Székely National Museum in Sfântu Gheorghe

The Székely National Museum (Muzeul Național Secuiesc, Hungarian Székely Nemzeti Múzeum) in Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) is the oldest museum of the Székely Land and the main museum of Covasna County. It occupies a group of buildings designed by the Hungarian architect Károly Kós (Kós Károly) in the spirit of Transylvanian vernacular architecture, with a park and a carved Székely gate. After several years of restoration the main building is open again, and in 2025 the park was also returned to visitors.

A museum founded by a woman

The museum grew out of a noble collection gathered by Emília Cserey, née Zathureczky (Csereyné Zathureczky Emília), in the village of Imecsfalva in the historical Háromszék region. In September 1875 the collection was first shown to the public on the occasion of the congress of Hungarian physicians and naturalists, and two years later it already bore the name Székely National Museum. For the 19th century this is a rare story — a museum founded by a woman. In 1879 the community officially took over the collection and it moved to Sfântu Gheorghe. In 1900 the museum exhibited 95 objects at the World's Fair in Paris.

In 1911–1912 the present museum building was erected to Károly Kós's design — with steep roofs, a tower and white walls that recall a church, a manor and a peasant house at the same time. In 1949 the museum was nationalised; today it is run by the Covasna County Council. A full restoration of the Kós building was completed in 2023, and on 26 October that year the museum reopened with new exhibitions. In 2025, after further works, the park was reopened too.

Why go

This is the best place to understand the Székely Land as a whole: from prehistoric cultures to the revolution of 1848–1849 and present-day Székely identity. The new exhibitions rely less on texts and more on objects, light and multimedia, so the museum is interesting even if you do not read Hungarian or Romanian. The Kós building itself is an architectural monument worth seeing even without the exhibitions.

What to see

• The Károly Kós building (1911–1912) and the park with a Székely gate and a wooden house.
• «Tempora Praehistorica» — a new permanent exhibition on the archaeological heritage of a 6,000-year-old civilisation.
• «Geniuses Behind the Heroes» — on Háromszék in the revolution of 1848–1849: community self-organisation, the war industry and cannon casting; next to it, an exhibition in memory of Áron Gábor (1814–1849).
• «Milestones» (Mérföldkövek) — special objects from the collection and the museum's history from its foundation to the 2023 restoration.
• «Csereyné – 200. We Are Reborn!» — an exhibition about the museum's founder, Emília Cserey.
• «Székelys. Inherited Traits» — a temporary exhibition (until 31 January 2027): hundreds of objects from ten museums of the Székely Land, 77 stories and 10 documentary films.

Practical information

Address: Strada Kós Károly nr. 10, 520055 Sfântu Gheorghe, Covasna County. The museum stands at the southern edge of the town centre, about 1 km from the main square. The town lies about 30 km north of Brașov. From Ukraine the most convenient crossing is Porubne — Siret; from the border it is about 400 km.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00, the ticket office closes 30 minutes before closing; closed on Mondays and on church and public holidays. A full ticket costs 25 lei, reduced (pupils, students, pensioners) 15 lei, family 60 lei; a combined 7-day ticket for all the county branches costs 60 lei (as of November 2026). Guided tours by museum guides must be booked via the website. Secretariat phone: +40 733 007 146 (Mon–Fri 8:00–16:00), e-mail: [email protected]. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries, large backpacks go to the cloakroom, and children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Allow two hours for the visit.

Nearby

• The Lábasház on Freedom Square — a museum branch with free entry, open on weekdays.
• The Székely Horse Museum in the Mikó manor at Oltszem — a museum branch, open Wednesday to Sunday.
• UzOnkA farm in Ozunca-Băi — aged mountain cheeses, about 30 km to the north.
• The fortified church of Prejmer — a UNESCO site, about 25 km to the south-west.
• The historic centre of Brașov — about 30 km to the south.

Official website: sznm.ro

Photos: Andreea.anghel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrei kokelburg, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Székely Nemzeti Múzeum (foto: Vargyasi Levente), official website.