Tourist guide Bistrița

1. Tourist Info Center and City Hall

The Bistrița Tourist Info Center is located in Central Square 4, in the building next to the City Hall, located in Central Square 6. In the area there are parking lots with payment by app or sms. Central Square is easy to find, the best orientation landmark being the Evangelical Church which can be seen from a distance.

Tourist Info Center is very welcoming and provides lots of interesting information about the sights in the county and the city, as well as guides. You can find maps and tourist documentation here. Inside there is a diorama of the city of Bistrița and you can watch tourist documentary movies or select the sights from an app to listen to a presentation of them.

2. Dogarilor Tower

On the way to the Dogarilor Tower you can take a small detour on Nicolae Titulescu Street, which starts right from the Central Square. On the right you will find a house with two bas-reliefs with lions on the front wall. Traditional Art Center "House of Lions" is a baroque building from the 18th century, which bears the marks of the butchers of Bistrita, consisting of a bour head, knives framed by two lions. Today, pottery, modelling and painting workshops are organized here.

If we continue following the detour route, we pass Ion Rațiu street, passing by Palace of Justicefrom where we can enter the Park Street to reach the Dogarilor Tower.

Dogarilor Tower is the only tower preserved from the old medieval fortification of Bistrita. The tower is 35 meters high, and its current appearance preserves architectural details from the 14th - 16th centuries.

Address: 14 Dogarilor Street.

3. House of Culture

We return to the asphalted path flanking the park. On the left, a beautiful building catches our eye. House of Culture (Palace of Culture) was built in 1896 by the Saxon Association of Craftsmen. Nowadays it organizes cultural events, after being in the past a luxurious restaurant, also mentioned by the writer Liviu Rebreanu in his novel "Ion". The Municipal Theater is also located here.

Address: 10 Albert Berger Street. To the left, after the palace, you can walk towards the Historical Center until the Central Square.

4. Central Park / Stadium / Multipurpose Hall

Central Park or Municipal Park or Promenada was laid out in 1855 by filling in the old ponds here. Then chestnut trees were planted. In 1926 the gazebo was built where the brass band plays on Sundays. It has paths, bicycle paths, a small lake with a bridge, benches, statues. In the middle of the park is the statue of the poet George Coșbuc.

On the opposite side of the park from the Palace of Culture is Jean Pădureanu Stadium or Gloria Stadium, next to which there are fields for other sports. The address is 9 Vasile Conta Street.

We exit the park on the opposite side from how we entered and walk past Multipurpose Hall. Its address is Vasile Conta Street 1.

5. Synagogue

Address: 10 General Grigore Balan Street.

Synagogue It was built in the 19th century in the eclectic style and is a listed building.

6. Bistrița-Năsăud Museum Complex

Somewhat opposite the synagogue is the county museum. It's a highly regarded landmark of the city. Bistrița-Năsăud Museum Complex includes Contemporary Art, Ethnography - Folk Art, History - Archaeology and Natural Sciences.

Address: 19 General Grigore Balan Street. Visiting hours: from October to March from 9 am to 5 pm, and from 10 am to 6 pm the rest of the year.

7. Church of the "Entrance of the Virgin Mary" or Minorite Church

Address: Piața Unirii 8 - 9.

Minorite Church is dedicated to "The Entrance of the Virgin Mary". It is a historical and architectural monument. It was built in the 13th century. It presents elements of Cistercian architecture from the erection, but most of them are specific to the Baroque style. It is the oldest building in Bistrița. Today it is an Orthodox church.

8. Historical Center

Historical Center of the city of Bistrița runs mainly along Liviu Rebreanu Street until the Central Square. There is a pedestrian area and several terraces operate here. Notable landmarks include the Dominican Square and the Ion Zidaru House. We will follow Dornei Street, parallel to the pedestrian street, because there are two important tourist attractions on it.

Silver House was built between 1560 and 1563. There are two carved cup-holes on the sash of one of the windows. It is a monument of Renaissance architecture. It belonged to a master jeweler. It is another of the city's attractions. It can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday between 10-18.

"Șirul Șugălete" ensemble is a row of 13 buildings built in the Renaissance style in the 15th - 16th centuries, located at no. 12, in front of the Central Market. Specific to them are the arches on the ground floor of the houses. In the Middle Ages, commercial activities were conducted here.

9. Evangelical Church

Address: Central Square, right in the middle of it.

Evangelical Church is the most famous tourist attraction of Bistrița. Its construction began in the 13th century. It combines Gothic and Renaissance styles. Inside it preserves pieces of furniture from the 16th - 19th centuries. The church tower is 75 meters high, the highest medieval tower in Romania. The church tower can be seen from a great distance and is a good landmark for orientation in the city. The Evangelical Church is declared a historical monument. It suffered a fire in 2008 and is currently being restored,

10. Reformed Church

Address: Gării Street, next to the roundabout at the intersection with Independenței Street.

11. Greek-Catholic Church

Address: 15 Gării Street.

It is dedicated to the Annunciation. It is a newly built church. In front of it is the statue of Cardinal Iuliu Hossu.

12. Schullerwald

To the west of Bistrița lies the forest Schullerwald. During the interwar period, country celebrations were organized here. In the forest you can go cycling, walking, jogging. There are several observatories and facilities for children. I found the access inhospitable.