Know your city
Our
gap year volunteer work in Romania is based in Miercurea Ciuc, which is the capital of Harghita County in the Transylvania region.
Transylvania is packed with romantic palaces, rocky ruins, imposing fortresses and forbidding citadels. There are more Saxon fortified churches than you can shake a stick at and dozens of lost-in-time villages where the locals only speak Hungarian and the only transport is a horse-drawn cart, laden with the day’s harvest.
Transylvania is the perfect
gap year escape from the hectic lifestyle of the Western World. Besides the cultural, architectural and historical treasures of the hidden villages and stunning cities, Transylvania’s countryside is stuffed to the brim with prime locations for sports enthusiasts to ski, hike, cycle or even para-glide. Transylvania’s picturesque landscape is also an unspoiled paradise for nature lovers, bear trackers, bird watchers and environmentalists.
As a
volunteer in Romania you will find that the Transylvania region is still extremely affordable and is becoming easier to navigate by the month. The local cuisine is delicious, hearty peasant fare and the gorgeous fruit and vegetables are often organic and locally produced. Transylvanians like to drink too, from herbal teas to refreshing beers and their fiery home-made brandy.
Harghita County is very mountainous and its Volcanic Mountains are renowned for their superb fresh water springs, which are bottled to produce some of Romania’s finest mineral water. A
gap year in Romania gives you the opportunity to explore some stunning natural scenery that includes Sfanta Ana lake, which occupies a volcanic crater, the strange mountain lake Lacu Rosu and a dramatic canyon formed by Bicaz stream. The village of Praid, just 2 hours drive from Szereda, boasts a gigantic salt mine, with a sanatorium and a huge space underground, which makes an unusual tourist destination.
What you must note is that although people in the Transylvanian region are officially Romanian, a lot of them refer to themselves as Hungarian or Szekely, as this region belonged to Hungary up until the First World War. So, if you say ‘Miercurea Ciuc’ while
volunteering in Romania, and people give you blank stares, don’t panic. It’s because they probably know it by the Hungarian name of ‘Csikszereda’.
Miercurea Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in Romania, with winter temperatures often going under -30°C, making the city ideal for winter sports.
History of the city
Volunteering to
teach in Romania or work as a
childcare volunteer in Miercurea Ciuc places you in a city rich with history and culture. From when it was founded up until 1918, Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) was the capital of Csik County in the Kingdom of Hungary. Between 1927 and 1938 it changed its name to the Romanian version and was the capital of Ciuc County in the Kingdom of Romania.
The city was returned to Romania at the end of the Second World War after Hungarian occupation between 1940 and 1944. Since then it has experienced a significant increase in its industry and in the 1960s a beer factory was built, which began producing Ciuc Beer. Its products have gained increasing popularity in Romania and you should take the opportunity to sample some on your
gap year abroad !
After Miercurea Ciuc became the county seat of Harghita in 1968, a new socialist style city centre was constructed and the city underwent major changes as it became a focal point for communism in the region.
Around Miercurea Ciuc
If you spend your
gap year in Romania with GapGuru, you’ll soon realise why Miercurea Ciuc is not known for its beautiful townscape. This is largely thanks to Mr. Ceausescu, whose heavy-handed refurbishments of the city centre left a legacy of concrete communist architecture. However, a wander around town will uncover some nice turn of the century streets and buildings and there
are some lovely places to eat and drink on time off from your
volunteer work.
In the city centre, the main point of interest is the Miko Castle, built in a late Renaissance style. Much of the castle was destroyed in 1661 during the Tatar raids, but it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century, after which it was mainly used as barracks. Nowadays it houses the Csík Székely Museum, which is a recommended visit for volunteers
teaching in Romania or working in
childcare in Romania. Behind the castle you will find a small Skanzen (museum village), consisting of a few traditional Csíki houses and wooden gates. Across the road from the castle is the city hall, which was built in 1886, and was originally the county hall of the old Hungarian crown county.
The latest significant addition to the architectural landscape is the controversial 2001 Millennium Templom (church), designed by Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz and located next to the Baroque Church of the Holy Cross.
Gap years are unique opportunities to immerse yourself in other cultures and as a
gap year volunteer in Romania you will soon recognise the importance of religion and custom in rural communities. A few kilometres to the east of the city centre is the Csiksomlyo church. A large meadow nearby has been the site of a yearly Catholic pilgrimage since the 16th century. The event attracts thousands of people every year and is held on Whit Sunday in June. It is called the ‘Csíksomlyó Saint's Day’ (Hungarian: Csíksomlyói Búcsú). This traditional gathering is attended by Szekely and Csango Hungarians living in the region.
Just a 10 minute drive out of the city and you are surrounded by the beautiful countryside. The Carpathian Mountains lurk at every turn, while vast plateaus of arable land stretch out for miles before you. In spring you are greeted by the wonderful sight of fields being ploughed by horses and carts and in the summer whole families come out to harvest the crops. There is a definite air of festivity in the harvest season, and it is a fine time to be
volunteering in Romania.
Culture and Customs
Gap year volunteers will find that the most striking thing about the culture in Miercurea Ciuc is its strong folk traditions, which have survived to this day due to the rural character of the Romanian communities. Romania's rich folk traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. Authentic folk arts include wood carving, ceramics, weaving, embroidery of costumes, household decorations, dance, and diverse folk music.
Volunteer work in Romania exposes you to a region that has had, from time immemorial, a myriad of customs, tales and poems about love, faith, kings, princesses and witches. In recent centuries, ethnologists, poets, writers and historians have sought to collect and preserve tales, poems and ballads from the region and have tried to describe the customs and habits related to different events and times of year. Customs related to certain times of year include the Colinde (Romanian Christmas carols), Sorcova on New Year's Eve and the Mărţişor, which marks the coming of spring. Other customs are presumably of pre-Christian pagan origin, like the Paparuda rain enchanting custom in the summer, the masked folk theatre or Ursul (the bear) and Capra (the goat) in winter. If you are lucky you will have the opportunity to witness these fascinating customs on your gap year in Romania.
The Szekely and the Saxons living in Transylvania made many important architectural contributions to the region, including numerous churches, fortifications, and town centres, and their landmarks have been important in the development of ethnic Romanian culture.
