The Szekler bride

✨👰 Following its success in Budapest, Zagreb, and Prague, the Hungarian National Museum’s traveling exhibition is coming to Romania! Titled “The Szekler bride”, it invites you to visit starting March 20, 2026, in Sfântu Gheorghe, for a truly special cultural experience.

💍 Launched in 2024 and awarded the “Exhibition of the Year” prize in 2025, “The Hungarian Bride” takes you through five centuries of marriage history. You will discover how women’s roles in society have evolved and how they gradually earned the right to shape their own destinies.

🌿 The Sfântu Gheorghe edition adds an extra layer of emotion by highlighting the stories of local communities. Conceived by curator Dr. Ildikó Simonovics, the exhibition transcends the traditional boundaries of the museum space and creates a lively dialogue with Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin and beyond.

📅 The exhibition is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through April 24, 2026.

At the exhibition, you will discover:

💌 the love letters between Elek Benedek and Mária Fischer

💍 wedding mementos preserved across generations by Szekler women

👩‍🦰 the personal stories of 24 women, bringing half a millennium of Hungarian women’s history to life

In addition, you’ll enjoy an interactive experience carefully designed to engage you actively and emotionally:

📸 you’ll be able to browse an impressive selection of over 2,800 wedding photos, 132 of which are from the region, discovering authentic stories from different eras

👑 you’ll have the opportunity to try on bridal wreaths inspired by local traditions, to get a closer sense of the symbolism and beauty of these customs

🎀 you will step into a “forest of ribbons” - a symbolic installation composed of concepts and messages related to marriage, creating an immersive atmosphere and inviting reflection on the meanings of love and union

👰 You are invited not only to discover the past, but also to become part of it: you will be able to explore and share your own family history, contributing to a shared cultural archive accessible to the general public.