Arcso

The village of Arcso is on the border between Corund and Atia. Its name comes from the "dangerous salt" or "flowing salt" locution. The sights of the village are the salt-well, the well-sediments and the mineral water springs. There used to be a cloister in the place called Monks'garden: in 1783 the Minorites moved here from their chapel at the Firtus Mountain because it had been damaged by snow. Today there is a mill in the place of the cloister.

The salt-spring of Arcso springs in the "salt-house", on the right of the Corund Stream. The use of its water was already regulated in the time of Maria Tereza. Thus, every Wednesday, the people of Corund and every Saturday, the locals of Atia carried the salt water - in exchange of "salt-notes" - in barrels, in their carts and used it for cooking and in breeding. The salty water oozes up from the miocene salt formation lying in the depth, indicating the direction of the anticline between Praid and Szejke. The output of the concentrated salt water is 4hl per day. The inhabitants of Corund also used to deal with salt, they exchanged it for cereals with the neighbouring villages.

The former Corund Bath used to be the most famous health resort of the 19th century Transylvania. Today, the visitor can only see two springs with little water output and the building of the Árcsó Inn in this place. They can be found at a 1.2 km distance from the centre of Corund to the north, on the left of the Corund-stream.

The mineral water and salt-water spas have disappeared. The mineral water springs of Arcso come to the surface at 534 m, at the foot of the Lopágy Hill. The output of the sour water containing iron has decreased from 25,900 (1950) to 4,300 litres a day. It is used as table water and as laxative in case of peristalsis deficiency and gastritis.

Traditional Székely architecture is well represented throughout the Székely Land (Székelyföld); it is epitomized by tiny hill-top chapels and blue-painted houses with carved fences and gateways, incorporating a dovecote above, the best examples of which can be found in Corund. The Unitarian church, surrounded by a stone fence, stands to the east of the highway. It is registered among the monuments of Harghita county. Built in peasant-Baroque style, probably between 1720-1750, it has preserved late Gothic architectural elements as well. The Unitarian cemetery is to be found at the end of the Cemetery street. Its carved wooden headstones illu! strating men, women and children are outstanding examples of folk art.