Székelyudvarhely's Historical City Center And The Alexandra Confectionery
Old cities usually have two city centers, the old, historical ones and a new one. The old, historical one contains all the old buildings, which most likely are considered historical monuments by now and protected by the government. That's where you can learn about the city's history.
Last time when I was at Udvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc), was able to visit the old city center and saw they have not only preserved the old buildings and monuments but have also restored what has been destroyed and have set up new monuments.
One of such is the Park of Remembrance, inaugurated in 2004.
The statues depict 12 well-known historical and legendary figures, these are: Károly Kós, István Bethlen, Miklós Wesselényi, Gábor Bethlen, György Fráter, Szent László, Prince Csaba, János Hunyadi, István Báthori, Ferenc Rákóczi II., Father Bem, József Nyírő, and thirteenth, the anonymous Székely wanderer. source
The park has the shape of a tear or a drop and those tall trees look like protecting the statues from the sun. Those trees have been there for decades and good thing they did not cut them down. Would have been a shame.
Hotel Küküllő, a *** hotel right in the city center, if you need accommodation.
There are a few newer buildings in the city center, built during the communist era, but most of the buildings are the old ones, like this one on the photo, which is functioning as an ice cream shop.
There is a nice map in front of the mayor's office, if you need guidance, plus they have the audio guide, called Travel2U, downloadable from the app store. What I love about this map is that it's not like the others you see in other cities, the buildings look somewhat real and it makes it more artistic. There's a red dot on the map, that's where the map can be found. I think it's important to mention that you can visit all this on foot as there are no distances there.
At the time of our visit, the temperature was close to 32°C. There were these gates, vaporizing cold water, to help you stay fresh.
This year is the 200th anniversary of Sándor Petőfi birthday, Hungary's national poet. With this occasion, there was set up an open air exhibition in the city center.
He went missing at the age of 26, in a battle and was presumed dead.
You could learn about his life and work, by reading these boards. I love this kind of exhibition as you can learn a lot, even if you just read about the events and look at the photos or paintings.
This is the Roman Catholic church. Unfortunately there was no time to climb up and visit the lovely building.
This is the Catholic gymnasium. Back in the day, each church had its school. After the second world war ended, all the schools got nationalized and they could only reclaim these buildings after the communist regime fell.
100m down the road, there's the Reformed church's gymnasium, an impressive building you can't miss.
There are 3 statues in the front yard, 3 prominent figures of the reformed church. In the background, on the wall, there's a tribute to the 500 year anniversary of reformation. The photos you see on the wall are of the reformed churches of the county.
Next to the two religious schools there is the Elek Benedek Pedagogical high school. These are 3 major schools as the city is not huge either, so most of the kids attend these 3 schools. Imagine going to school in the city center each day. That must be cool.
Last, but not least, the Alexandra confectionery! The building does not look like much from outside, but trust me, worth a visit inside.
You can choose from cakes, sweet creams and ice creams as well. The offer is mouth watering and not budget friendly at all, but, you know, yolo. So here's what we had.
Chocolate cake.
Fruit cake with chocolate.
Salty caramel cake.
Cheesecake with berries.
If you have missed the first part of my trip, you can check it out here
This small Transylvanian city is like a gem, if you like old, historical buildings. Worth visiting for sure.
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These are nice, I love the gate that vaporize water and also the chocolate cake looks delicious ☺️
Both were good if consumed in small quantity 😁
😂😂 Alright then
Fascinating about older cities having two centers.. though it kinda does makes sense, when rapid expansion as a result of population growth, serves as a prerequisite for such. That sad part is when the old urban center 'decays'.
Thanks for the awesome pics and accompanying writing - an interesting read. Keep well my friend.
p.s. that cake looked awesome!
Usually the old, historical city center is for tourists and administration as the city hall is always located there, plus some fancy business like old hotels and restaurants. But the masses can't live there, so there's usually the new city center, which is a modern area with new buildings, shopping centers and so on.
The old urban center bever decays, as whoever owns the property, has the obligation to maintain it in good condition as these buildings are considered historical monuments and therefore protected.
Wow, Your shot are so amazing. Good to see you explore one of the largest municipal in Romania. Always part of the municipal I will visit in the future when opportuned.
I have really learned alot from your detailed description of all the centers. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you. Good luck on your visit and enjoy your trip.
Thank you so much for sharing this captivating article about Udvarhely's historical city center! Your attention to detail and vivid descriptions made me feel like I was right there, exploring the charming old streets and admiring the beautifully preserved buildings. The Park of Remembrance with its statues sounds truly remarkable, and I love how you highlighted the personal experiences, like the refreshing gates with cold water. Your article has sparked a genuine interest in visiting Udvarhely and immersing myself in its rich history.
That's the idea behind travel blogs. You need to make the reader feel like they are there with you 🙂
The true blogger knows how to make people feel that😄
Beautiful shot ma, the city cool I love the trees that are planted around the houses it give a scene of a good nature
Ok, you can stop calling me ma as I'm not from your part of the world.
Oh sorry about that. Thanks
Wow what beautiful pictures, I really loved your post, congratulations!
Thank you for dropping by.
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1966.
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Thank you.
T'was a nice place to visit.
I agree with you on that.