The small Romanian city of Alba Iulia is part of the Roman Dacian Limes nomination, but the cityscape you see nowadays dates mostly from post-medieval times. Central to it is the intact Alba Carolina Citadel, built in star-shaped Vauban style in 1738. Within the citadel’s boundaries, traffic is strictly limited which adds to the pleasant atmosphere of it all and you can admire the monuments inside its walls at ease.

Alba Iulia seems to have escaped the worst of Communist building styles that characterizes so many Romanian cities. The Romanian Orthodox Coronation Cathedral (left picture) from 1922 is eye-catching in its Brâncovan style like the Horezu Monastery. Habsburg architecture is prevalent in most other buildings and preserved as an integral ensemble.

The citadel’s streets are littered with statues of historical figures, often clothed in striking robes. The 17th century Prince of Transylvania, Gabriel Bethlen (right picture) is one of them, and there’s also Michael the Brave (symbol of Romanian unity) on horseback and the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (who raised this Roman Dacian settlement to the rank of colonia).

The city also has strong ties to the (former) Romanian royal family. At the central square stands a pyramid-shaped monument with photos in their memory. And it was where the Union between the Kingdom of Romania and Transylvania was confirmed in 1918, giving Romania the borders it has today. So it all oozes history, although related to episodes hardly known outside of Romania.

I visited on a Monday which isn’t the best of days as all museums are closed. It also prevented me from getting access to the ruins of the Roman camp at the city square, which lie under a roof as part of the Principia museum. Some further unexplained Roman remains have been unearthed and are exposed in a nearby street.