Zalău

Zalău is a city of 56,000 people (2011) in Crișana, Romania. It has at least two dozen monuments and buildings of historical importance in the city.

Understand
Placed in north-western Romania, at the crossing between the Eastern Carpathians and the Apuseni Mountains, Salaj County was known as Sylvania County (ie the "County of Woods"). With an area of 3,850km², its neighbours are Satu-Mare and Maramures counties in the north, Bihor County in the west and south-west and Cluj County in south-east. Placed in the centre of the county it is the administrative residence of Salaj County. It is close to the border with the former Roman Empire, 8 km from the Roman camp of Porolissum- the strongest fortress in north-western Roman Dacia.

During medieval times the town represented the passage between Central Europe and Transylvania, through the well-known "salt road". Today the town is connected to the European road on the axis Cluj- Satu-Mare- Petea Vama, DN1F-E81.

Apart from its economic importance, it's a powerful cultural, educational and tourist centre.

This town suffers from periodic water shortages, so you may want to fill a receptacle while water is flowing.

Get in
By train, the town is 159 km from Cluj-Napoca, 81 km from Baia-Mare and 124 km from Satu-Mare.

By car the distances are: 86 km to Cluj-Napoca, 108 km to Baia-Mare, 119 km to Satu-Mare, 117 km to Oradea.

Get around
In the town the transport is possible by bus and minibus.

See

 * Among the 24 monuments and architectural ensembles in Zalau, the most representative are: the Transylvania building (1895- the municipal Theatre), the city hall building (housing the Law Court in 1889 and the Prefecture between 1904-1907), the Roman-Catholic Church (1878), the Reformed Church (1904-1907), The Dormition of Our Lady Orthodox Church (1930-1934), the Orthodox Rectorate (built at the end of the 19th century), the History County Museum (1900- casino of the Tradesman Association, a veritable architectural monument with neo-classical elements), the "Simion Barnutiu" Elementary School( 1895- girl’s school) and the Silvania National College (1860- reformed college), with town architecture of great value for the historic and cultural heritage of the country.
 * Republic Street houses the building where the Swedish king, Carol the XIIth, made a halt for one night in 1714. A memorial plaque on the front of the building reminds us of Ady Endre’s (1892-1896) time spent here during the high-school time. The statuary group “Wesselenyi” is very interesting, being the opera of the well-known sculpture Fadrusz Janos. It is also worth mentioning the busts of Ady Endre (inaugurated in 1902) and Ocatavian Goga - both placed in front of the theoretical high school, as well as the bust of Simion Barnutiu, made by Romul Ladea. Other architectural elements are the busts of Al. Papiu Ilarian, Mihai Viteazu, Corneliu Coposu, Iuliu Maniu, and Andrei Saguna; the Monument of the Heroes, raised in the memory of the soldiers who died in the World Wars; the Lion Monument in front of the city hall; and the Angel Monument.