The best city hikes and walks in Alba

The 20-meter-high granite obelisk features a statue of the goddess Victoria and reliefs of the leaders of the 1784 peasant uprising, Horea, Cloșca, and Crișan, who were executed in 1785 for resisting feudal power. Sculptor Iosif Fekete and architect Octavian Mihaltan designed the Art Deco monument with national symbols and historical depictions. The obelisk stands on an artificial hill that once protected the main gate. Because its oak log foundations are crumbling after almost 90 years, the monument shows slight signs of tilting.

The bronze statue of a soldier armed with a rifle and bayonet guards the third gate of the fortress.

The third gate, located in the east of the Alba Carolina citadel, is the main entrance to the fortress itself. It is located exactly midway between the two bastions of St. Eugene and St. Capistrano. Designed in the form of a double triumphal arch, it is remarkable for both its size and the richness of its decoration.

The Via Principalis was the main road connecting the two main gates of the ancient Roman castrum of Apulum, to the north and south. The road ran in front of the "Principia" of the Roman fort, the headquarters of the 13th Gemina Legion. Carts transporting salt, oil, wine, and military equipment for the camp's inhabitants drove along the stone-paved road. The remains of the road, along which the Roman soldiers walked, were uncovered during the fort's renovation. The Roman-era slabs can be seen here, as well as the masonry canal beneath the road's longitudinal axis, which was intended to ensure its drainage.

The bell depicts scenes from the three Romanian principalities of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia. As a whole, it is a monument to the unity of Greater Romania since 1918.

The monument to Mihaj Viteazul (Michael the Brave) is the city's most monumental sculpture. The equestrian statue was erected in 1976. Michael the Brave was the first ruler to briefly unite three Romanian provinces: Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, in 1599 and 1600.

The Fourth Gate of the Alba Iulia Citadel (Poarta a Patra) is also called the Bishop's Gate. The gate, which provides access from the west to the castle courtyard, is decorated in the Baroque style. The upper part of the gatehouse housed the living quarters of the Austrian army personnel, while the guard rooms were located below. During the summer months, actors reenact historical events here every Friday starting at 7 p.m.

The magnificent Royal Gate, with its high gate tower, was built as the portico of the new Holy Trinity Cathedral (Cathedral of the Reunification of the Nation) for the coronation of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Queen Maria in 1922. It is located slightly north of the existing fourth gate of the citadel and is accessible via a bridge from Union Park.