The Miniature World And Some Cool Souvenirs

My list of places I'd like to visit in the near future is starting to take shape and getting longer every day. It's a plan I'm making for the upcoming years, to be ready when opportunity knocks on my door. This year I don't think I'll be traveling much, except for that one- two week in September, but that would be combined with work. However, having a clear picture of what you want is the first step in every journey.

Transylvania miniature park situated in Szejke (Băile Seiche) served me as a good reminder and a visual aid in broadening my plans. Today I'd like to show you the rest of the historical places in miniature I photographed in the miniature park. So come with me to see some cool miniatures.

The fortified church of Illyefalva (Illeni), built between 1782 - 1786. There were a couple of other churches in the place where this fortified church stands. It is still standing today, so I'm placing it on my list to visit one day.

Daniel castle of Olasztelke (Talisoara) is an interesting one because the estate was donated to Mihály Dániel by the prince, which was a huge honor back in those times. Running a search to see if the castle is still standing, found out that is used as a hotel, and not just any hotel, but a luxury one. You can check it out here. When a historical building is transformed into a hotel, you get luxury inside (if it's a luxury place) and old, historical look on the outside as that's what it is allowed. My jaw dropped to be honest, when I saw the prices, but luxury is never cheap. Has a spa as well, an amazing one, so don't hesitate to click the link and check it out. You can book a room for a few days and explore the surroundings. These are hidden jams in my opinion. swimming in that pool must be fantastic. In any case, I'm glad to see this one in good condition and with a nice purpose.

Another beauty is the fortified church of Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfantu Gheorghe), which has a sad history. The original construction was destroyed by the Turks in 1658 and the restoration works only began in 1970. According to this website, the fortified church looks really nice these days, so it can be a nice place to visit.

Daniel castle of Vargyas (Varghis). We're talking about the same family as in the case of above. Legend has it that the building is from 1580. Obviously it's been through a lot of changes, but it is still standing today, in a very good shape and can be visited. Both castles are in Kovászna (Covasna) county, so it would be a nice trip to visit both and what is it around.

Some castles seem to be built without a plan, although I bet each one had a plan, while others have a nicely planned design. This one for example seems to be part of the latter category. Again, good thing you can see these miniatures from above, to have an idea about the architecture as a whole. On the ground you don't see the construction like that.

This is the Sükösd Bethlen castle of Alsórákos (Racosu de Jos).

The castle (initially a fortress) was built by the Sükösd family - more precisely by Captain György Sükösd - in the 17th century. Then, in 1631, it came into the possession of Ferenc Bethlen and his family. It gained its present form thanks to Sámuel Bethlen's transformations. source

According to Wikipedia, the castle is in relatively good condition, but the courtyard needs a lot of work. I suppose this one can be visited as well.

Looking at these miniatures, you have the impression that each building is in excellent condition, freshly renovated, but the reality is far from it.

This is the fortress church of Nagyajta (Aita Mare) and the good news is, this is in a good condition and can be visited.

The Unitarian Church-fortress of Aita Mare has fortified walls, surrounded by a 5m high thick wall, with two bastions in two opposite corners. The fortress is located at the highest point of the village, also called “Raven’s Nest”. According to the documents, the defence walls were built in the second half of the XVIth century or
the early XVIIth century. In the inner court is situated the church, which reveals gothic architectural imprints. The most conspicuous elements of this religious edifice are the chalice-like pulpit, consisting of four boxes carved in stone, and a stone balustrade dating from 1710. Considering the antiqueness of the pulpit, it is the sixth oldest dais in Transylvania. Noteworthy are the inner boxes painted with colorful ornaments, specific to the local ethnographic area.
The most important repairs were carried out in the 1990s: the gate tower was renovated in 1993, the north-western tower was restored between 2000 and 2002, and finally the entire building was restored between 2019 and 2021.

The fortified church can be visited from Monday to Friday, and in the weekends by prior arrangements. source

The park is not huge, but not small either. It is on a hill, so prepare yourself for some physical exercise :)

This is the Teleki castle of Paszmos (Posmus).

It has been owned by the Teleki family since Count Mihály Teleki (1634–1690) was chancellor. Its last owner was Count Ernő Teleki. The castle was taken over by the state after the Second World War. The valuable antique furniture, paintings, etc. was taken by the advancing Soviet troops. The incited Romanian population of the village smashed the remaining valuables. The building was used for the purposes of the producer cooperative. From 1990, the castle became uninhabited and was on the verge of decay. In 2002, it became the property of the Beszterce-Naszód county municipality. In 2017, the county government announced that it would be renovated with a grant of 4.8 million euros from the European Union. source

The Teleki family was a well known one in Transylvania, wealthy family of nobles, with a lot of properties, all of them nationalized after the second world war and neglected, left to decay. I had no idea about this one till now, but I'm glad it is finally saved and most likely will be open to the public.

Coopers tower of Beszterce (Bistrita). Looks like the construction of the tower started in 1465, for strategic reasons. Today we're looking at these castles, fortresses and towers like architectural beauties, but these had a well defined and needed role back then. The town or the village's life depended on it. Attacks and battles were frequent.

This is the Bánffy castle of Fugad (Ciuguzel). To be honest, I knew about the Bánffy family, but have never heard about this place, let alone about the castle.

The Fugad branch of the Bánffy family dates back to the 18th century. was formed in the 17th century, when after János Bánffy married Erzsébet Tholdalagy in 1763, the estate came to the family through marriage. The predecessor of today's castle may have been built in the mid-1700s, but it was completely transformed by br. Ferenc Bánffy (VI) in 1812. This reconstruction was probably made necessary by the ravages of the 1784 peasant uprising. The castle was also remodeled in 1937. Dániel Bánffy (II.) and his second wife, Zicsi and Vásonkő gr. Commissioned by Mária Huberta Zichy.

A school operated in the castle for a long time after 1949, and the family got the building back in 2004 after a long litigation. source

If those photos are recent, then the castle looks terribly.

There was a miniature wooden train as well and I suppose you know where the kids ran first. Good thing this train was specially built for them, so it wasn't just an exhibited piece, you could get on the train as well.

The next interesting thing was this, a photographing box, or an old camera with new technology. I've seen similar in Segesvár (Sighisoara) last year during the medieval festival, but maybe those photos were even more expensive.

Finally, the souvenir shop. They sure knew how to market the place and their products. The souvenir shop was at the exit, but you literally had to go through the shop, if you wanted to exit the park. Now tell me if this is a genius idea or not! It is the best as even if you are not interested, you have to look around and once inside, you may like something and buy it.

They had a lot of cool things like soaps, cosmetic products, toys, games, T-shirts, jumpers, story books, coloring books, mugs and colored pencils, which I loved the most as the design was very rustic.

Artisan chocolate and other sweets 😍

I checked their web shop before leaving, to know what to expect and liked quite a lot of things, but these items are not cheep and besides, I'm not an impulse buyer. At first I thought I'd buy a wall clock, but at the end didn't. The flower you see above is the famous edelweiss or havasi gyopár in Hungarian. It's a protected by law in my country. It's not cheap either.

Legend of edelweiss.

I bought three fridge magnets at the end.

After seeing all these miniatures, I'm convinced this is the best place to learn about Transylvania's history. For me, seeing all these castles and fortresses was very helpful. My list is ready, I just have to find the time to visit them all 😂

I hope you liked this miniature tour.

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