Things to see and do Deva

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.

The citadel of Deva is considered one of the most important medieval fortresses in Transylvania. Situated atop a volcanic cone over 180 m high, it dominates the town and the Mureș valley, as well as the main road linking Romania to western and central Europe. It was built around the middle of the ^13th century, on the ruins of Daco-Roman fortifications. Traces of human occupation dating back to the Neolithic period have even been found on the site. The citadel has been restored and reconfigured over time, according to the needs of its owners. In the ^15th century, the voivode Iancu de Hunedoara (János Hunyadi) transformed it into a fortified castle, which played a major role during the Ottoman invasions. In the ^16th and ^18th centuries, the second and third perimeter walls were built. During the Transylvanian Revolution of 1784, the fortress served as a refuge for nobles fleeing the uprising campaigns. Fierce battles ensued between the imperial garrison and the rebels. The citadel was restored after 1817, by order of Emperor Franz ^I. But in 1849, a fire caused by the explosion of the ammunition depot largely destroyed the imposing structure. Today, thanks to extensive restoration work, it is possible to get an idea of the past grandeur of the city of Deva.

It can be reached either by cable car, or on foot via marked paths through the woods on the slopes of the hill. The view from the top is extraordinary.