Târgu-Mureș

Once one steps into the yard of the Târgu-Mureș citadel, they will be surrounded by green nature, old buildings, and architectural sites. Located on a hill in the heart of the city, the fortress hides inside its walls a wide open space, a stage, an archeology and history museum, a Franciscan church, a cafe and restaurant, classroom and exhibition spaces used by artists and students, and several sites that archeologists uncovered and left open to exploration. Functioning as a local cultural center and a time capsule, the citadel is open to the public every day and hosts events that play an important role in showcasing the local Romanian and Hungarian culture and history. Music concerts, art exhibitions and classes, festivals, and conferences take place every week within the walls of the citadel.

 

History

Due to the many references pointing to a medieval fortification, many visitors and locals will find surprising the fact that the fortress in Târgu-Mureș was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century, being more recent than Medieval citadels. The fortress was built on the ruins of another fortification dating back to the fifteenth century (1492) belonging to Bathori Istvan, the Hungarian voivode of Transylvania, which had been destroyed during the invasion of Austrian Habsburg troops in 1601. The new building consists of seven towers (bastions) hosting the town guilds (tailors, furriers, shoemakers, butchers, etc.) and walls in the shape of a pentagon.

The bastions communicate through wooden stairs erected on the inside of the walls (see image above). Some of the old medieval elements were preserved and are still visible such as a tower, wall fragments, and ruins of a tower. The walls and towers were renovated during the 19th and 20th centuries. The remaining and reconstructed towers today host art classes and workshops.

 

 

 

The Turkish attacks from 1658 destroyed part of the fortress walls and the roof of the church. These underwent renovation work during the eighteenth century when a clock was installed in the church tower. During this time, an Austrian military post took over the citadel which became the headquarters of the military garrison. The houses that existed within the old walls were demolished to make room for the Austrian troops. As a result of these transformations, the seven towers acquired new configurations and functions.

 

Contemporary life in the fortress

The first archaeological exploration was conducted at the same time as the modern restoration of the fortress during the 1960s. Witness to a tumultuous past, the archaeological site, open for visitors daily, displays ruins of a three-chamber brick-making oven, house walls from the 16th century, Franciscan church cellar, defense trench, hypocaust heating system, and other spaces where medieval life and activities used to take place.

The History and Archaeology Museum contains a permanent exhibition, “The Fortified City” which presents information about the history of the fortress, the guilds that it hosted, as well as the city of Târgu-Mureș and its political life and governance during the 17th and 18th centuries. The building used to serve as the town hall during the 18th century.

The exhibition showcases artifacts found among the ruins of the citadel by archeologists such as pottery and manufacturers’ tools as well as reconstitutions of aspects of daily life during the two centuries. The museum displays a kitchen specific to the 17th century with its original oven, pots, tools as well as information on local gastronomy and culinary traditions.

A newly erected Glass Dome hosts a tourist information center and, in its proximity, an intercultural center is used as a space for artistic collaborations that bring together multicultural teams and projects. Exhibition spaces for photography and painting, an open air stage, youth center, and music club can be seen in the interior yard of the citadel as well.

The Tanners’ tower hosts art classes and exhibitions while the reconstructed gate tower hosts an annual alternative interdisciplinary workshop for high school students, ExplozivArt. The workshop offers bilingual sessions, in Romanian and Hungarian, which facilitate a dialogue between high school students and artists encouraging youth to get involved in the artistic creation process while exploring issues specific to their age. Together with professional actors, students work on creating and staging a dramatic show that they perform at the end of the workshop.

Every year, the medieval fortress hosts festivals (Targu-Mures Days, The Beer Festival, Jazz Evenings in the Fortress, The Wine Festival, The Festival of Savors and Traditions from Mureș, The International Film and TV Festival, theater performances (Teatrul Scena, 3GHub), and concerts to commemorate historical events, celebrate culture, and honor local holidays.

Târgu-Mureș is known for its schools and universities dating back to the 1600s and its long tradition of medical  education.  The fortress also hosts the Museum of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Târgu-Mureș containing exhibits showcasing the history of the university.

The fortress is one of the most visited sites in the region with crowds coming from all over the country and from abroad. Along the exterior walls of the fortress and in front of the main entrance, every year visitors can find farmer’s markets where they can taste culinary products from local farmers, admire pieces of art from local artisans, and enjoy live music.

 

 

Learning Activity 1. Watch the following video for a 360 tour of the fortress courtyard featuring the museum walls, church, garden, archeological site, and restaurant, then complete the activities below (use arrows to navigate the 360 video).

a. Based on the video and text above, identify and make a list of architectural elements such as fortified walls, towers, stairs, ruins, etc. and describe their characteristics. 

b. Which elements of the architectural sites do you think are original, which ones have been restored, and which ones are completely new? 

c. Create a map of the architectural elements that you observed and discuss their function within the community in the past and present.

 

 

Learning Activity 2. Watch the following 360 video of the photography exhibit hosted by the fortress museum and located in its garden (use the arrows to navigate the 360 video).

a. Describe what you see including buildings, style of architecture, people, vegetation, atmosphere, images, and sounds. 

b. What do you think the topic of the photography exhibit is? What is the reason and the purpose of placing a photo exhibit in such a space?

c. Draw a parallel with a similar exhibit that you visited and talk about the effect a modern photo gallery set in a medieval architectural outdoor space might have on the public. 

 

 

Additional Resources 

The Archeology and History Museum: https://muzeulmures.ro/muzeul-de-arheologie-si-istorie/

The Synagogue: https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/gallery/targu-mures/

Museums in Târgu-Mureș: https://visitmures.com/en/targu-mures/built-heritage/museums?region=targu-mures

Aerial Virtual Tour of the Fortress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_KMoa48e1I 

 

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