Bodoc

SEPSIBODOK

It is a commune on the bank of the River Olt, it is well-known of its sour mineral water. It lies at the western foot of the mountain chain named Bodoc Mountains.

A nigh passes the E-575(DN -12) international highway following the mentioned river and the Sfantu Gheorghe – Miercurea Ciuc section of the Szekler circle railway. Bodoc is situated 15 kms far from the county capital.

We can find first written mentions in the papal tithe register from 1332 "Buduk".

It has the following component village: Bodoc, Zalan, and Olteni. All the three settlements are very old.

ZALÁN

The village belonging to Bodok from administrative point of view is well-known for its fruit gardens and home- made plum brandy. Its medieval church was demolished sequel to the earthquake in 1802, but the previous doorframe made of stone in Romanesque style was saved and incorporated in the building of the new church. The church is surrounded by a relatively short, oval-shaped wall, which was supposedly built in the 15^th century, and then later demolished.

From among the villages in Háromszek it is Zalán that preserved the oldest community law recorded in written form in 1581. As far as its architectural inheritance is concerned, two mansions are worth mentioning: the Séra-Fejér Mansion and the Nagy Mansion.

OLTSZEM

The village located on the right bank of the river Olt, whose valley widens after the river flows through the Baróti and Bodoki Mountains, belongs to Bodok from an administrative point of view. In its area and at its borderlines there are several archeological quarries. During the late Iron Age there used to be a fortress on the peak called Leánykavár (on the left bank of the river), whereas on the right bank of the river, in the place called Vármegye, specialists have excavated a site dating back to the Neolithic Age, which is surrounded by artificial trenches. Archeologists have identified the location of a Roman castrum (military camp), whose double tower of defense can be still seen at the southern entrance to the camp.

Oltszem is the ancient nest of the Mikó family. Their castle, still standing, was built in 1827 by serfs at Count Mikó Miklós`s orders. The builders used the materials gathered at the ruins of the neighbouring Herec fortress.

In the area of the village there are several medicinal springs, from among which the best-known are the Bagoly spring (on the right bank of the Olt river, its water is used mainly for healing liver dysfunctions) and Sós spring, used for the treatment of hyperacidity.