A Renaissance-style mansion constitutes the basis of the Mikes Castle we see today. The castle gained its monumental aspect in 1867, when Earl Mikes Benedek reconstructed the mansion and extended the building. During these construction works, the style of the building was completely changed - the mansion was added a mansard level, and additional rooms were built in the attic. The rectangular, turret-like three-story porch was constructed with carved pillars. The double family crest of Mikes Benedek and his wife, Sophia Moser, was placed on the forefront. During the Second World War, the estate was destroyed. In 1949, the building was nationalized, and the family was evicted. The castle became the headquarter of the state’s agriculture, after which it was used as a summer house by the labour union, later it functioned as orphanage, school, as well as a sanatorium. The property was regained by the Mikes family in 2005.
At the moment, there are three guest houses operating on the Mikes estate, that can accommodate 40 guests in total. There is a restaurant and entertainment rooms suitable for hosting weddings, conferences, team buildings, concerts etc. with a maximum capacity of 200 persons. In addition to the basic services (such as accommodation, restaurant, sauna etc.), the guest houses offer special services at request, such as baby-sitting, washing and ironing clothes etc. to the guests. Moreover, they organize hiking tours, carriage tours, bear and deer watching safaris at request. In the vicinity of Zăbala, the city of Covasna offers a variety of accommodations and medical treatment and thermal spas.
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Mikes Estate (Zăbala)

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One of the most significant buildings of the Mikes family, the manor from Zágon already existed in the 17th century, as indicated by an inscription in one of the beams, which includes the year number 1632, and the initials B:M and E:D. Mikes Kelemen was born here; this is supposedly proved by an inscription which was added during reconstructions at the beginning of the 20th century.
The building was in his possession, and became the property of the Szentkereszty family after it was confiscated from him. On this occasion, a list of possession was made on the 26th of December, 1716: this is how we know about the building’s condition in the 18th century.
A stone house with a thatched roof stood on the estate surrounded by a wooden fence. The entrance of the house led straight to the largest chamber, “the palace”. Doors opened to other rooms in all three directions, several of them were vaulted. The manor was presumably double-tracted. It was in a bad, neglected condition, moreover the ceiling of the palace had to be bolstered and supported. 19th century archive photographs show that the manor had two onion domes as well. In present days such domes can only be seen in Imecsfalva. The castle gained its current shape in 1903, during reconstructions commissioned by Baron Szentkereszty Zsigmond. The building’s tall, double roofing kept its 18th century character, but its small pillared porch was replaced with a larger one at the centre of the main facade. The windows gained simple, arched plaster frames. The interior composition changed as well. A wide hall was introduced along the manor’s central axis: the neighbouring rooms shrank as a result. It can be seen in a 19th century photograph that there were once curious plants in front of the building, including a cactus.
The castle currently houses the Zágon/Zagon Museum, which exhibits the memorial statues of Mikes Kelemen, Csutak Vilmos and Kiss Manyi. The old granary was transformed into a guest house.
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