HISTORIC HEART

The city center is fortunately not too badly damaged by the inevitable concrete buildings of the 1960s-1980s, concentrated in Centru civic, along Strada Gării. Piața Centrală is the city's finest architectural ensemble. At its center stands the Evangelical Church of St. Mary, whose 75-meter-high bell tower is emblematic of the city. Built in the ^13th century by the town's Saxon community, and rebuilt in Gothic style in the ^14th-15th centuries, it houses a fine collection of medieval guild flags. To the west of the church, you'll notice the Passage des Colonnades (Șugălete), a group of houses, stores and guild workshops linked by a long arcaded passageway. It dates back to the ^15th and ^16th centuries. In the vicinity of the square, you'll pass beautiful, colorful ^15th- and ^16th-century mansions such as Casa Mercur (strada Berger, 4), Casa Ion Zidarul (strada Rebreanu) and Casa Argintarului (the Argentier's house). The latter (strada Dornei, 5) stands out for its Renaissance style and sculpted portal. From the square, you can easily walk to other points of interest in the city.

Take Liviu Rebreanu pedestrian street, with its typical houses, and you'll reach piața Unirii. At the center of the square, the Orthodox church, built in 1280, has a very colorful interior. Its wall fresco fragments date back to the ^14th century. A little further on, on boulevard Grigore Bălan, you'll come across a late ^19th-century synagogue, a blend of neo-Gothic and Oriental styles. It's a reminder that the city was once home to a large Jewish community. A little further on, you'll find the Musée du județ (open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm in summer, 9am to 5pm in winter). Housed in a former barracks, it features ethnographic, historical, natural science and contemporary art collections.

Immediately south of piața Centrală, following strada Gheorghe Șincai, you come to the ^17th-century Catholic church, in Baroque style.

To the east of the square, following strada Albert Berger, you reach the pleasant municipal park and the remains of the ancient ^13th-century city walls. These walls, rebuilt over the following centuries, were repeatedly attacked by Turks and Tatars. Of the eighteen towers built by the various trade guilds, the all-white Cooper's Tower stands out. This is the best-preserved part of the ramparts, which were severely damaged by fire in the ^19th century.