Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of activities including kayaking. There's a lakeside restaurant,
Lacul Ciucaş
(
0266-335 555; mains 14-25 lei)
, down from the main road.
Buses between Miercurea Ciuc and Sfântu Gheorghe stop here.
Miercurea Ciuc
POP 42,032
Doing a competent impression of being nondescript, Miercurea Ciuc is not as bland as its
Soviet-style housing blocks imply. Push on to the old centre, particularly pedestrianised
Str Petöfi Sándor, and you'll find a languid gauntlet of restaurants spilling onto the
cobbles and a lively cafe-society feel. Celebrated for its nationally loved Ciuc (pro-
nounced 'chook') beer, or the town's hockey fascination, Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda in
Hungarian) is a friendly if rather dishevelled place where the population is over 80% eth-
nic Hungarian. If you're heading to Bicaz Gorges or Lacu Roşu in Moldavia, it's a worth-
while stop-off.
Founded during the reign of Hungarian King Ladislaus I (r 1077-95) around a castle
that the king built for himself, Miercurea Ciuc quickly developed into a prosperous com-
mercial centre and the hub of Székely Land cultural activities. Traditional Székely vil-
lages such as Leliceni (4km southeast), Misentea and Ciucsângeorgiu (another 2km and
4km south) and Armaseni (2km north of the latter along a dirt track) lie within easy reach
of Miercurea Ciuc.
