Bíró Gábor: Sóvidék népi építészete (Szentendre: Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 1992)

Vernacular Architecture in Sóvidék

Gábor Bíró VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF SÓVIDÉK Sóvidék (Salt region) is a particular small region in Transylvania inhabited by Hungarians and situated on the western and south-western sides of the Görgényi alps along the river Kis Küküllő. It was named after the salt mines which can be found in this area and which have been exploited since the Roman times. Since the cultivated lands of the villages in the neighbourhood of Korond (Corund), Lower and Upper Sófalva (Ocna de Jos, Ocna de Sus), Parajd (Paraid), Atyha (Atia), Siklód (Siclod), Sóvárad (Sarateni), Szováta (Sovata) and Szolokma (Solocma) are proved to be rather weak from the point of view of fertility, the inhabitants earned their living on one hand in the salt mines, on the other hand they persued such crafts as e.g. pottery (Korond). Only a few publications introducing the rural architecture of the region came to light at the beginning of the 2oth century, A long-felt want is met by this work which makes the reader acquainted with the results of the architect-author's comprehensive field research. The settlements have rather various forms in Sóvidék, and the agglomeration of settlement parts resulting from the cohabitation of kindred families can be still found in a number of villages. Once the nearby alps provided large amounts of wood necessary for house building, therefore the oldest mode of wall construction was the log wall. This was followed by the timber-framed wall. The characteristical heating equipment of the dwelling house was the open hearth with an upper part made from wickerwork plastered up with clay and the pottery centre of the region provided the surrounding villages well with ceramics, they were covered with stove tiles. The base floor arrangement of the dwelling houses ranges from the twopremise to the complicated arrangements following the example of the neighbouring towns. Among the farm buildings the most important and the biggest in size is the barn and the other buildings are of less importance from both points of view. The structural elements of the barns are often decorated. Following the description of the cemeteries, the study also speaks about the once widely known covered bridges from which only a few examples survived. The study is illustrated by the author's drawings, assessments and photographs.