This time I would like to greet you with some pictures of the Transylvanian Mikó Castle in Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc, Szeklerburg, in Romania) because its construction started on this very day 401 years ago.

The town of Csíkszereda was built at the trading crossroads of the Kingdom of Hungary and has always been a Catholic center for the Hungarian Székelys.

There is also Csíksomlyó (Şumuleu Ciuc), which is now part of Csíkszereda.

Csíksomlyó is famous for its Pentecost pilgrimage.In the 11th century, when the area of Székelyföld was part of the eastern borderland of the Hungarian Kingdom, two castles were built in the vicinity of the town, facing each other.

They were called Kisvár (Small Castle) and Őrvár (Guard Castle), but they were destroyed in the 16th century.

Between the two castles, there was a valley called Ördögvölgy (Devil’s Valley). This valley was flooded by the water of the river Olt in case of an attack.

The third castle was called ‘Három’ (meaning ‘three’ in Hungarian) and was built on the top of a hill called ‘Három-tető’ (Three-top). It was built at the beginning of the 12th century.

Csíkszereda got its name from the markets that were held there on Wednesdays, as “szerda” or “szereda” is the Hungarian word for Wednesday.

The first mention of the settlement was in 1558. (In this document the mother of Prince János Zsigmond, Queen Isabella granted the town tax exemption).

The famous village of Csíksomlyó was added to Csíkszereda later.

The Hungarian Székelys founded a Catholic college here in 1630. At that time the town belonged to Mikó Ferenc, the councilor of Prince Bethlen Gábor.

Count Mikó Ferenc (1585-1635) was also a famous diplomat and chronicler. He was the Captain of Csík County and started the construction of Mikó Castle in 1623.

The prince’s architect, Giacomo Resti, assisted in the construction of the castle.

You can read more about this castle on my page, I’ve just updated it with more pictures and historical details:

https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/transylvania/csikszereda/

Source: facebook