Corund: pottery bazaar and Székely ceramics workshops

A village where almost everyone is a potter

Corund (Hungarian: Korond) is a large Székely village in the west of Harghita County, between Odorheiu Secuiesc and the salt country around Praid and Sovata. It has long been called the village of potters: clay is dug in the surrounding hills and the craft is handed down within families. According to the Harghita County tourism portal, Corund pottery is shaped on the wheel, dried for a few days and fired in a very hot kiln, after which craftsmen paint it with stylised floral and animal motifs. The ware can be white, brown, blue (cobalt) or multicoloured.

Over time a real pottery bazaar grew up along the village’s main street – rows of stalls and small shops selling local potters’ ceramics alongside other Székely crafts: woven baskets, carved wood and textiles. Corund is also known for a rare craft – objects made from the tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius): the soft inner layer of the fungus is made into hats, jewellery and souvenirs.

Why go

Corund is the place to buy Székely pottery where it is made and to compare the styles of dozens of potters along a single street: from classic brown and white tableware to cobalt vases and modern bowls. A walk through the bazaar is also a chance to talk to the sellers, who are often potters themselves or their relatives.

To see the craft up close, ask at the stalls themselves: some belong to potters or their families, and a short workshop visit can often be arranged on the spot.

What to see and buy

• Corund pottery – plates, jugs, bowls and vases painted with floral and animal motifs.
• Cobalt blue-and-white ware – one of the village’s recognisable styles.
• Tinder-fungus goods – hats, bracelets and magnets made from soft “fungus felt”.
• Woven baskets and carved wood – sold in stalls next to the ceramics.
• Carved Székely gates – you can see such gates in front of houses along the street.

Practical information

Where: the main street of Corund (Strada Principală, road DN13A) and the Piața Corund market square on Strada Piac, 537060 Corund, Harghita County. About 25 km north of Odorheiu Secuiesc and about 10 km from Praid. From Ukraine the easiest route is via the Porubne–Siret border crossing, then Suceava, the Bicaz Gorge, Gheorgheni and Praid – about 300 km in total.

When: the bazaar is an open market – there is no single timetable; each stall and shop keeps its own hours.

Workshop visits: there is no ticket office or single timetable — arrange a visit directly with the craftspeople at the stalls; come during the day, ideally in the warm season. When buying, look for hand painting and the potter’s signature or mark on the base: factory-made ware also turns up among the stalls, so do ask who made a piece and where — real potters are happy to talk about their clay, firing and patterns.

Nearby

• Pálinka Jamy distillery in Odorheiu Secuiesc – fruit pálinka.
• GALFFIS chocolate manufactory – bean-to-bar chocolate in Odorheiu Secuiesc.
• Praid and Sovata – salt country with a salt mine and lakes.
• Harghita-Mădăraș – the highest peak of the volcanic Harghita Mountains.

Photos: Christo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.