Harghita County

Harghita County has a total area of 6,639 km².

Harghita consists primarily of mountains, connected to the Eastern Carpathians, such as the Ciuc and Harghita Mountains; volcanic plateaux, foothills, and the more densely populated river valleys.

The mountains are volcanic in origin, and the region is known for its excellent hot mineral springs. Harghita is known as one of the coldest regions in Romania, although summers can be quite warm.

It is in this county that two of the most important rivers in Romania, the Mures and the Olt, originate. These rivers' origins, near the villages of Izvoru Muresului and Sândominic, are only a few miles apart; yet the Mures flows west to the Tisza, while the Olt flows south to the Danube. In the western part of the county the two Târnava rivers (Târnava Mare and Târnava Mica) flow to the Târnava Plateau, which is part of the Transylvania Plateau.

Harghita's many spectacular natural scenery include Sfanta Ana Lake, a volcanic crater lake near the town of Tusnad; Lacu Rosu a mountain lake in the northeast near the town of Gheorgheni, and Cheile Bicazului, a dramatic, narrow canyon formed by the Bicaz stream. The county is renowned for its spa resorts and mineral waters.

The county's main industries:

- Wood industry – up to 30%;

- Foods and beverages industry;

- Textile and leather processing;

- Mechanical components.

The main tourist attractions in Harghita county are

- The cities of Miercurea Ciuc, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Gheorgheni, Toplita.

- The mountain resorts of

- Baile Tusnad (TusnádfürdQ)

- Borsec (Borszék)

- Lacu Rosu (Gyilkos-tó)

- Izvorul Muresului (MarosfQ)

- Harghita Bai (HargitafürdQ)

Miercurea-Ciuc is the county seat of Harghita county. The city lies in the east of the county in the Olt valley. Before 1918, Miercurea-Ciuc was the capital of Csík County in the Kingdom of Hungary.

After the city became the county seat of Harghita in 1968, a new socialist style city centre was constructed. It began to develop into the centre of Szekler culture and identity. In 2001 the old Harghita Hotel was converted into the Sapientia Transylvanian Hungarian University, which, although privately run, is the first Hungarian university in Romania. Other cities in Transylvania also have Sapientia University faculties. Since the university opened it has been attracting more and more young people and intellectuals.

Miercurea-Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in the whole of Romania, with winter temperatures often going under -30°C, making the city ideal for winter sports. The Miercurea-Ciuc ice rink, Vákár Lajos mqjégpálya, annually hosts the national ice hockey championships, often won by the local team, Csíkszeredai Sport Club. In 2006 the ice rink hosted the world junior championship in short track speed skating. The only long track speed skating rink in Romania is situated next to the indoor ice hockey rink. Another source of pride in the city is the famous Ciuc beer (also known as Csíki sör), considered by some to be the best beer in Romania.

PetQfi Street is the main pedestrian street in the city. It has a young feel thanks to the student presence, and houses many trendy restaurants and fashionable cafés. Their Szekler specialities conjure up images of a small city in Western Europe.

In the city centre, the main point of interest is the Mikó Castle, built in a late Renaissance style. The original more decorative castle was raised in the 17th century on the orders of Ferenc Mikó Hídvégi, the personal advisor of Gabriel Bethlen, the governor of Transylvania at the time. Much of the castle was destroyed in 1661 during the Tatar raids, but it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century and was mainly used as a barracks; today it houses the Csík Székely Museum. Behind the castle you will find a small Skanzen (museum village), consisting of a few traditional Csík houses and wooden gates. Across the road from the castle is the city hall built in 1886, originally the county hall of the old Hungarian crown county. Beside the castle is the 1904 Courthouse. The latest significant addition to the architectural landscape is the controversial 2001 Millennium Templom, designed by Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz and located next to the Baroque Church of the Holy Cross.