The citadel sits on a hilltop 300 m above the town. There's a Hollywood-style sign announcing its presence but I couldn't find it.
Purchase parking tickets in the Information Booth, scratch off the appropriate spots and place on your dashboard. 1 lei/hour ($0.23).
You can either ride the Telecabina for 20 lei ($4.67) roundtrip or hike to the top of the hill for free. There is no admission fee to the citadel itself.
The funicular doesn't fit that many people so we had to wait for several rounds since a bus unloaded right before we got there.
You get a nice view of the surrounding area from the top of the citadel.
The citadel is crumbling. It was originally built in the 13th century and was used as a refuge for terrified novels who feared execution during the peasant uprisings in 1784. In 1849, Hungarian nationalists attacked Austrian generals held up in the fortress, ending in a massive explosion of the gunpowder stores, which left the castle in ruins.
Entrance to the citadel.
You're free to explore the stone walls.
Be careful of snakes.
View of the parking lot from the funicular on the way down.
We happened to see some busts in a corner of the parking lot. On closer inspection, they were of Marta & Bela Karolyi and Nadia Comaneci, among others.
Behind the fence and the trees, we spied the olympic rings. When we had internet that night, we confirmed that this was where Nadia Comaneci trained. No signs onsite and no mention in the Lonely Planet. What a pleasant surprise that we saw the busts!
2019 09 23
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