The ethnographic collection of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc covers almost all aspects of folk life. The objects date back to the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, but there are also older and/or more recent objects. The ethnographic collection was laid down during the Ethnographic and Ecclesiastical Art Exhibition in Șumuleu-Ciuc in 1930. In the decades that followed, random and purposeful collections were made to enrich the collection. The objects are mainly an attempt to illustrate the folk life of Ciuc.

 The ethnographic collection consists of roughly 7,834 items, of which 2,401 pieces of textiles, clothing, footwear and headgear, wood-metal-ceramic utensils, tools and 4,000 pots, 947 fireplace tiles, and the collection of written eggs consists of 486 eggs. Also part of the ethnographic collection are the buildings and gates of the open-air collection in the backyard of the museum (most of these buildings were brought in and rebuilt between 1972 and 1978). Presently, our open-air ethnographic collection consists of 6+1 farmhouses, 15 gates (3 of them from the early 19th century), 2 granaries, 1 covered well. Unfortunately, this section of the museum is not open to the public as it requires complete renovation and restoration, as well as a special programme and staff.

The textile collection includes old and valuable pieces such as the famous Szekler dyed textiles, and other Szekler costumes from Ciuc (robes, vests, shirts, stockings, etc.), household textiles, breeches, tassels, etc.

The most valuable pieces of the wood-metal-ceramics collection are various pieces of peasant furniture: painted and carpentered chests, caskets, almshouses, chamber tables, sofa benches, wall chairs, benches, chairs. Tools and implements of everyday peasant life, ranging from shawls to a full-length cart, are a significant part of the collection. The ethnographic collection includes works of folk ceramics typical of Ciuc, as well as earthenware vessels from other regions (Târgu-Secuiesc, Jimbor, Solocma, Satu Nou, Turda, Bistrița, The Great Hungarian Plain). We also have a significant collection of fireplace tiles.

Visitors to our museum can admire the Szekler folk patterns of Ciuc on various everyday and ceremonial pieces, and experience what folk life was like in Ciuc in the past. Our basic ethnographic exhibition – Pace of Time in Ciuc – will also help visitors to get a comprehensive image of the old way of life through the ethnographic objects exhibited and put into context.