Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

We have visited the ruins of the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa Regia, and are on our way north. We decide to drive up to Alba Iulia, and continue from there. It is an early summer evening as we enter this former capital of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, and we drive around the citadel Alba Carolina for which the city is famous. We see the eastern walls, and end up sleeping on the west side. The next day, we are planning for a short exploration of the citadel, cross the big Union Square, pass the Union Monument, and enter the citadel over a wooden bridge. We walk the main street, past churches and monumental buildings, and see the statue of Mihai Viteazu, or Michael the Brave. He was Prince of Wallachia, ruled Transylvania around the turn of the 16th century, and was assassinated in 1601. He is considered the forerunner of Romanian unituy, and therefore a national hero.
Alba Carolina revolves around the unification of Romania. The formal unification actually took place right here, in the Sala Unirii, on 1 December 1918, when Transylvania, Banat, Maramureș, Crișana merged with Romania. Alba Carolina is close to the former Dacian capital of Apulon. After the Romans conquered Dacia, they established Dacia Apulensis, the capital of the Roman Dacian province, here. We see remains of Roman buildings, Roman statues, along the Via Principalis, or main street which runs east-west through Alba Carolina. After the Roman era, the city was occupied by Byzantines, Ottomans and Habsburgs, and the citadel we see now was built in the 18th century by architect Visconti. When you see aerial pictures, you appreciate the star-shaped form. We walk further east, exit through the Third Gate, where we have a better look at the walls of the fortress. From here, you get a good idea of what the points of the star look like.
Back to the main square, we decide to visit the Sala Unirii, the Hall of the Union. The interior is quite basic, with a beautiful desk, and paintings of national figures. This is the birthplace of modern-day Romania, and with the flags, and the serenity, you can just feel the historic significance of the place. Close by, we walk through the gate topped by a tower, to enter the Coronation Church, or Reunification Cathedral. Built soon after the unification of Romania, where Michael the Brave had built a stone church in 1597 which was later destroyed by the Habsburgs. It hosted the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Mary in October 1922, as monarchs of the new Romania. Inside, we see a modern orthodox church, with the curiosity of two wooden thrones with the symbols of the king and queen carved out. They are also present in two paintings. Since 1948, it has been the Roman Orthodox archdiocese of Alba Iulia. We have seen the major sights of the citadel, and cannot wait to explore the north, so we take the Fourth Gate again to enter the pleasant city of Alba Iulia.

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Alba Caroline Citadel > Romania > Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

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