csomafalvi-latvanyossagok/ http://kollozsolt.blogspot.com/2011/08/kozugo.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcRRmq1twWk

The Owl Fortress is a formation of high peaks and steep cliffs. Starting from Izvorul Străvechi, going left on a neat trail, we reach the Pierre Curie Spring. After a short break, we continue on a marked hiking trail, towards the picturesque landscape named Cetatea Bufnițelor (the Owl Fortress), which offers a great panorama. Not far from the place, there is a fortification from the Second World War, with traces of bullets, machine guns nests, and pillboxes still visible today. A place of legends and history at the same time, from where you can see the Bistrita Valley, surrounded by cliffs where the eagles build their nests.

Szőcs Lajos, whose family has three generations of straw hat makers, has decided to set up the first Straw Hat Museum in the country at Crişeni. The museum was established in a traditional renovated farmhouse. In the first room displays the straw hat models in the country, the middle room displays different objects of use and decoration, and the last room presents the hatter technique, all the way from straw harvesting to the finished hat. It is also possible to see and even try the largest hat in the country, with a diameter of two meters and a weight of 2.65 kg. 500 m of straw and 1.5 km of thread were used for its manufacture. In the courtyard of the Museum, the visitor can admire an extraordinary collection. More than 600 stones sculptured by nature, with special shapes such as duck, dove, cap, etc. There is also a five-meter hat in the yard. The museum can be visited daily. If it's closed, ask at the bar.

The Bicaz Gorge are located in the Northeast of the country, in the Hășmaș mountains. They are considered among of the most beautiful gorges in Romania accessible to the tourists. Formed by Bicaz river, the gorges are traversed by DN12C and connect two historical areas of Romania: Moldova and Transylvania. Vertical cliffs and dizzying heights, mountain springs, waterfalls large and small and caves make up the gorges' curiosities. Following the Bicaz Gorges, we are accompanied on the left side by the Tündérkert rocks, and after that by a monumental cliff, with a huge cross on the top. The name of the cliff is Oltárkő, and only in 1935 a group of Transylvanian climbers conquered its height of 1156 m. Following the road, we meet other beautiful sights. The valley is getting narrower. On both sides, we could see 200-300 m vertical rock walls, with the Bicaz stream rushing at their feet. Then we arrive at the place called the Hell’s Gate, also called Hell's Neck. The swollen stream sometimes reaches the size of a large river, and in the tight space between the cliffs, it makes a deafening sound. After a while, the plain becomes unnoticeably gentler, reaching the confluence of the Tikos stream with Bicaz, where we find ourselves at the border between Transylvania and Moldova. Photo: Desző Mátyás  Text source: https://pensiuniharghitene.ro/

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