TÂRGU MUREȘ CITADEL

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).