Situated in
\ncentral Romania, the city of Targu Mures has always been a special place, at
\nthe crossroads of various religious and ethnic traditions, and enjoying an
\nimportant administrative status. Being a multicultural city, just like the
\nwhole of Transylvania, and vacillating all throughout its history between
\nsemi-autonomy and inclusion into various states, Targu Mures displays elements
\nof its past in the old city centre streets. You can find here 13th
\ncentury Franciscan towers next to Baroque palaces, Secessionist buildings and
\nmonuments, as well as 20th century churches. <\/p>\n
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The Medieval
\nCitadel is perched on a small hill, close to the city centre, presiding over
\nthe city. It is considered the last urban-type citadel in Transylvania.
\nAlthough it was built between 1605 and 1653, it owes its current appearance to changes
\nthat took place relatively recently. The first bastion was erected in 1620, and
\nthe citadel was completed in 1653, being surrounded by a 10m wide and 8m long
\nmoat. It was built with the financial support provided by the inhabitants, who
\nwanted to be better protected from attacks, after having been badly affected by
\nthe reprisals of general Giorgio Basta, a mercenary paid by the Holy Roman
\nEmpire of the German Nation. This had been a direct consequence of Targu Mures’s choice to provide
\nsupport to Michael the Brave in 1600, when he first united the territories
\ninhabited by the Romanians. However, the history of the citadel in Targu Mures doesn’t
\nbegin in the 17th century, as Mircea Moldovan, a director with the Targu
\nMures City Hall has told us: <\/p>\n
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The place where
\nthe citadel was built was mentioned in historical records as early as the
\nNeolithic Age. A Roman Villa was built on the same site later on, and in the
\nMiddle Ages, a Franciscan Monastery was built there, in the 13th century.
\nIn fact, the first fortification walls, as this was a fortified monastery, date
\nback to those years. Much later, in the
\n15th century, it was attested in documents that it had
\nfortifications and towers. The first four towers were erected during that
\nperiod. <\/p>\n
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A total number of seven bastions linked by 900m long brick
\nwalls were built during those times. The bastions were hosting the guilds of
\nthe town. Here is Mircea
\nMoldovan back at the microphone, with more on the guilds of Targu Mures. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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There are
\nthe Butchers’ Bastion, the Furriers’ Bastion, the Tanners’ Bastion, the
\nTailors’ Bastion. The bastions were named according to the place where they
\nstood, such as the Gate Bastion, which was also home to the goldsmiths, and the
\nSmall Bastion, which also hosted the headquarters of the Tailors’ Guild. The fortress
\nstretched over 4 hectares, being surrounded by walls and curtain walls, mostly
\ndouble walls where there were no moats. An attraction of the fortress is the
\nchurch of the former Franciscan monastery, later turned into a reformed church.<\/p>\n
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The bastions
\nand the church still stand alongside other buildings that were subsequently
\nraised within the enclosure of the fortress. One of them houses the county
\nmuseum, which in the past hosted the Targu Mures City Hall and which was built
\nafter Transylvania had been integrated into the Habsburg Empire in the 18th
\ncentury. At that time, the fortress became the garrison of the Austrian troops,
\nwas enriched with more buildings and witnessed several important events. Some
\nof them were linked with the movement of cultural and political emancipation of
\nRomanians in Transylvania, called the Transylvanian School. Here is Mircea
\nMoldovan with more details about the events that occurred in the Targu Mures
\nCitadel:<\/p>\n
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A highlight
\nwas the visit of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph. Some of the
\nrepresentatives of the Transylvanian School were imprisoned in the city hall’s
\nown jail for a short while.<\/p>\n
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The
\nrestoration of the Targu Mures Mediaeval Fortress was completed two years ago with
\nEuropean funds. Since then, the fortress has been a place of relaxation and
\ncultural activities, including theatre performances. It boasts an open air
\nstage, an amphitheatre and even a restaurant. In summertime, cultural events and
\nconcerts are held within the fortress almost every day.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Situated in central Romania, the city of Targu Mures has always been a special place, at the crossroads of various religious and ethnic traditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":125644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45210],"tags":[19347,43432],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-169024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rri-encyclopaedia","tag-romania","tag-targu-mures"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n