Things to see and do Târgu Mureş

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 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.

The city's emblem, this imposing palace was built between 1908 and 1913 in the Transylvanian Secession style, according to the plans of Budapest-born architects Marcell Komor and Jakab Dezső. This duo also designed the nearby town hall. On the outside, its massive form is softened by its coloured tiles, mosaics, stained glass windows, bas-reliefs and statues. A visit to the interiors of this amazing building is a must: created by members of the Art School of Gödöllő, they are a true demonstration of Hungarian decorative and applied arts. The paintings and stained-glass windows, with original colours and patterns, create a very special atmosphere. The hall is a masterpiece in itself, where green, blue and gold dominate, as well as floral motifs. In the staircase, the stained glass windows depict portraits of historical figures, signed by Miksa Róth, a great master of Hungarian Art Nouveau stained glass. On the first floor, the Hall of Mirrors (Sala oglinzilor) has two Venetian mirrors and twelve valuable stained glass windows, evoking scenes from everyday life in Transylvania or Sicilian legends.

The large concert hall, which today houses the local philharmonic orchestra, is decorated with plant and animal motifs, purple and gold, inspired by Transylvanian folk art. It also has a gigantic organ with more than 4,000 pipes.

The building also houses the Museum of Art, which exhibits works by Romanian and Hungarian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The town center is built around the long Place des Roses, with its central pedestrian walkway. It's a great place to start exploring. The square is lined with pleasant terraces and beautiful buildings. Not-to-be-missed buildings include the eclectic Bányai House (no. 12) and the Baroque Toldalagi Palace (no. 11). At its southern end, piața Victoriei is home to the Town Hall, typical of neo-Romanian architecture, and the emblematic Palace of Culture, a jewel of Art Nouveau. At the other end of piața Trandafirilor stands a large neo-Byzantine Orthodox cathedral built in 1938. Its interior decoration is superb and its dimensions are deliberately imposing, to make the neighboring Baroque Catholic church (1728) jealous. Just in front, you'll see the statue of Avram Iancu, hero of the 1848 Transylvanian revolution. Not far away, at the end of a long mineral square, stands the City Theatre, a perfect example of Communist architecture. To the northeast of the square, slightly set back and elevated, stands the medieval citadel.

A few steps west of piața Trandafirilor (strada Aurel Filimon, 21), don't miss the city's magnificent synagogue. This apricot-colored eclectic building was built in 1899-1900 for the Neologue community, who wanted a place of worship separate from Orthodox Jews. Particularly well preserved, the building is simply stunning. Its rich ornamentation is sumptuous.

This superb library was opened in 1802 by Count Sámuel Teleki (1739-1822), whose ambition was to collect and preserve all the knowledge published at the time and make it accessible to the public. Throughout his life, this bibliophile collected and purchased books in the twenty-five European cities he travelled to. It was one of the largest libraries on the continent, with its 40,000 books. Today it has more than 200,000 volumes, including a 14th-century Codex and some 70 incunabula, books from the earliest days of printing.

On Trandafirilor Square, between Secession houses and 1970s buildings, the Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art is housed in a superb ^18th-century Baroque building, the Toldalagi Palace. It features interesting collections of objects reflecting the ethnic diversity of the region: folk costumes, textiles, wooden objects, ceramics, icons painted on wood and glass, etc. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the annual fairs held in and around the town in the first half of the ^20th century.