cold summer). At an average temperature of , July is the hottest month of the year. January has the lowest average temperature of the year: . Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is . Miercurea Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in Romania, with temperatures plummeting towards much more often than anywhere in the country, sometimes as early as November. Snow falls as early as October and as late as April. Education In 2001 the Sapientia Transylvanian Hungarian University opened in the building of the former Harghita Hotel. The privately run institution is the first Hungarian university in modern Romania. Other cities in Transylvania also have Sapientia University faculties. Since the university opened, it has been attracting growing numbers of young people and intellectuals. The Early Music Festival takes place every year in July, from 1980 onwards, mainly in the court of the castle. From 2008 it joins a Summer Music University for early music. Its concerts, held by the most important ensembles for early music in Romania and by the most famous ensembles of Europe, are with free admission. Sports Miercurea Ciuc is one of the coldest cities in Romania, with winter temperatures often going under , making the city ideal for winter sports. The Vákár Lajos Ice Hall annually hosts the national ice hockey championships, often won by the best-supported local team, HSC Csíkszereda. In 2006 the ice rink hosted the world junior championship in short track speed skating. The only long track speed skating oval in Romania is situated just outside the ice hockey rink. Main sights Petőfi Street is the main pedestrian street in the city. It houses numerous restaurants and cafés. Their Székely specialties conjure up images of a small city in Western Europe. During the summer, the street is a popular destination for afternoon and evening recreational activities. Miercurea-Ciuc is home to the Baroque church at Șumuleu Ciuc and, in the city center, the Mikó Castle, built in a late Renaissance style. The original more decorative castle was raised in the 17th century on the orders of Ferenc Mikó Hídvégi, the personal advisor of Gabriel Bethlen, then prince of Transylvania. Much of the castle was destroyed in 1661 during the Tatar raids, but it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century and was mainly used as a barracks; today it houses the Csík Székely Museum. Behind the