Rimetea / Torockó / Eisenmarkt

 

Rimetea/Torockó/Eisenmarkt lies in the valley of the rocky mountains of Piatra Secuiului/Székelykő (1129 m) and Ardascheia/Ordaskő (1259 m), south of Cluj/Kolozsvár/Clausenburg and southwest of Turda/Torda, in the valley of Torockó stream.

The once mining town is known since the 13th century. For the exploitation of iron ore the Thoroczkay family settled Saxons. Once they had exploited and worked up the best iron ore in entire Europe, from the age of King Andrew III (1290-1301) until the 20th century. So the fame of the people of Torockó spread as that of armsmiths and tool-makers. The gold- and silver-mining activity of the town was also of importance, but hardly to be mentioned beside the 300 iron-mines and 14 iron melting pots.

The defeat of the Rákóczi's war of independence (1703-1711) brought a time of pain and hopelessness. Torockó was burned down, it's church destroyed, but thanks to the grants, the nowadays Unitarian church was rebuilt.

Similar stone houses were built after the fire in 1870, so Torockó became one of the still existig, most valuable pearls of Hungarian peasant architecture in Transylvania.

In some seasons the rising sun dissappears behind the ridge of Piatra Secuiului/Székelykő, then reappears, so it is said: the sun rises two times a day in Torockó.