Those who visit Transylvania soon forget its association with Bram Stoker's literary creation, Count Dracula, and instead become fascinated by its true history and culture. Transylvania offers a dynamic visual experience from living rustic homesteads to forts dramatically perched on mountains.

The history of the Saxons in Transylvania is a long sad story best told to you by the handful of persons who still remain in their native villages. The cultural achievements of this people are unmatched. In the Saxon areas you will find the medieval cities of Brasov (Kronstadt) and Sigisoara (Schäßburg), fairytale fortresses such as Bran (Törzburg), and fortified churches (Tartlau, Honigberg). Many of these fairy-tale-like places are listed as UNESCO "World Heritage".

Unlike the Saxons, the Hungarian-speaking Szeklers still populate their ancestral region. They had to defend Transylvania's and Europe's eastern border for a millennium and all Szeklers had the status and privileges of nobility. Miklósvár is one of our oldest settlements and mirrors ancient Szekler history. Visit more of this unique region and find medieval churches covered inside with frescoe, discover old manor houses of Szekler noblemen in ancient villages still throbbing with life. Meet a family of woodcarvers and furniture painters who have been handing down their profession from father to son since the 1500s (oldest in Europe), and visit kilns where limestone and wood-coal is still being burned like in the middle ages.

Transylvania was the first country in the world to guarantee by law religious freedom (1568). You will find several churches of different faiths in every village. The Szeklers even produced a separate faith: 'Unitarianism'. This reformation did not recognize Jesus or the Holy Spirit as being of godly origin: God being one and unique. As reformation expanded in Transylvania in the 16th and 17th century, the interior decorations of the churches were painted over. As layers of white chalk are peeled off the walls by archaeologists, original frescoes from the 13th - 15th centuries appear. Many churches also have beautifully painted wooden ceilings

Accommodated in heritage cottages in Miklosvar, you will see village life first-hand. Depending on the season, you will meet cows returning home from the valley in the evening, see farmers working in the fields with traditional tools, and even attend a harvest festival ball and join in with traditional Szekler folk dancing.

We offer a variety of culture tours at the Kálnoky Guesthouses.  View detailed information on the culture tours here.

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