Things to see and do Transylvania & Carpathian Mountains

Dominating the town, the Church of the Hill(biserica din Deal) was built in the ^15th century in Gothic style, on the site of a ^13th-century Romanesque church. Its ^15th-century interior paintings are of great value, and its Romanesque crypt is unique in the region. The old German cemetery opposite is a moving and pleasant place to visit. The top of the hill is reached by a surprising covered wooden staircase, built in the ^17th century for the pupils of the school next to the church. At the time, it had 300 steps, compared with 175 after restoration in 1849.

With a roof with coloured motifs, it was erected in the 14th century on the site of a 12th century church. It is very representative of the Transylvanian Gothic style, with its three naves and transept. Inside, its 60 or so tombstones of local personalities, 15th century frescoes and its 6,000-pipe organ are remarkable. You can also climb the bell tower, which peaks at 73 m: after 192 steps, at a height of 55 m, the view is breathtaking.

The salt mine(salina) was modernized in 2008-2010 and now offers excellent conditions for visits and treatments. Mining ceased in 1932, and today it's possible to visit the galleries and chambers where salt has been mined since 1690. We recommend visiting the Franz Joseph transport gallery, the Joseph (currently under construction), Thérèse, Gisèle and Rudolf mines. The impressive Rudolf and Thérèse mines are the largest man-made underground cavities in Europe, almost surreal in their dimensions. Treatments include halotherapy(halos means salt in Greek), known since Antiquity as a natural remedy that is highly effective and has no side effects. A session in a salt mine helps you recover, revitalize and boost your body's immunity. Sessions last from 30 to 60 minutes, and there's plenty to do: a sports field, miniature golf course, two bowling lanes, billiard and table tennis tables, Ferris wheel, children's play area and rowing boats for strolling on the underground lake are all at your disposal. In summer, two natural lakes with high concentrations of salt and healing properties are open to the public. In the ^16th century, the town of Turda was one of the most prosperous in the principality of Transylvania, thanks to the trade in this commodity so precious in the Middle Ages. In fact, it seems that salt mining in Turda predates the Roman conquest.

Colorful and surrounded by pleasant terraces, the Place de la Citadelle(piața Cetății) is the heart of the old town. It was here that markets were held, judgments handed down and executions carried out. Note the stag house(casa cu Cerb), with its animal fresco topped by a trophy. This ^17th-century residence, a perfect example of the Transylvanian Renaissance style, is one of the city's most beautiful. Recently renovated, it is now occupied by a pension-restaurant.

Other houses in the area are well worth a look. A little further down, on the way back down to the Clock Tower, you'll see the yellow casa Vlad Dracul on your right, named after the father of the man who inspired the character of Dracula, the voivode Vlad Țepeș. This is the house where the aforementioned Țepeș is said to have been born and raised, between 1431 and 1435. Today, it houses a medieval restaurant with, upstairs, a very kitschy attraction for tourists in search of the vampire (admission €2). If you eat there, you can also see a beautiful ^15th-century fresco depicting Vlad Dracul. A little further down, opposite the monastery church, the Venetian House, built in the ^17th century and renovated in a neo-Gothic Venetian style in the ^19th century, is easily identifiable, with its window frames imitating the Venetian style.

At the end of Strada Bastionului, you'll find the Catholic church. Dating from 1894, its style is eclectic, both neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque.

The heart of the city, it's a good place to start your exploration. In addition to the Catholic cathedral and the statue of Matei Corvin, you'll find pleasant terraces to contemplate the local entertainment. You can reach Avram Iancu and Ștefan cel Mare squares via strada Iuliu Maniu, also known as rue Miroir because the two buildings that mark the beginning of the street on either side are perfectly identical. They date back to 1899. Attractive side streets include strada Dávid Ferenc and strada Tipografiei.

Built in the ^14th century on the site of a Roman fortress, this impressive monument to local Gothic architecture is a must-see if you're in the area. Originally a princely residence, its function was defensive. In 1390, Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary, donated it and the forty surrounding villages to the Romanian prince(cneaz) Voicu, in gratitude for his feats of arms. Between 1446 and 1453, Voicu's son Iancu de Hunedoara (Hungarian: János Hunyadi) transformed it into a castle for military purposes. Renaissance and Baroque elements were subsequently added to create a sumptuous residence.

Among the castle's highlights are the gallery, the Knights' Hall (west wing), the Diet Hall (west wing) with its medallions of the reigning princes painted on the walls, the White Bastion (food store), the chapel and over fifty rooms with numerous murals. The north wing is known as the Matei wing, named after Iancu de Hunedoara's son, the famous Matthias (Matei) Corvin, King of Hungary. Here you'll see a column bearing the Corvin family coat of arms, with a raven holding a ring in its beak. The Corvins take their name from the Latin corbea, meaning "raven". The towers bear evocative names such as Tour des Massues or Tour Neboisa ("don't be afraid"). The balconies, with their wood and stone ornamentation, are remarkable.

A museum displays historical and ethnographic collections.

Less impressive than Prejmer, but interesting nonetheless. The fortifications were built between the ^15th and ^17th centuries by the local Saxons. Its 50-metre-high tower and seven square bastions give it a massive appearance. The round enclosure is made up of houses adjoining the church, which was originally Romanesque but has been remodeled in Gothic style. It contains interesting frescoes. The interior of the fortress is lined with small houses along the wall, in which the inhabitants took refuge during sieges.

Colorful, lively and picturesque, the lower part of Sibiu(orașul de jos) is well worth a visit. It includes buildings that have preserved medieval features, mostly located on May 9th and Ocnei streets. You can get there by taking one of the medieval staircases, notably from Piața Huet or Piața Mică.

Place Dragoner, considered the center of the lower town, dates back to the ^12th and ^13th centuries, making it the oldest in the city. The surrounding houses were built between the ^15th and ^19th centuries. Until 1976, a Baroque and neoclassical building dating from 1800 stood in its middle, housing the headquarters of the Austrian dragoons.

Rue du 9 Mai is Sibiu's oldest street. It features seven listed buildings, including a ^16th-century house at no. 43. The architecture is typical of Transylvanian Saxon towns, with low, tiled-roofed houses. Unfortunately, heavy traffic spoils its charm.

Goldsmiths' Square (Piața Aurarilor) is one of Sibiu's most romantic squares. This small, cobbled square is surrounded by a number of colorful ^16th-century houses, some with German inscriptions. As its name suggests, silversmiths had their workshops here. The stairway leading up to it from Piața Mică is lined with beautiful houses. The oldest date back to the end of the ^15th century.

In Piața Cibin, on the banks of the river of the same name, a market is held, much appreciated for the quality of its produce and its popular atmosphere.

Built between 1902 and 1906, the cathedral bears a certain resemblance to Saint Sophia in Istanbul. Its architects, Naghy and Konemer, were originally from Budapest. It is the seat of the Orthodox metropolis of Transylvania. Renovated and repainted in 1964, it is pleasantly luminous. Its beautiful murals, like those on the iconostasis, were painted by Octavian Smighelschi, a Hungarian from the village of Ludoș, not far from Sibiu.

It occupies the former Sibiu Town Hall (1545-1948), also known as Casa Altemberger, the family whose coat of arms adorns the façade. This 15th-century building and its pretty courtyard are Gothic in style. It is one of the last remaining civil buildings from this period. The small bell at the top of the tower is known as the "condemned man's bell", because it was used to announce the execution of a prisoner. The exhibition traces local history back to the Paleolithic period.

This large edifice, on the banks of the Târnava Mare river, was built in 1937 in neo-Byzantine style. Another religious building of note in the lower town, located a little further west, between the river and the railway line (strada Ștefan cel Mare, 34): the Church of the Lepers(biserica Leproșilor, called Kirche am Siechhof in German). This small Gothic Lutheran church dates back to the 15th century and was the asylum church for lepers from the 16th to the 19th century. Today, it is used by the Greek-Catholic community.

A very friendly center where English, German and a little French are spoken. This organization can provide you with a wealth of documentation and organize themed tours of the citadels, as well as meetings with the villagers (tastings, cart rides, etc.). If you don't find what you're looking for (which can happen depending on the time of day or the season), you can visit the Adept Foundation, just across the street, which will be happy to help.

It is one of the most pleasant places in the city to rest and contemplate nature. Known as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Eastern Europe, this unique place on the heights of the city was designed by Alexandru Borza in 1920. Its 11,000 varieties of plants from all over the world, spread over 14 hectares, are used for research, conservation and public education. Thus, important research on edible plants is carried out here and the scientists in charge of this garden are in contact with colleagues from many countries. Outdoors, you will visit a Gyo-no-niwa-style Japanese garden with bridges and gates, and a beautiful rose garden surrounded by other ornamental plants from all over the world and from all walks of life. A section of ancient cultures allows you to rediscover plants that are nowadays neglected. A section of medicinal plants, coastal flora and real forests will complete your walk. Some of the plants are sheltered under gigantic greenhouses. One is a collection of large palm trees, banana and cocoa trees. Another is devoted to cacti of all sizes and origins. Yet another is home to more than 50 species of orchids. Mediterranean and Australian plants grow side-by-side, while olive, fig and eucalyptus trees grow elsewhere. Finally, the most impressive is in the aquarium greenhouse, with its giant Amazon lotus, almost 1.5 m in diameter, carnivorous plants and papyrus.

Arriving in Brașov in the early ^19th century, the Jewish community built a synagogue here, completed in 1901. Concealed at the far end of a courtyard, this elegant building of red brick and white stone is in the neo-Moorish style. Its size reflects the importance of the community until the Second World War. The immaculately white interior walls are finely sculpted. The synagogue features interesting stained-glass windows, notably the geometric motifs above the entrance porch. It also houses a small memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

It's one of the region's most beautiful and best-preserved churches. It dates back to the ^12th century, before the Saxons settled in the region. Rebuilt and enlarged by new German settlers in the ^13th century, it was fortified in the ^16th and ^17th centuries to protect it from Ottoman invasions. The surrounding walls house an interesting ethnographic exhibition on Saxon customs, with a rich collection of period objects and photos, documents, painted furniture, costumes, craftsmen's tools and more.

Erected in the ^15th century by Transylvanian voivode István Báthory, the fortifications were almost entirely destroyed in the early ^17th century, then rebuilt between 1605 and 1653. The enclosure, surrounded by bastions named after guilds (tailors, butchers, tanners, etc.), is remarkably well preserved, with a pretty public garden. The main tower houses a small Citadelle museum upstairs. The walls protect the ^14th-century Hungarian Reformed Church (in the center of the courtyard), built by the Dominicans on the site of a former Franciscan monastery. A ^17th-century building houses the Archaeology and History Museum (open Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm, Sunday 9am to 1pm). The citadel is a regular venue for events such as the Festival des Lumières in May.

The streets around the citadel, such as bulevardul Cetății, offer beautiful tree-lined promenades lined with pretty houses. On strada Mitropolit Andrei Șaguna, a few steps north of the citadel, you'll see a small wooden church from 1794 dedicated to Saint Michael (sfântul Mihail). It stands in the middle of a cemetery and is said to have sheltered Mihai Eminescu, the national poet, for a night. South of the citadel is the Bolyai Memorial Museum, housed in the same building as the Teleki Library (strada Bolyai 17, open every day except Monday). It is dedicated to the mathematician Farkas Bolyai (1775-1856).

This large village-like district is different from the medieval Saxon center, and for good reason. It was the only part of the city where, for centuries, the Romanians of Brașov were allowed to live, while the Saxons had most of the city. Romanians could only enter the center at certain times, subject to a toll. The fairly straight streets of the Saxon quarters are contrasted by narrow lanes winding between the hills, lined with small houses. To get there, pass through Poarta Șchei, at the end of the street of the same name.

Located in an attractive neo-Romanesque building at the entrance to the town center, this tourist office can provide information on the area's main tourist attractions, as well as free maps and brochures. There's another information point in town, at the News Caffe (bulevardul Eroilor, 10). For cultural events, you can consult the website https://zilesinopti.ro/brasov/ (of which there is a free paper version, Zile și Nopți Brașov, available in some cultural venues).

At the foot of the citadel, this museum is housed in the Magna Curia palace, Deva's oldest historical building, built in the ^16th century and rebuilt in 1621 in Renaissance style by Prince Gabriel Bethlen. The building underwent its final refurbishment in the early ^18th century, giving it the Baroque appearance that can still be seen today. The museum houses collections of archaeology, history, paintings, coins and more. On the first floor, there's a permanent exhibition of natural sciences and a room with ^19th-century furniture and objects. Upstairs, in the Salle de la Cheminée, concerts, shows, parties and balls are organized. The rest of the rooms house various temporary exhibitions. There's also a modern lapidarium.

The museum has branches in Sarmizegetusa, where you can see the ruins of the former capital of the Dacian state, in Orăştie, where there is a museum of ethnography, as well as in Brad, Baia de Criş and Aurel Vlaicu. This village 35 km east of Deva is named after the Romanian aviation pioneer, whose birthplace can be visited. Well-preserved, it gives an idea of the life of a peasant family in a Transylvanian village at the beginning of the last century. Near the house, the Aurel Vlaicu Memorial Museum exhibits many objects that once belonged to this engineer: his bicycle, motorcycle, aviator's suit, diagrams, plans and model gliders.

It is one of the symbols of Sibiu, linking piața Mică and piața Mare. The Council Tower (Turnul Sfatului) was built in the 13th century as the gateway to the city and has been rebuilt many times since: partially collapsed in 1585, it was rebuilt and extended by one floor in 1826. It now has seven. The tower hosts various small exhibitions, but if you absolutely have to go there, it's mainly for the view it offers: all up there, the panorama of the city and its surroundings is breathtaking!

In the village of Cetatea de Baltă, 25 km north-east of Blaj, this castle built in the 16th century was completely remodelled at the beginning of the 17th century in a French Renaissance style, on the model of the castle of Chambord. It's flanked by big round towers. It belonged to the powerful Bethlen family, whose members included Gabriel Bethlen, the reigning prince of Transylvania (1613-1629) and king of Hungary (1620-1621). Today it belongs to the Jidvei group, a major Romanian wine producer, and can be visited upon prior request.

Close to the Thalia Hall, it occupies a yellow building purpose-built in 1895 in the Italian Renaissance style. Here you can admire beautiful minerals, prehistoric animal skeletons (mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses...) and dioramas presenting Romanian, tropical, Arctic and Australian flora and fauna. The garden is home to a variety of plant species, some of them rare. A few dinosaurs can also be seen!

It occupies a beautiful green neo-Gothic building, called Casa Hermes (named after the Greek god of Commerce), erected in 1867 to house an association of craft guilds. Opened in 1990 as part of the Astra complex, this museum, currently undergoing restoration, is the only one in the country devoted to non-European ethnography. It brings together objects collected by local collectors during their travels in Africa, China, Japan, Oceania, Lapland and Brazil.

This pretty little museum presents pharmacy objects in use in Transylvania from the 17th to the 19th century, which bear witness to the evolution of pharmaceutical techniques: bottles of all kinds, wooden or ceramic pots, funnels, scales, plant presses... The house that houses it, a 16th century building combining Gothic and Renaissance styles, has housed one of the oldest pharmacies in the city, which appeared around 1600 and was called The Black Bear.

The Piatra Craiului National Park Visitors' Center is a natural site located in Bran. Visitors can buy tickets using the blue ticket machines located at the Zărnești post office, the Piatra Craiului National Park Visitors' Center, the Plaiul Foii Hut and the Ivan Valley Bridge. Tickets can also be purchased by sending an SMS with the text "Pcrai1" for one person, "Pcrai2" for two people or "Pcrai5" for five people to number 7473. Prices range from 2 to 10 euros, plus VAT. The entrance fee also includes a visit to the Zărnești Visitors' Center.

Located 6 km from Mediaș, this beautiful village of 2,000 inhabitants, called Prețai in German, features a beautiful Gothic basilica. Dating from the ^14th century, it was extensively remodeled and fortified in the ^15th century. Among other modifications, a wooden parapet walk was added to the bell tower. The church served as a training center for craftsmen specializing in the renovation of fortified churches, but work was interrupted during the pandemic and never resumed. Today, the village's population is predominantly Roma. You can get there by train.

The strada Regele Ferdinand, named after Ferdinand, King of Romania between 1914 and 1927, takes you from the city center behind the ^13th-century Franciscan Church of Cluj to the bridge over the Someşul Mic river. The two crossroads facing each other on either bank form a very harmonious whole, with, among other things, the Széki and Babos Palaces, two highlights of this architectural complex, with neo-Gothic and Secession accents, built between the ^19th and ^20th centuries.

Once across the bridge on the north bank, a flight of stairs takes you to the top of the citadel hill, with a superb view of the city and the grand Hotel Belvedere. But the area is also steeped in history: traces of Neolithic and Roman remains have been found here, a Vauban-style fortress was built here as early as 1715 to plans by the Italian architect Visconti, and the Citadel Cross(Crucea de pe Cetățuie) was erected here in 1995, in tribute to the Romanian martyrs of the 1848 revolution.

Still on the north bank, Strada Horea is not a very lively street, with few shops. It features three religious buildings. First, the synagogue and a memorial temple for the Jewish community, which commemorates the 16,700 Cluj Jews deported by the Hungarian government to Nazi Germany. Further on stand the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas (neo-Romanesque, ^20th century) and the Reformed Church, known as Peste Apă ("across the water"), with its pointed bell tower (^20th century).

Starting from the north-east of Piaţa Unirii, this 2 km long commercial boulevard has two churches, including, from the very first metres, the Evangelical Church (1829). Rather narrow, sometimes pedestrian, the surrounding streets, sometimes very lively, are worth a look. Like Strada Dávid Ferenc, near the Hungarian Reformed Church (1796). It leads to the very commercial Piaţa Mihai Viteazul, where the statue of the first prince to have ruled the two Romanian principalities and Transylvania in 1600 is enthroned.

This place of worship has had an eventful history over the centuries. Originally, it was the first Catholic church in Cluj. It was destroyed during the first Tatar invasion in 1241, replaced by a Romanesque church and rebuilt in Gothic style in the ^15th century. The monastery was then built by the Dominicans. The site was no longer used for religious purposes from 1556 to 1609, when it fell into the hands of the Calvinists. In 1728, the Franciscans recovered the building and launched a campaign to restore the bell tower, in a Baroque architectural style. The church then suffered the consequences of Romania's political climate: it was confiscated in 1949, when the Communist authorities decided to dissolve the Franciscan order in Romania. For many years, the building housed a music school, until 1990, the year that marked the end of the church's special history. It then became the property of the Roman Catholic Church and the Franciscan order, along with part of the monastery.

The building was restored in the 1970s and 1980s, during two periods of renovation. An attractive inner courtyard separates the church from the monastery. The monastery also houses an important Franciscan library, with a collection of over a thousand volumes. Finally, in the square in front of the building stands an obelisk, said to have been erected after the visit of Austrian Emperor Francis ^I and his wife, Caroline.

At the beginning of the boulevard, this obelisk topped by a bell commemorates an important episode in the country's history: the Transylvanian Memorandum. In 1892, representatives of the Romanians of Transylvania, then under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, sent a petition in defense of their rights and culture to Emperor Franz Joseph, who ignored it. In response, the petition was made public in Sibiu. Tensions, violence and, under pressure from Hungarian nationalists, a trial followed in 1894. Fourteen people were imprisoned, then pardoned in 1895.

The Orthodox church of Feleacu has a singular appearance: it is Gothic in style (especially its vaults and portal) and almost entirely white. Inside it has wall paintings and icons from the 18th century. Built in 1516, it was completely restored in 1925 and has been listed as a historic monument since 2010. The adjoining monastery is also worth a visit, with its impressive architecture and beautiful paintings and gilding inside.

A mountain pan that brings together more than 35 species of fossilized molluscs.

Some ten kilometers west of the city, the Turda Gorge(Cheile Turzii) offers an astonishing spectacle. The Hășdate River has cut an impressive corridor over 3 kilometers long, giving rise to cliffs nearly 350 meters high. There are some sixty caves, formed in the karstic relief. Most are small, apart from the 120 m-long Cetățeaua Mare. The region benefits from a microclimate that favors a dazzling natural wealth. Some sixty species of animals (birds, foxes, fish, weasels, amphibians, deer...) and over 1,000 different plant species, including some particularly rare ones (wild garlic, Jupiter's helmet...), can be found in a 125-hectare reserve.

The main access point to the gorge is the village of Cheia, which can be reached by local bus or by a 2-hour walk from Turda, along a path called Drumul Domnilor (departure from piața Romană, red cross markings, approx. 8 km). By car, pass the village of Mihai Viteazu and, a little further on, on the road towards Câmpeni, follow the signs. The gorge can easily be covered in just over an hour. But if you'd like to explore the area in more depth, you can go to the Cabana Cheile Turzii, where a map is displayed, detailing the various trails. We can also provide you with a map. The gorge route stops at Petreştii de Jos, where buses run back down to Turda (occasionally at least).

South of Mediaş. Beautiful and beautiful fortified church of the th century built on a height.

This small village north of Luduş (town between Târgu Mureş and Turda) has a small original natural reserve. It is formed around an area where many of the peonies of the steppes grow. Beautiful during flowering in May.

It was built between 1694 and 1703 for Johann Schuller von Rosenthal, mayor of the town at that time. Above the entrance, a coat of arms with a sword and a bouquet of three roses bears the motto of the house: Per spinas ad rosas. A romantic figure and inveterate adventurer who spent his youth in Turkey as a translator for the Sultan, Johann Schuller von Rosenthal was convicted in 1703 for embezzlement and beheaded in the courtyard of the Dominican monastery.

Called Hetzeldorf in German, this charming traditional Saxon village in the hills between Mediaș and Biertan features a fine ^14th-century church, fortified in the ^15th century. Note the pretty Gothic carvings with plant motifs, particularly on the western portal. The view from the towers over the brown-tiled roofs of the identical, low-rise houses is truly breathtaking. Today, only around 100 Saxons live in the village. From Biertan, it can be reached via a hiking trail (vertical blue stripe) through Dupuș.

On the road towards Deva, near Pietroasa, this waterfall of 80 meters is part of a geological reserve (precipices, waterfalls, water holes…), forest and floral, refreshing in summer. Attention, access is not easy. Located in the Apuseni Natural Park, the place is quite impressive and places beautiful landscapes in this natural region away from any human domestication.

Built by the Dominicans in the 13th century, following Gothic plans, its present appearance dates from the alterations carried out at the beginning of the 16th century. When the Saxons converted to Lutheranism in 1556, they made it their cathedral. Damaged in the fire of 1676, it underwent further modifications, including the addition of two buttresses. The frame of the decorated stone main door is typical of the Transylvanian Renaissance style. The interior, with its 16th century oriental carpets and Baroque altar, is particularly dark and overcrowded.

Located in the Clock Tower, its seven rooms house coins and documents relating to the city's history, as well as coins, weapons and a model of Sighişoara. You can also climb to the top of the tower to admire the superb view of the city and surrounding area. Please note, however, that as the tower is currently being refurbished, the balcony is closed (scheduled to reopen in 2025). The museum also includes a torture chamber, whose entrance is on the lower town side, and a collection of weapons housed in another building on the square.

Dedicated to the ethnology of southeastern Transylvania, this museum illustrates, through its precious heritage, the rural civilization of the Bran, Rupea, Ţara Oltului, Valea Hârtibaciului and Ţara Bârsei areas. A permanent exhibition, dedicated to the history of the region's fabrics, shows the changes in raw materials, techniques and dyes, in relation to the evolution of rural and urban society. The exhibition also presents the lifestyle and clothing trends of the early ^20th century in south-eastern Transylvania.

Occupying a neo-baroque building dating from 1902, it boasts fine collections of national art (Tattarescu, Aman, Grigorescu, Mattis-Teutsch...), illustrating the evolution of Romanian art (painting and sculpture) in the ^19th and ^20th centuries. The permanent exhibition also features Transylvanian art from the ^16th to the ^20th centuries, as well as a series of ^18th-century portraits of the city's notables. The decorative arts section features fine porcelain from Europe and Asia. Temporary exhibitions are organized on a regular basis.

Located in the courtyard of St. Nicholas' Church, this beautiful building, built in a baroque style in the 18th century, instead of an older wooden one, housed the first Romanian school, established in 1495. There are the printing works of Deacon Coresi, who had the first books published in Romanian in the 16th century. There will also be old textbooks, printing machines and school furniture from different periods, as well as a small ethnographic section dedicated to the Schei district.

Local crafts and folklore.

A must-see if you want to discover Romanian culture. The Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania, founded in 1922, is the oldest of its kind in Romania. Since 1959, it has been located in the heart of the city, in the Redoubt Palace. A key location in the country's history, it was here that the Transylvanian Diet met in 1790. It was also the site of the Memorandum trial in 1894. Last but not least, it has been the venue for numerous balls, and has seen such great names as Brahms, Liszt and Bartók pass through its doors. The premises house over 41,000 objects, ranging from the ^17th to the ^20th century, including a superb collection of traditional costumes and a documentary collection of over 80,000 references, including 50,000 photographs and 5,000 slides.

The museum also boasts an open-air section: the Romulus Vuia Ethnographic Park, named after the museum's founder. Located on Hoia hill, north-west of the city, this village museum, opened in 1929, was the first of its kind in the country. The park features over 160 exhibits (buildings, tools, etc.), the oldest dating back to 1678, all in a beautiful setting, with several farms and rural technical installations, workshop houses and three wooden churches. One of these (Biserica din Cizer) was built in 1773 by the craftsman Vasile Ursu Nicola, known as Horea, the future leader of the peasant revolution of 1784.

This is a very useful museum for understanding the turbulent local history. Occupying a 19th century neoclassical building, it traces the history of the region from prehistory to the contemporary period. In 1999, a new part was added to the museum, the treasury: two rooms with more than 4,600 gold and silver coins. Near the museum, two statues honour the Austrian Emperor Francis I, his wife Caroline-Augusta and the historian Constantin Daicoviciu.

Originally part of the Museum of Transylvanian History, the "Collection of the History of Pharmacy" was inaugurated in 1954. But the place in which it is housed is much older: it's the oldest pharmacy in Cluj, opened in 1573. On the menu, a basement with a medieval laboratory atmosphere and over 1,800 items illustrating Transylvanian pharmaceutical activity between the ^16th and ^19th centuries: maps, books, furniture, drawings, as well as many exotic products (crayfish eyes, precious stone powder...).

Among the city's monuments is one whose history is closely linked to the country's nobility: the Bánffy Palace. Built between 1774 and 1785 to designs by architect Johann Eberhard Blaumann, this Baroque-style building - the largest of its kind in Cluj - served as the private residence of Count György Bánffy, a Hungarian aristocrat and former governor of Transylvania. Many people have stayed here from time to time, including Franz ^I of Austria, composer Franz Liszt and Franz Joseph, head of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The palace belonged to the Bánffy family until it was expropriated by the Communist regime in the ^{mid-twentieth} century.

Since 1956, the palace has been home to the Cluj Fine Arts Museum, founded in 1951. Its 22 rooms house two distinct galleries. The National Art Gallery features a rich collection of Romanian works from the ^19th and ^20th centuries, including paintings by Romanian painters such as Tattarescu, Tonitza and Aman, as well as numerous sculptures. The universal art gallery houses works by art schools from all over Europe. With over 12,000 items, it is one of the most important art museums in Romania. Frequent temporary exhibitions, notably of photography, make this museum a lively cultural venue. After or before your visit, you can enjoy the coolness of its arcades in summer, as well as the café and terrace in the inner courtyard.

Ideally located in Piaţa Mare, in the huge, classy hall of the town hall, the center will be able to find you a room in town or in guesthouses in the surrounding villages, give you information on entertainment, give you the contacts of French-speaking guides and provide you with maps and brochures on Sibiu and the surrounding area. The welcome is always helpful. English and German are available, but not French. Ask about guided tours of the city departing from here.

Along the narrow rue Mihail Kogălniceanu you will notice the beautiful stones of the central reformed church, nicknamed the reformed church of the rue des Loups. Built in 1486 by order of Mathias Corvin, then King of Hungary, it houses organs reputed to be among the best in Europe. Its portal is guarded by a replica of one of the oldest Renaissance statues (14th century), Saint George Slaying the Dragon, the work of two local sculptors. The original is now in Prague, opposite the palace Hradčany.