Bikfalva (Bicfalău), situated in the south-eastern corner of historical Transylvania (former Hungary, now Romania), at the foot of the Buzău Mountains, deserves special attention not only due to its picturesque location and natural beauty, but also for its characteristic and unique built heritage, the Reformed fortified church built in the 15th century and the nearly 30 small nobility mansions. This village still reflects the former social structure and role in border defence of the region, as for centuries it was populated by free Szeklers doing military service, who in exchange for border defence received tax exemption and autonomy from the Hungarian king.
This specific historical background is mostly reflected in the set structure and architecture of the village, as there is an outstanding number of smaller or larger mansions with porches, made of stone, situated on spacious estates, which used to be the homes of the former, so-called “lófő”, free Szekler noblemen. These are small-sized dwelling houses with a special atmosphere, a great part of which was built in the 17-18th centuries; they gained their present shape at the beginning of the 19th century.
Bikfalva village disposes of a strategic place in terms of tourism, as it is situated 35 km from Bran (Dracula) castle, 25 km from Braşov, 8 km from the Saxon fortified church in Prejmer which is on the UNESCO list, 12 km from the Natura 2000 protected nature-geographical sand dune area unique in Eastern Europe, and 50 km from the only lake of volcanic origin, Saint Anne Lake.
The tourists arrive at Bikfalva as tourists but they leave as friends.