Kalotaszeg is one of the most iconic ethnographic landscapes of the Carpathian Basin,
with a significant artistic and scientific representation and an elevated place in
public thinking. The “image” of the region is the result of a complex symbolization
process that has been ongoing for over a century. This study highlights a specific
formal element in the wide-ranging topic of Kalotaszeg’s influence on Hungarian national
architecture. Focusing on the iconography of the “church tower of Kalotaszeg” as a
motif, it reviews the symbolic meanings associated with its use in architecture (and,
to a lesser extent, visual arts). The author outlines the process that began in the
1870s and was embedded in the contemporary international context of interest in vernacular
expressions in architecture, when, as part of the construction of a national culture
and in search of a folk-inspired national architecture, this particular type of tower
became a prominent symbol with multiple meanings. The form was partially de-sacralized
and used to enhance the representativeness and symbolism of temporary exhibition installations
and secular public buildings. After 1920 and in the period between 1940‒1945, it was
imbued with political content as a powerful symbol of Transylvania. It also became
a defining identity marker of the new Reformed Presbyterian church architecture between
the two world wars, and then it returned in this capacity after the regime change
in 1989. The study is illustrated with rich visual material.
