Discover Zăbala: Culture, Nature and Hiking Trails

Zăbala is home to the Csángó Ethnographic Museum, which features furniture, ceramics, textiles, traditional costumes and tools. These objects are associated with Csángó, Szekler, Romanian, Saxon and Roma communities. The museum’s first permanent exhibition opened on 14 September 2003 and was titled “The Traditional Folk Art of the Moldavian Csángós”.

The collection therefore includes both everyday objects as well as textiles and traditional costumes. Furniture, ceramics and tools are displayed alongside the clothing, making the different areas of the ethnographic exhibition visible. The collection points to connections with several communities, including Csángó, Szekler, Romanian, Saxon and Roma communities.

Culture

The fortified Reformed Church in Zăbala is a characteristic example of 15th-century Transylvanian late Gothic architecture. When planning a museum visit, the visiting hours from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 16:00, serve as a guide.

At the church, the fortifications, the Reformed tradition and the architectural classification belong together. Its description connects Zăbala with 15th-century Transylvanian late Gothic architecture. The Csángó Ethnographic Museum adds an exhibition to this historical context; its first permanent exhibition opened on 14 September 2003.

Nature and Hiking

A guided hike organised by the Zabola Estate follows shaded paths. Open meadows are also part of the route, as is the area around the new castle. The hiking trails of the Zabola Estate lead through meadows and forests. There, visitors may encounter deer, wild boar, squirrels and numerous birds.

Along these paths, the landscape of the Zabola Estate alternates between shaded sections, open meadows, and woodland and meadow terrain. The new castle is also part of the guided hike.

The Zăbala–Vârful Valoşul Mic–Pava hiking trail begins in the centre of Zăbala. Its starting point is near the Reformed Church. Near a pavilion on the grounds of Mikes Castle, the trail meets another marked hiking trail. It also reaches Culmea Utvaloş (Capolna), where it meets another marked hiking trail.

The route of this trail is marked by several named points. It starts in the centre of Zăbala near the Reformed Church, leads to the pavilion on the grounds of Mikes Castle and then reaches Culmea Utvaloş (Capolna). At both of the named locations, the trail meets another marked hiking trail.

Traditions

During the Sintilia celebration of the residents of Zăbala, participants dance in traditional costumes at wayside crosses. Meanwhile, they make their way to the meadow where the cultural event takes place. As part of the Sintilia event in Zăbala, Caș and Urdă were made on site from freshly milked sheep’s milk. Both products were offered for tasting.

Sintilia thus includes a procession to the meadow, dances in traditional costumes at wayside crosses and a cultural event at the destination. The event programme also includes the on-site processing of freshly milked sheep’s milk. Caș and Urdă were made from this milk and subsequently offered for tasting.

Other places in this selection: Ozun, Micfalău, Târgu Secuiesc, Întorsura Buzăului, Sfântu Gheorghe, Bățanii Mici, Comandău, Ilieni.

Getting There

Zăbala can be reached by train and by road.

To the overarching travel overview: Covasna.