Architectural curiosities

Administrative Palace - Târgu Mureș

At the beginning of the century, when the development of the city center prospered, the administrative building began, the first building built in Art Nouveau style in Târgu Mureş. The project of this impressive building was made by the architects Komor Marcell and Jakab Dezső - great lovers of Transylvania. The elegance of the place is due to pink marble, stained glass, Zsolnay tile, marble pillars. In the basement of the building were designed a few service rooms, cells, firebox, etc. Downstairs were offices such as the police, the court, the tax office, the archives, etc. Upstairs was the town hall, the festive hall, the council room, the marriage hall. The tower where we have the most beautiful view of the city functioned as the residence of the firefighters. The Tower Opening HoursSchedule: (May-August)Tuesday – Friday: 9.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.Saturday – Sunday 9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.mMonday: closed. The tower is closed on Public Holidays. Schedule: (September-April)Tuesday – Friday: 9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.Saturday – Sunday 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.mMonday: closed. The tower is closed on Public Holidays.Tickets can be bought at the box office of the Palace of Culture. 

Cultural Palace - Târgu Mureș

The emblematic building of the city, which was called the "Ferencz Jozsef Cultural House", is the place that hosts various cultural events in the city, known today as the Palace of Culture. The data on its construction can be studied by anyone in the National Archive, and here you can consult its design documents. The idea of building such a building came from the innovator, Dr. Bernady Gyorgy, who started construction works with 150 people. During the works, the construction projects have been modified several times in order to serve more purposes. The builders did not agree with the greatness of the building because it was about to be a more imposing building, and so the Administrative Palace would have lost its grandiosity. Finally, the Palace opens its doors in 1913. At the opening ceremony, Dr. Bernady Gyorgy emphasized that his intention was for this building to be a cultural center where every cultural field could be found. The palace is decorated in the 19th century style. From the architectural point of view it is modern and elegant, because of this it became the symbolic building and defines the identity of Târgu Mureş. The atmosphere of the building can spell us when we cross the threshold of the Eclectic Palace, and all the more so as we spend enough time to admire the history that unfolds before our eyes. Here is the present with the past, in an elegant ambiance filled with stories.Inside you can visit the Great Hall, Hall and Stairs, Small Hall, Hall of Mirrors, Bernády Memorial Room, Dandea Memorial Room, Secession Hall, Permanent Gallery of Modern Romanian Art, Permanent Gallery of Hungarian Classical Art, and temporary exhibitions.Opening HoursSchedule: Tuesday – Friday: 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.Saturday – Sunday 9.00 a.m. – 2.30 p.mMonday: closedThe closing time of the ticket office: 3.30 p.m./ 2.00 p.mThe Museum is closed on Public Holidays.Galleries may occasionally be closed for maintenance or long-term refurbishment.

„Bolyai” building - Târgu Mureș

The building that houses Bolyai Farkas High School was built in several stages, the main building being the last one, built in Secession style, between 1908 - 1909. In 1557 the Reformed Private School (Schola Particula) was relocated from the Citadel, where it had functioned within the Franciscan monastery, on the site where we can find today Bolyai Farkas High School. Later, in 1718, following the dissolution of Calvin College in Alba Iulia by the Habsburgs, the students were taken over by the Schola Particula în Târgu-Mureș, which was elevated on this occasion to the rank of College. From 1957 the high school took over the name of the famous scholar Bolyai Farkas, who lived and taught mathematics in Tg. Mureș.

Teleki Library - Târgu Mureș

In 1802 Count Teleki Sámuel, the Chancellor of Transylvania, opened the first public library in Transylvania. The building was constructed between 1799 – 1802 and the library had the role of bringing people closer to books. It provided approximately 40.000 volumes, gathered over six decades, in which he had collected the first prints of the most representative scientific works, as well as a reading room for in-depth study of the valuable manuscripts. After World War II, this collection was completed with the 80.000 volumes of the former Reformed College, as well as funds from the castles in the region. Today the treasures of Teleki Library can be admired in the original hall, on the ground floor of the building.Opening HoursExhibitions:Tuesday-Friday: 10:00 - 18:00Saturday: 10:00-16:00Reading Room:Tuesday-Friday: 10:00 - 18:00Last admission half an hour before closing time!

House of Teleki Domokos - Târgu Mureș

The palace under the fortress, which houses today the Reformed Church, was built in 1797-1803 in a classical baroque style. The interior patio is lined with carved stone columns. Its builder was Domokos Teleki, prefect of Turda County, and his wife, Zsuzsanna Kendeffy.The house, like all the noble aristocratic houses, was the scene of musical gatherings and performances frequented also by mathematician Farkas Bolyai and János Bolyai. In 1849, this building served as the headquarters of General Bem.According to historical sources, the Polish general together with the poet Petőfi Sándor marched from here to the battlefield of Albeşti on 30 July 1849.Source: Árpád Balás. Târgu Mureş personalized. Târgu Mureş: Mentor (2016).

Toldalagi Palace (Ethnographic And Folk Art Museum) - Târgu Mureș

Toldalagi Palace is the first noble residence built in the city and one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in Transylvania. It was built between 1759 – 1772, as the residence of Count Toldalagi László, who was appointed judge at the Tabula Regia (the Supreme Court), following its relocation from Mediaș to Târgu-Mureș, in 1754. Since 1984 the building has housed the Ethnographic and Folk Art section of Mureș County Museum.

The Franciscan Bell Tower - Târgu Mureș

The Franciscan Tower in Târgu Mureş is an integral part of the 18th century Franciscan monastery built on the main square of the city. The simple, Baroque-style tower became a symbol of the destruction of Romanian socialism, just like the church of Bözödújfalu. In 1971, when the National Theater was built, the monastery was demolished with the church and the school in it. The church dignitaries have only been able to save the tower during long negotiations, given the fact that the entrance leading into the crypt of the monks starts from the tower. The tower is listed in the Romanian List of Monuments under number MS-II-m-A-15552.

The National Theatre Târgu Mureș

The National Theatre in Târgu-Mureș has its roots in the Szekler Theatre, the first permanent theatre in town, founded in 1946 by director Tompa Miklós, whose plays were staged in the Palace of Culture. In 1962 the Romanian section was also established, and in 1965 it was decided to build a new theatre in Tg. Mureș. It was built between 1971 and 1973 in predominantly modernist style, with many angular shapes and excessive corners, for which the four architects who designed it were awarded with the Prize of the Union of Architects from Romania, in 1973. Today the Romanian and Hungarian sections of the National Theatre operate here. 

The Pálffy House - Târgu Mureș

Built in 1640 by Judge Tolnai János, the house was purchased by the Pálffy family in 1885. It is considered by specialists as the first building in the city where the Baroque style elements can be recognized. Although in urban legends it is known as “The Executioner’s House”, this theory has no historical grounds. Currently, it hosts the Faculty of Music within the University of Arts in Tg. Mureș. 

The Court House – Tabula Regia (The Kendeffy House) - Târgu Mureș

Tabula Regia represented the Supreme Court of Transylvania, which was relocated from the town of Mediaș to Tg. Mureș, in 1754. Tabula Regia functioned first in a building in the centre of the city and later, in 1826, it was moved to the palace built by the noble family Kendeffy in the beginning of the 19th century. Currently, the building houses the Court of Appeal. The Court of Law and the penitentiary were built where the palace gardens once were.  

The Apollo Palace - Târgu Mureș

The Apollo Palace was built between 1820 – 1822, by Count Teleki Sámuel, with the purpose of renting out the rooms and using the money obtained to expand the book fund and to support the public library that he had opened in 1802. On the ground floor there were two shops and on the first floor there were rented rooms. On the second floor there was a ballroom, where debutantes’ balls were organized. The building was bought later by Albert Bürger, an important magnate, who had also opened the first brewery in town. Today the Folk Art School and other institutions can be found here. 

Târgu Mureș Town Hall

Clock Tower - Sighișoara

In the Middle Ages the fortress had 14 towers, today only 9 towers remind us of the medieval era. The clock tower is located on the southeastern side of the lower plateau of the fortress and it is part of the front door complex that provides access to the Citadel in the Lower Town. The tower has a height of 65 meters with 5 levels, the latter being a little more retreated and an open gallery. The ground floor of the tower dates back to the 14th century. In the 16th century, the tower had four high towers on the roof, a sign of the city's status, with the right to grant the death penalty. After the fire in 1676, the tower was burned and restored by baroque bandmasters. Inside, on each level the tower has two rooms. In 1648 at level 4 the clock is installed. The figures made of linden wood, representing the days of the week under the image of the ancient gods and the goddesses of Peace, Justice, day and night, and two fighters who beat the quarters of an hour, were restored in 1677. At the end of the 19th century it became the Museum of history of the city.

Scholar's Stairs - Sighișoara

The Scholars’ Staircase is a truly original construction of the citadel, being the largest of its kind in Transylvania. Originally it was built of wood and had 300 steps, and its role was to facilitate the access to the High School and the Church on the Hill. It was built between 1660 - 1662 and covered by the locals to protect children going to school. In 1842 it was altered and left with 175 steps. The construction as we can see it today, has a stone foundation with wooden walls and a shingle roof, like a tunnel leading to the top of the hill, the sun rays penetrating through its wooden slats.

Museum Square - Sighișoara

The fortress of Sighişoara shelters old houses that in the past were inhabited by wealthy families. The Houses of Fortress Square and the Museum Square are the result of the changes after the great fire of 1676. Most houses after the fire have changed their facades. Each house in the fortress is characterized by a special architecture. The Fortress Square has for some time housed the "pillar of infamy" and "tribune" on which the capital processes were judged in public. Fortress Square was also a powerful medieval commercial space. The medieval statutes specified the place where the goods were produced inside the fortress. Citadel Square has regained its old function of trade nowadays, but in another form: to sell handicrafts - souvenirs for those who visit the city.

The stag house - Sighișoara

The name of the house is given by the stag on the corner of the house. Built in the 13th century with further modifications from the 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, it is probably the most important house of the city. In 2001 the restored house was reopened by the Messerschmitt Munich Foundation. Restoration works have highlighted the cast ceilings, a painted room and exterior painting. Today, the extremely functional building comprises a modern guesthouse, a traditional café-restaurant and a Romanian-German cultural center.

The Dracula House - Sighișoara

The house known today as Vlad Dracul is, apparently, the oldest civil construction in Sighisoara Citadel preserved to this day. This is proven by the semi-cylindrical vault made of river stone on the ground floor of the building, from the 14th century. The house is located in the central area of the citadel, close to the Clock Tower and it used to belong to the guard corps, who used it as a guest house. The name is related to the period 1431 - 1436, when Vlad II, nicknamed Dracul (the Dragon), knight of The Order of the Dragon, was in Sighisoara waiting to ascend the throne of Wallachia. During his time here, he established a mint where he minted his own currency that circulated throughout Transylvania. It is assumed that his son, Vlad the Impaler, was born here in 1431, who inspired Bram Stoker's famous character Dracula from the novel with the same name.

Church Tower - Saschiz

The Pyramid of Violins - Reghin

The Pyramid of Violins, the work of Barothy Adam, is a monument dedicated to violin artists. Reghin is known in the world as the City of Violins or, more recently, the New Cremone, names it has received because of the violins that are made here. The monument in front of the evangelical church has a height of 7.30 meters and its tip suggests the spread of musical sounds in space. Nowadays, the great concert halls of the world are echoed also by the accords of the instruments created here in the "City of the Violins", both within the two musical instruments factories, but also in the many workshops of luthier's workshops.

Coat of Arms Fountain- Reghin

At the end of Salt Street, on the eastern side of "Petru Maior" Square, you will find a fountain where the old coat of arms of Reghin are represented. The first from the left is found in a double copy at the Evangelical Church. The coat of arms has the shape of a shield split in two almost equal parts, carved concavely. The symbols on the coat of arms are a Lily of the Dew, and a six-ray star in the senestra. On a the band there is the OPR motto (Oppidum Privilegiatum Regun), which means  Reghin Privileged Market. In the middle you can see the coat of arms from 1848. This is originally found on the front of the former military hospital, at no. 95, Mihai Viteazu Street. We find a simplified version at the Fountain of the Emblems: a gunner in broad hat holding a horn to his mouth and lance resting on his left arm. The last coat of arms is the one from 1934. The relief depicts a messenger wearing a hat on a raft moving on waves, symbolizing river Mureș. Above the shield there is a wall column with three towers.

Szekely Calvary - Vetca

Székelyvécke/Veţca is a village situated 28 km southeast from Târgu Mureş in a longitudinal valley, at the watershed of the catchment area of the Târnava Mică and Târnava Mare, at the headwaters of the Vécke and Zsákod streams. The Roman Catholic Church in Székelyvécke/Veţca was built between 1790 and 1792 and was consecrated to the Nativity of Mary; the earlier church stood in the place of today’s cemetery. The parish reclaimed and restored the building of the nationalized denominational school; since 1998 it has been used by a Kolping Family organization. It deserves attention that within the parish community the youth help the elderly who remained alone, e.g. they chop woods for them. The church pilgrimage (8 September) is the biggest local celebration, an occasion when also those who left the village return home. Because of the four open-air altars, the Corpus Christi procession is called kalyibás búcsú ’shack pilgrimage’. The Szekler Calvary near the village was finished in 2014 and the Chapel of Divine Mercy was consecrated in 2015.

Franciscan monastery - Călugăreni

Mikháza/Călugăreni, famous for its Franciscan monastery and monument church, is situated between Nyárádköszvényes/Mătrici and Deményháza/Dămieni, on the left bank of the Niraj. The Franciscan friars settled down there in the 17th century, at the time of Protestant princes. The Transylvanian Roman Catholic Status asked for auxiliary priests from the Bosnian province in 1630; subsequently, four friars arrived at the Mătrici parish. As a result of their activity the surrounding villages preserved their Roman Catholic belief. One of the main supporters of the Franciscan friars, who also initiated their invitation, was Mihály Toldalagi, chief constable of Marosszék; in 1635 he bought a house and an estate for them in Călugăreni. The friars who moved there from Mătrici built a stone chapel and a wooden monastery next to it. In this work they were assisted by their fellow friar, the later bishop Kázmér Domokos, who also assumed to mediate between the friars not speaking the Hungarian language and the people. János Kájoni becoming the prior represented a new era in the life of the monastery. In 1666 he had the existing monastery pulled down and, in its place, he started to build the storeyed stone building that also exists today. At the same time, he extended the chapel into a church. After he had left (1669), his successors continued the work started by him.

Oarba de Mureș - The Romanian War Heroes’ Memorial

At Oarba de Mures, on the road from Târgu Mureș to Cluj-Napoca, the Cemetery of the Romanian Heroes of the Second World War can be found, located on a large terrace near the banks of River Mureș. It was built in memory of the 11.000 soldiers who died here between September 17 and October 5, 1944 for the liberation of Northern Transylvania. About 3,500 Romanian heroes are buried here, of whom 1,169 have been identified in the archives to date. On the initiative of the local people, an imposing monument has been erected in the centre of the cemetery,  on a massive concrete plinth in two steps, with a 10 m high column. The plinth has the following text inscribed on the main façade: "GLORY TO THE ROMANIAN HEROES WHO FELL FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE FATHERLAND".

Belvedere Panoramic Tower

The Belvedere Tower in Sovata is part of the network of paths and alleys around the salt lakes, which have been created so that tourists can admire the arboretum of the Bear Lake Nature Reserve. The tower can be found at the end of the Western Alley, if you walk up from Bear Lake, but it is also accessible by car from Privighetorii Street. The tower is 28 m high and can be visited free of charge. The spiral staircase takes the traveller to the top level of the tower, where a 360-degree panorama opens up, with views over the surrounding hills and villages in the central, eastern and northern direction of the town.

The Historic Villas

With the fame of Sovata's healing waters, the reputation of the resort also grew, developing rapidly especially after the construction of the first public bath in the town (Géra Baths). Thus, the aristocracy began to build summer residences at the foot of the salt mountain in the early 1840s and beautiful villas began to appear, many of which still exist today. Here we can mention Villa Sara, Villa Doina, Villa Gemeni (Hotel Pacsirta), Villa Cornelia or the Magistrates' House. After the First World War, the resort also came to the attention of the Romanian Royal House, and Queen Maria together with King Ferdinand and Prince Carol II often visited the place for relaxation and treatments. During this period, Sovata had two hotels, with 32 and 18 rooms respectively, 74 villas with a total of 417 rooms and 510 beds for rent, two restaurants, a café, a reading room, and the resort was open from June 1 to September 30.