As soon as you step onto the estate of Count Miklós MIKÓ Jr., let yourself be guided to the grand castle by the avenue marked by centuries-old trees. Once in front of the building, you can't help but wonder, like other curious travelers: Is Mikó Castle a Transylvanian replica of the Élysée Palace in Paris? Connoisseurs mention obvious similarities of the facade and the plan of the building, but even in the absence of a firm answer, you will be convinced that the imposing building in Olteni is unique in its way.
Mikó Castle is a historical monument of particular importance in the cultural heritage of Covasna County, so the area of approximately 10 hectares and the castle were recently purchased by Covasna County and Bodoc Commune.
The story of the walls
Step confidently inside, where the surprising story of the walls is revealed to you. The castle owes its fame to these wall paintings of unique value in Central Europe, attributed by tradition to the Transylvanian master "handyman" Péter BODOR.
The frescoes take you through five of the castle's rooms and highlight a variety of themes: hunting scenes and harsh depictions of the Napoleonic Wars, respectively idyllic settings and views of European cities. Even more, in the count's bedroom you can admire a key scene from the life of Napoleon BONAPARTE, more precisely a copy of the work of the French painter Horace VERNET: "Adieux de Fontainebleau”.
Equestrian past and future
Regarding the history of the place - you might not have expected it - but a new era begins to take shape in the interwar period, the castle and the related domain being bought by a Saxon industrialist from Brașov, Emil SCHMUTZLER. Wanting to give the building a style characteristic of hunting castles, he furnished the "Hunting Hall" with dramatically painted black massive carved wooden furniture, which served as a reception area for guests from hunting parties.
The new owner was also passionate about breeding thoroughbred horses. In the area of the facade, you can also discover the iron coat of arms, whose representation was used in those days to mark animals.
Around this passion was woven a true story about the departure and return home of a breed of horses that originated here. After a long time, the breeding stallion was brought to Olteni from the State Stud in Szilvásvárad, Hungary, being among the last specimens of the original pedigree.
Today, to mark the past of the place, the Covasna Equestrian Days and the International Two-Horse Harness Competition are organized annually. Mikó Castle will be used as a Szekler Equestrian Museum, precisely because of the horse breeding tradition. Thus, its spirit will live on for years to come, and it will relive his glory days.
A setting worthy of a movie
In April 2023, Mikó Castle became the set for filming some sequences of the Italian film "Didi", directed by Edoardo Winspeare, a film that focuses on the story of a 70-year-old lady, born into an aristocratic family in Transylvania, who is forced to return to her native land and who finally befriends the woman who takes care of her. The shots were filmed both in the main hall of the castle and in the secondary rooms, and the producers also created a series of special sets, which are part of the aesthetic inside the castle.
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