THE CENTRE OF REMETEA In the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, rich Székely and Armenian families erected imposing buildings in the architectural styles of the period. It was at this time that the merchant family buildings were constructed – such as the shop of Sámuel Puskás, the house of Kristóf Dobribán (Sáska house), and several larger buildings belonging to István Mélik. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, certain buildings were returned to their former owners, who have tried to preserve their original style when renovation work has been done. The uncaring demolitions that occurred in the seventies and which destroyed the former appearance of the centre have been somewhat alleviated by the construction of the new village hall.   THE VILLAGE HALL BUILDING

Remetea village hall was designed by the architect Zoltán Máthé of Miercurea-Ciuc, and was built between 2002 and 2005, financed from the contribution of the population. The building is modern and functional, and was constructed using traditional materials. It has a wedding hall and an extendible meeting room that can also be used as an exhibition hall. The building has become an ornament of the village centre and a symbol of the settlement.   THE DR. BALÁS GÁBOR CULTURAL HALL

  Remetea’s cultural hall was built in the seventies, paid for by funds collected from the village’s population, with local people working on the project as unpaid volunteers, the design being based on standard plans of those days. In 2008, the cultural hall was re-developed in co-operation with the RMDSZ (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) and contributions from the Romanian government and Remetea’s local government, and was renamed the Dr. Balás Gábor Cultural Hall. The theatre can seat 370 people and is equipped with modern stage equipment, allowingit to be used for plays. The first floor accommodates the library and the TV room, and there are some rooms used as office space by NGOs.   THE FRÁTER GYÖRGY PRIMARY SCHOOL The history of education in Remetea goes back more than 250 years, but the biggest school building is just over 50 years old, having been built between 1961 and 1962. The school, which is referred to as the school in the village centre, has been re-developed and modernized several times. In 2012, it was enlarged with new classrooms, and was attended by 770 pupils during the 2011-2012 school year.   THE COMMUNITY HOUSE   The community house was designed by Sándor Albert, and was handed over to its administrators in July 2007, during the 8th Remetea village festival. To the best of our knowledge, the project has no equal in any other village in Székelyland. There is no inhabitant in Remetea nor any visitor to the village that will not have been in the hall during some important event, such as the ten-yearly re- unions, carnival balls, wedding celebrations, senior pram parties, annual review meetings or burial feasts. The hall has a capacity of 350 people. Everyday in the kitchen, meals are cooked for the village’s senior citizens, pupils from the schools and any groups having booked the hall beforehand.   THE TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE

  The tourist information office is in a very special purpose-built new building. Even so, the building still has its own history, which can be seen on the façade wall. This wall was part of a previous house built at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century that was used later for the village hall. It stands tribute to the period during which the village was developing economically and socially. The architect Zoltán Máthé designed a modern building with a flat roof, with timber cladding on the exterior walls, extending behind the conserved façade wall. In 2012, the tourist office became home to Remetea’s digital archive. Four touch-screen audio-visual terminals are provided for visitors, who can enjoy a library of rich multimedia content covering the vil-   THE POLYCLINIC Remetea’s polyclinic opened in December 2011. It was built mostly through the village’s own efforts, with help from Harghita county council and support from the Romanian government. The total amount invested was more than 3 million lei. There are offices for general practice doctors and dentists, and there are regular examinations made by specialists such as an orthopaedist, a neurologist, an ear nose and throat specialist, an endocrinologist, a dermatologist and a paediatrician. In addition, you can also have laboratory analyses done here. The building also accommodates an ambulance service and a volunteer-manned fire brigade. It also houses the Leader project office and a chemist’s too.   THE LEADER OFFICE Ten villages from the Gheorgheni area – Remetea, Ditrău, Lăzarea, Joseni, Suseni, Ciumani, Voșlobeni, Tulgheș, Corbu and Borsec – united in order to form the G10 territory, which opened its office in Remetea in 2012. The G10 group is a local development action group for the Gheorgheni area that has gathered together ideas from local farmers, businessmen, craftsmen, various non-governmental organisations and local governments, with the aim of boosting the local economy. The Leader project is fostering a grant of 2,856,791 euros for the region from the European Union for funding.