PIAŢA TRANDAFIRILOR

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.