Targu Mures

From Sighisoara, it was 54 km and 50 minutes to Targu Mures, the seat of Mures county and the 18th largest town in Romania. It has a population of 142,000.

We parked near the revolutionary statue on the main road. 

There's plenty of street parking but you'll need to purchase parking tickets. Find a news stand and purchase 1 ticket for each hour you plan to park. 3 lei/hour ($0.70). Scratch off the day and start time. Scratch off 1 hour later on subsequent tickets.

Display on your windshield. I highly recommend taking the time to get the tickets. We saw many cars  with parking violation tickets.

Purchase admission to the Palace of Culture from the office on the main road. Tickets are 12 lei ($2.80). Skip the photo ticket. No one's watching.

The entrance is around the corner. The Palace is closed on Mondays.

Not many tourists visit the Palace of Culture. Wander around the floors and see the elaborate halls and rooms. There isn't much signage.

Be sure to look up--even the ceilings are elaborately decorated.

Beautiful mosaic windows.

The Great Concert Hall within the Palace.

The Rieger organ within the Great Concert Hall was inaugurated in 1913.

The most impressive room in the Palace is the Hall of Mirror. There are 12 stained glasses depicting life in Romania, as well as popular fairy tales. No pictures allowed.

Across the street is the Prefecture (County Council Building) with a 60 m clock tower. 

Teleki-Bolyai Library is a 10-minute walk from the Culture Palace and it's definitely worth a visit. It's open Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun until 1pm. Closed on Mondays. Opened in 1802, it's one of the oldest library in Romania.

Open the door and walk into the inner courtyard. Someone will come to the window. Let them know you'd like to see the library. They will send someone with a huge keychain full of keys to open the library. You'll likely be the only one there. Walk around the intimate room and look at the old books. There's even an engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence. Donations welcomed.

Just north of the library, you'll find the Citadel. It's free to enter. Closed on Mondays.

Within the Citadel is the Fortress Church, the oldest church in Targu Mures. It's often closed, as was the case during our visit.

The Orthodox Cathedral sits to the west of the Citadel. It was built between 1925 and 1934. It is the seat of an archpriest rather than a bishop so technically it is a church and not a cathedral. 

A statue of Avram Iancu sits in front. Avram Iancu was a Romanian lawyer who played a key role in the Austrian Empire Revolutions of 1848-1849.

The National Theatre is nearby. 

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