Alba Iulia

Partnership Agreement from 28 May, 2016

Population – 74,233 residents
Territory – 103.65 km²
Country – Romania
Region – Alba
Mayor – Gabriel Pleşa

Official website: https://www.apulum.ro/

Alba Iulia is one of the oldest cities in Transylvania and Romania, serving as the administrative centre of Alba county. Situated on the river Mureș, it has been a significant political and cultural hub throughout history.

History

Alba Iulia's history dates back to ancient times, initially as the Dacian settlement of Apulon. Following the Roman conquest in 106 CE, it became Apulum, the largest urban centre and military garrison in Roman Dacia, housing the XIII Gemina Legion. The city's strategic importance continued through the Middle Ages, serving as the capital of the Principality of Transylvania from 1541 to 1690. In 1599, Michael the Brave entered Alba Iulia, symbolically uniting Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia under his rule. The city also played a pivotal role in the unification of Transylvania with Romania, proclaimed on 1 December 1918 in the Union Hall, an event commemorated annually as Romania's Great Union Day.

Economy

Alba Iulia's economy encompasses various industries, including wine production, flour milling, and other sectors of the food industry. The city also has shoe manufacturing, metalworking, woodworking, and textile enterprises, along with a refractory plant. Notably, the city is home to the S.C. Apulum S.A. ceramics factory, established in 1970, renowned for producing ceramics popular throughout Romania and increasingly exported globally.

Architecture and Landmarks

The city's historic core is dominated by the Alba Carolina Citadel, a star-shaped fortress constructed between 1715 and 1738 under Habsburg rule, designed by Italian architect Giovanni Morando Visconti in the Vauban style.

Other notable sites within the fortress include the Princely Palace (Voivodal Palace), the Apor Palace, and the National Museum of the Union, Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Michael, Orthodox Cathedral of the Reunification, Batthyaneum Library, Union Hall.