ALBA IULIA CITADEL

The Alba Iulia citadel was built between 1714 and 1738 by the Habsburgs, who dominated Transylvania at the time. Baroque in style, it covers an area of 70 ha and features seven bastions. The citadel, with its Vauban-style star-shaped defensive system, is very isolated from the city and therefore not very lively. Crossed from east to west by strada Mihai Viteazul, it is nevertheless pleasant, airy and full of flowers. The cloister and cathedral are superb. Also worth a visit is the small wooden Orthodox church (Trinity Church), at the end of the road on the right as you exit to the east. The panorama of the city and surrounding area (including a highly visible factory painted blue and yellow) is very attractive.

Its walls, 12 km long in all, are pierced by three large gates. The first, at the bottom of the mountain, is shaped like a classical triumphal arch. The upper level is richly sculpted in Baroque style. In the center is a pedestal featuring the imperial coat of arms of the House of Austria: a double-headed eagle bearing a sword and scepter. Little remains of the second door, which was blocked up in the early ^20th century. Only two stone pillars remain, while the sculptures that once adorned the building can now be seen at the Union National Museum. The third door is the most impressive, both in terms of size and ornamentation. It is shaped like a double triumphal arch. Four pillars support the arch that surmounts the three entrances.