August 3-7, 2002

You can’t pay a whole visit to Hungary without experiencing a former part of it, which presents a unique religious, cultural and natural spectrum rich in diverse and well-preserved traditions: Transylvania. And you won’t understand Europe’s story about religious freedom without visiting the mythical place where the first declaration on religious freedom and freedom of conscience was proclaimed: Torda.

As one of the post IARF-congress tour organizers, the Unitarian Church in Romania invites you to tour Transylvania for 5 days (August 3-7) with other IARF congress participants. Next to the "musts" of the region, which will be available for everyone, there will be a choice of two tours, both focusing on different aspects of the Transylvanian religious and cultural heritage. Local Unitarians chosen for their previous IARF experiences will lead the tours.

The tour will commence at 9 am on August 3 from the main entrance of the Congress venue (Budapest University of Economic Sciences). The long travel by bus from Budapest to Kolozsvar, the historic city of Transylvania, will be followed by a sightseeing tour in the medieval downtown of the city. On August 4, after the Unitarian church service with the congregation established by Francis David in 1566, participants will attend the dedication ceremony of the Unitarian Center for Students and Pilgrims, a new dormitory built in the attics of the historic College established in 1557.   Cluj - Kolozsvár Unitarian Church and College

In the afternoon, two main groups will leave for two different directions, but both will start with a visit in Torda, the city where King John Sigismund issued the first Edict of Toleration and Freedom of Conscience in 1568. The first group will focus on visiting ancient walled Saxon towns, which guarded Europe’s border with the Ottoman Empire. They will spend the night in the city of Medgyes/Medias, on August 5 visiting the historic capital of the Transylvanian Germans, Szeben/Sibiu. In Gyulafehervar/Alba Iulia, there is the grave of King John Sigismund to be seen. The night will be spent in Deva. On August 6, a pilgrimage is planned to the ruined citadel in Deva where the first Unitarian Bishop, Francis David, died in prison for refusing to renounce his freedom of conscience. In the afternoon, the well-preserved castle of Vajdahunyad/Hunedoara is also to be seen.

Dârjiu - Székelyderzs Unitarian Fortified Church

The second group will explore Hungarian city and village life with Unitarians in the Maros and Harghita regions, experiencing the mystical beauty of the Carpathian Mountains. The night of August 4 will be spent in Marosvasarhely/ Targu Mures, seat of another basic declaration on religious freedom. Swimming in a mineral water lake at Szovata/Sovata, walking in a salt mine at Parajd/Praid and shopping on the world-famous pottery market of Korond/Corund are a few highlights of August 5; overnight sleep at Szekelyudvarhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc. On August 6, touring the Unitarian High School in Szekelykeresztur/Cristuru Secuiesc and climbing the Saxon hill of Segesvar/Sighisoara are on the schedule.   Sighisoara - Segesvár Medieval Castle

Both groups will return to Kolozsvar for the night of August 6. In the morning of August 7, the buses will return to Budapest, arriving by late afternoon. Participants are asked to arrange dinner and hotel reservations for that night themselves.

The total cost for the tour is EUR 500/person Single room occupancy or EUR 400/person Double room occupancy.  This includes air-conditioned bus transportation, all meals and ***hotel accommodation for the 5 days of the tour, as well as other miscellaneous expenses. Visa fees are not included, participants are required to purchase tourist visas to Romania prior to their arrival to the Congress in Budapest at the Romanian Embassies of their home countries; US citizens and European Union citizens are among those for whom there is no visa requirement. The above cost doesn’t include insurance fees either; insurance contracts need to be arranged in the participants’ country of origins.

The maximum number of participants for the tour is 160 persons; because of the limited space, reservations will be booked in order received; the final deadline for reservation is June 1, 2002. For information and registration, please visit the Congress web site or contact:

Dávid Gyerő,Unitarian Church in Romania, B-dul 21 Decembrie nr. 9, 3400 Cluj-Napoca

Phone: +40 94 7061 57, Fax: +40 64 1959 27, dgyero@unitarian.dntcj.ro