ORADEA CITADEL

Built between 1114 and 1131, the citadel was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241. It was rebuilt in the ^15th century and, above all, in the ^17th and ^18th centuries, according to plans inspired by Vauban and entrusted to Italian architects, who developed a typical star shape. From then on, it became the epicenter of the city and a bulwark against Ottoman invasions. The majestic princely palace dates back to the reign of Gabriel Bethlen in the early ^17th century.

Recently restored, the citadel now hosts restaurants, craft workshops, medieval demonstrations and numerous cultural events. It is also home to the town's museum, whose sections are divided between the different parts of the princely palace. You can visit a lapidarium in the basement, an art gallery, a bread museum, a memorial to the resistance and communist repression, temporary exhibitions... One of the permanent exhibitions is devoted to the history of photography, another to the musical tastes of youth in the tough 1970s-1980s... Don't miss the Griffin Room, the most beautiful in the palace: decorated with stucco depicting fantastic and real animals, it was probably originally used as a reception room. The two adjoining rooms feature superb painted vaults. As for the former moat, it has become a beautiful park, where you can walk along the imposing red brick walls.