In Mures County

Targu Mures, also known as the City of Roses, Mures County seat, has a lot to offer to travelers

Daniel Onea, 12.12.2019, 16:18

Starting on a virtual trail from the Mures County seat, Targu Mures, also known as the City of Roses, we discover a multitude of interesting destinations and a wide range of possibilities for spending your spare time. In addition to the famous medieval fortress of Sighisoara, there are hundreds of mansions and castles from various eras, and a famous spa resort, Sovata. Last but not least, you will be charmed by the wood and ceramics crafts.

Even though a lot of very old buildings have been preserved in Targu Mures, which has endured several large fires along the times, the old town manages to preserve its medieval atmosphere. A series of beautifully ornamented buildings recall the old medieval fair, and the booming town it was between the wars. The obligatory stops are the Palace of Culture, a walk through the labyrinth in the Hall of Mirrors, and visits to the two Orthodox cathedrals and the main fortification. Also here you will notice the National Theater, with modern architecture and its major role in Romanian stage acting. Sanda Vitelar is a communication and media adviser with Mures County Council:

“If you are in the county seat of Targu Mures, you are invited to stop in the center of the city. Here, historic buildings speak to you about the multicultural history of the City of Roses. You will see two of the most representative buildings for the Art Nouveau style in the entire country, the Palace of Culture and the Palace of Administration, which showcase the early Transylvanian Secession style. Also in Targu Mures you will find the Cornesti Plateau, a recreational space in the middle of nature, and the place where you can visit the zoo, the second largest in Romania. Also, in the warm season you can sunbathe and take a dip at the Mures Sports Complex, which awaits you with three outdoor pools and an indoor one, with an artificial lake for boat rides.

In addition to this, during this period you can visit the Christmas market in the center of town, where they recently inaugurated two large skating rinks. Then, starting in Targu Mures, you can have a medieval themed travel on the charming narrow streets of Sighisoara. The medieval fortress has been documented as early as 1280, and nine out of the 14 towers await you to bask once again in the grandeur of times past. Nicolae Tescula is the director of the Sighisoara History Museum, a cultural institution set up in 1899, and he spoke to us about the points of attraction in the fortified city:

“The Clock Tower was built in the 14th century. It housed City Hall until the Reform, with a height of 64 meters. The roof is even taller than the body of the building. The balcony, which you can visit, is at a height of 30 meters, with 34 more to the peak of the roof. The roof is topped with a weather vane, and as it moves it shows if the city will have good weather or will have rain. Also, another impressive sight are the mechanic figurines of the clock, drummers that signal the passing of the hours, alongside symbolic figures like Justice, the Executioner, and Peace. There are some that change their positions at 6 AM and 6 PM. At the same time, the figurines representing the days of the week change positions at midnight. The mechanism is old itself, dates back to 1906, but the first clock tower mechanism is documented to have been made in the 17th century. In fact, we can boast the fact that, in mid-15th century, the earliest documented clock maker, a locksmith, was from Sighisoara. The town has a great tradition in the world of clock making.

69 km away, at the foot of Gurghiu Mountains, you can find a spa resort of long standing tradition, Sovata. Here is Peter Ferenc, president of Mures County Council:

“There are salt lakes that are unique not only in Romania, but in Europe too. These salt lakes, with sapropelic mud, are famous for spa treatments here and abroad. Treatments are first and foremost for locomotion conditions, but they also yield great results in gynecological conditions, and they even provide good treatments for sterility. There are also treatments for respiratory conditions. We have a heliothermal lake, which means it is a sun heated lake. There is a thin fresh water layer on top of the salt water in the lake. It creates a hothouse effect, and the lake temperature reaches up to 40 degrees Celsius. This lake is beloved by tourists. They come here to experience a lake heated by the sun to such high temperatures.

Sovata has great offers for Christmas and New Year’s. For instance, a package for five nights accommodation at a three star hotel and spa is around 300 Euro. The package includes meals and various activities: visiting a volcanic plateau, walking the so-called Salt Road, and a visit to Praid salt mine, only 9 km away from Sovata. In Praid, visitors can enjoy a wellness center with covered pools. The medicinal salt water, thermal mineral water with a high concentration, pumped from a depth of 1,000 meters, is ideal for wellness and treatment.

You can find many mansions and castles in Mures County, but if you have to choose one, it should be the one in Zau de Campie. Here you have a special castle to visit, according to Sanda Vitelar with Mures County Council:

“Ugron Castle is also known as Calendar Castle. It has 365 windows, four towers, as in the seasons, 52 rooms, the number of weeks in the year, 7 terraces, the days of the week, and 12 hallways, representing the months of the year. The castle was built as a result of a tragic love story, the forbidden love between the owner of the castle and a Russian princess. We are waiting for you to come here to enjoy all that Mures County has to offer.

In the hope that we have been persuasive, you are eagerly awaited in Mures, and we will see you next time with a new destination.