THE SÁSKA HOUSE  (Cseres Tibor tér 11) [11 Cseres Tibor Square]

The Sáska house was built between 1875 and 1893, and is also known as the Málnássy or Dobribán house, after the name of its Armenian owner. The building has a massive appearance that dominates the centre of the village. A particularity of the house is that the west side of the building features two triangular corner arches on top of which two lions lie facing each other. The architectural ornamentation is in Armenian-Persian oriental style. Over the time, various modifications have been made to the building but, fortunately, the eyebrow-shaped decorative arcades on the façade and the Romanesque arch with its volutes and palmette motifs have remained unaltered. The house is now owned by the Roman Catholic parish of Remetea.   THE PUSKÁS HOUSE (Cseres Tibor Tér 15) [15 Cseres Tibor Square]

The Puskás family has lived in Remetea for a long time. Their forefathers took part both in the fight for independence in 1848-1849 and in the Alba Iulia independence movement. Their house in the centre of the village lies beside the “Kőpatak” stream and was built in several stages, finally being completed in 1911. Due to many undesirable transformations, the left side of the house has lost much of its authenticity. The principal decorative element on the façade of the building is the archcapped relief surround. The right wing of the building deserves greater attention. The arched entrance is decorated with a relief surround in the form of a broken arch, and the windows are embellished with arch-shaped motifs terminated by fleurs-de-lis.   THE MÉLIK HOUSE (Cseres Tibor Tér 26-28) [26-28 Cseres Tibor Square] At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Mélik family – who were of Armenian origin and were timber merchants – was one of the richest families in the geographical department of Ciuc. The house is U-shaped and was built at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, and it has kept its original form right up to the present. The building’s archway entrance divides it into two symmetrical parts. On the right side of the house, between the pilasters, there is a door and two windows capped by domes. In contrast, the windows on the left side of the house are rectangular in form. The west entrance resembles a triumphal arch decorated with plasterwork pilasters, and is worth looking at. Its wrought iron gate bears the family’s monogram, an “M” capped by a five-branched crown – a symbol of important social status. These days, a part of the building is residential, while the remainder accommodates a commercial business.   THE ZAKARIÁS HOUSE (Cseres Tibor Tér 20) [20 Cseres Tibor Square] The members of the Armenian Zakariás family played an important social role not only in Remetea but throughout the entire region and, over the centuries, included lawyers, notaries, teachers and public treasurers. Their house was built at the beginning of the twentieth century, but has lost a lot of its character because of the conversion work done on the roof during the nineties. Despite the modifications, the façade visible from the road attracts attention. The building now houses a restaurant and a shop.   THE NOVÁK HOUSE (Cseres Tibor tér 5) [5 Cseres Tibor Square]   In the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Armenian Gyula Novák was a cabinet maker of renown throughout the Gheorgheni basin, and was one of the organizing forces behind cultural life in Remetea. The 1913 floods destroyed his workshop and, later, he fell into a deep depression after the suddendeath of his only son, a student, and his business fell apart. His L-shaped house was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and had a veranda with a very beautiful cast iron balustrade extending from one end to the other. The building now houses anelementary school known as “The school with the iron gate” (“Vaskapus iskola” in Hungarian).   THE FORESTRY AUTHORITY BUILDING (Belbirtokosság) (Borvíz utca 1) [1 Mineral Water Street]   The façade of the forestry authority building can be seen in a photograph dating back to 1903. The north and south wings were built later. The building has always hosted public services and institutions (gendarmerie, village hall, tax office, medical practice and maternity clinic). At present, it is owned by the Remetea forestry authority.   THE ELEKES HOUSE (Biatorbágyi Utca 13) [13 Biatorbágyi Street] This is one of the oldest middle class houses. On one of the roof beams, you can see the inscription “July 14th, 1889”. Initially, it was built by the Puskás family, from which daughters married sons of the Elekes family from Suseni. Various noteworthy persons came from this family (a doctor, a professor and an engineer having prospected in Africa). The building has undergone various transformations over time, but the façade, the wall with the chimney and the arched cellar are as originally built. At present, the house is a private residence. of the alley there is the Puskás family vault, which was erected in 1912 by István Kladek from Subotica, who also worked on the construction of the large church in Ditrău during the same period. The oldest vault in the cemetery is that of the Zakariás family, which was built by Jakab Szekula in around 1860.