Harghita County Council is accelerating investments in tourism and pilgrimage infrastructure, preparing the county for the status of European Gastronomic Region in 2027. In the first ordinary meeting of this year, the elected representatives approved strategic partnerships for cultural routes, the transfer of real estate assets for the rehabilitation of resorts and an increase in the credit ceiling to support development projects.
In the tourism segment, a major decision is to formalize the collaboration with the Via Mariae Association for the development of the pilgrimage route “Mary’s Way”, a network that totals over 500 kilometers in the county. According to the association’s representative, Péterfi Attila, Șumuleu Ciuc is the eastern central point of this European route, with the immediate objective being the completion of the Máriapócs – Șumuleu Ciuc section. The partnership includes the marking of the route, promotion and organization of events, highlighting its role both as a tourist product and as a tool for preserving cultural values.
In order to unblock the investments in the resort of Băile Homorod, the Council has approved the transfer of villas 10 and 18 to the public domain of Vlăhița. Mayor Lőrincz Csaba emphasized that clarifying the ownership is essential for attracting rehabilitation funds, as the local administration has already provided the basic utilities and the financing for the gas network. Villa 4 will remain in the county estate for the development of a youth project.
In order to ensure the necessary financial resources for these large-scale projects, the councillors voted to increase the amount of the repayable financing from 50 million lei (about 9.81 million EUR) to 65 million lei (about 12.75 million EUR). The loan, contracted for a period of 15 years, will support investments of county interest, including the modernization of the road infrastructure. In this regard, the technical documents for the rehabilitation of DJ 126 (km 0 – 5+650) and the consolidation of DJ 135 (km 63+957 – 73+297) have been approved. The agenda was complemented by administrative measures on the special school network for the years 2026-2027 and the financing of social protection.