{"id":7811,"date":"2023-06-12T22:54:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T20:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/?page_id=7811"},"modified":"2025-06-09T14:12:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:12:21","slug":"2023-06-09-alba-iulia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/travels\/eastern-europe\/romania\/2023-06-09-alba-iulia\/","title":{"rendered":"Impregnable beauty of Alba\u00a0Iulia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. The morning begins in ancient Alba Iulia<\/a>, since the elusive bus travels here for 2\u00bd hours, the trains even longer, and one still has to look around.\n<\/li>\n\n
  2. Another 1988 remake in honour of the same Michael the Brave, who was proclaimed governor of Transylvania here in 1599.\n<\/li>\n\n
  3. Natural economy.\n<\/li>\n\n
  4. Obelisk in honour of Horea, Clo\u0219ca and Cri\u0219an, heroes of the Peasants\u2019 Revolt<\/a> of 1784.\n<\/li>\n\n
  5. The second gate of the <\/a>Alba Carolina Citadel (they are actually numbered).\n<\/li>\n\n
  6. Mother Nature stands over the polluted city (half hidden by trees). Air-purifying eco-mural by Lauren\u0163iu Alexandrescu aka Irlo<\/a>.\n<\/li>\n\n
  7. Nature takes its toll.\n<\/li>\n\n
  8. Exhibition of paintings near the Cultural Centre of Augustin Bena (composer, conductor, priest and teacher).\n<\/li>\n\n
  9. Lutheran Church and furniture factory.\n<\/li>\n\n
  10. The bunny won\u2019t ride just anything.\n<\/li>\n\n
  11. Be like the bunny.\n<\/li>\n\n
  12. A bridge over a ditch near the outer fortress wall.\n<\/li>\n\n
  13. An intricate system of locks in the inner gallery of the outer wall.\n<\/li>\n\n
  14. Between the walls, there\u2019s now quite a vast and landscaped space. Japanese garden, for example.\n<\/li>\n\n
  15. The inner wall was crumbling a little to make the tree more comfortable.\n<\/li>\n\n
  16. Music studio of a Romanian folk group in the inner wall. I told them about the Nights of Fourvi\u00e8re<\/a>, they promised to dare.\n<\/li>\n\n
  17. A proud giraffe near a discreet restaurant inside the citadel (almost the only one, since they\u2019re mostly on the walls and in new blocks).\n<\/li>\n\n
  18. Correctly turned Buddhists.\n<\/li>\n\n
  19. Alert kitty.\n<\/li>\n\n
  20. Orthodox Cathedral of St. Trinity, built in 1922 specifically for the coronation<\/a> of Marie and Ferdinand.\n<\/li>\n\n
  21. Outside view. Part of the outer wall (I\u2019m standing on it), bridges over the ditch, inner wall and two cathedrals behind it.\n<\/li>\n\n
  22. Gate locking mechanism. It looks impressive and sometimes even works.\n<\/li>\n\n
  23. St. Michael\u2019s Cathedral of the 13th<\/sup> century, the oldest Catholic church in the country. The bronze sentry on the right guards the gate.\n<\/li>\n\n
  24. Catholic education lessons near the cathedral.\n<\/li>\n\n
  25. Buy flowers, good Sirs! The lively and varied bronze figures of \u0218tefan Bin\u021bin\u021ban<\/a> are the hallmark of Alba Iulia.\n<\/li>\n\n
  26. The Bell of Bin\u021bin\u021ban commemorates the Great Union<\/a> of 1918, when Hungarian Transylvania became part of the Romanian Kingdom.\n<\/li>\n\n
  27. Another Bin\u021bin\u021ban\u2019 sentry (they\u2019re watching all the main gates), also with a bitten bayonet.\n<\/li>\n\n
  28. The third (first in beauty) gate of the fortress. Famous for the night illumination, the guard shift and Horea\u2019s cell, where he waited to be wheeled.\n<\/li>\n\n
  29. Upon completion of the expensive work, Charles VI<\/a> was told that all these walls were no obstacle to new cannons. \u201cAt least let it be beautiful!\u201d\n<\/li>\n\n
  30. Let it be beautiful.\n<\/li>\n\n<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n