Works to rehabilitate Miko Castle in Olteni, Covasna County - set to host an equestrian museum - will be completed by August 30, the mayor of Bodoc commune, Fodor Istvan, said on Wednesday.

He explained that the project, carried out by the Covasna County Council and the Bodoc Town Hall and financed through the NRRP, is currently focused on restoring the murals and finishing the interior spaces.

The project will transform the castle and its ten-hectare grounds into an equestrian centre showcasing the area's architectural, historical and cultural heritage. A gastronomic point for tourists is also planned nearby, with a modern kitchen that will double as a mobile canteen for low-income residents in the Olt area.

'We have to finish the works, otherwise we must return the NRRP money. On August 30, the castle and the museum must open to visitors, because that's how the project was submitted. The company is now working on the heating system and has already installed some radiators where there are no paintings. The water supply system is being laid out, and after that work will begin on the flooring. The castle will operate together with the National Szekler Museum in Sfantu Gheorghe. (...) We will also set up a gastronomic point next to the castle. Now we want to submit a project for a canteen, so the kitchen can be arranged using European funds, and we will work with the Maltese Aid Service because they are serious and it is easier together. (...) The paintings look very, very good, they are beautiful, some of them I had never even seen before. (...) I never thought we'd actually get this far, but I'm finally starting to see the light at the end,' mayor Fodor Istvan told AGERPRES.

The Empire-style castle in Olteni is unique in Transylvania due to its interior wall paintings depicting scenes from social life of the era and from the Napoleonic War. The building was returned to the descendants of Count Miko Miklos in 2007, but seven years later they sold it to the Covasna County Council and the Bodoc Local Council.

'Covasna County has the most mansions and castles per square kilometre in Romania - 165 listed mansions and castles, some publicly owned, most privately owned, and several already open to tourism. The castle in Olteni, built in 1827 by Count Miko Miklos, is part of this heritage. (...) It is a category A historical monument, and when the plaster was removed, paintings were discovered that we didn't know existed. (...) The mural discovered here is unique in the Carpathian Basin, both in scale and in its Napoleonic-era imagery. Our intention is to return this castle to the public circuit - to visitors and tourists - while also giving it a social and economic role, meaning that it will host not only a museum of the Szekler horse and horsemanship, which is traditional to this area, but more,' said Covasna County Council President Tamas Sandor. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Malina Negrea; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)