Princes Palace and Principia Museum, Alba Iulia, Alba

From Roman times to the Principality of Transylvania

Where? When? How much does it cost?

Princes' Palace and Principia Museum can visit as a package. Palace of Princes is on Mihai Viteazul street, and Principia Museum in the Citadel Square. Between the two sights is the equestrian statue of Michael the Brave. The Palace of the Princes of Transylvania can be visited daily from 9am to 7pm, and the Principia Museum from May to September, except Mondays. The rest of the year, the museum closes 2 hours earlier. The full common ticket costs 30 ron and the reduced ticket 10 ron. You can also buy separate tickets for the two sights.

About the Principia Palace and the Principia Museum

Palace of the Princes of Transylvania offers a modern presentation concept based on the combination of human guidance and video presentations as you walk through the halls of the museum.In the palace you can discover and see murals depicting birds and hunting scenes, flowers and plants, colorful landscapes.

Principia Museum it is organized in the headquarters building of the 13th Roman Legion Gemina, part of the Roman Castrum Apulum.

1. Palace of the Princes of Transylvania - ground floor

We will go through the Roman, the Medieval, the Renaissance and the Baroque periods. The few exhibits evoke the development of the citadel from the initial stage during the Roman Castrum to the third fortification of the citadel, the Vauban fortification.

Palace of Princes

Roman period

medieval period

renaissance period

Baroque period

2. Palace of the Princes of Transylvania - principles

We climb the stairs from the inner courtyard to the other wing of the building, upstairs. Here we learn about the birth of Transylvania, about the princes of Transylvania, watching movies about several of them. The story ends with Michael the Brave.

principles of Transylvania

map of Transylvania

Stefan Báthory period

Sigismund Báthory period

Michael the Brave

3. Palace of Princes - temporary exhibitions

Also on display upstairs are folk costumes from all over Romania, as well as a copy of the work Hora, presented as a gift to Nicolae Ceausescu.

popular shirts

popular costumes

Time

Alba Carolina Citadel

4. Principia Museum - headquarters

We now enter exclusively into the Roman era of the Apulum Castrum. Principia was the headquarters of the 13th Roman legion Gemina. Inside we watch a film about the organization of the Roman castle, then the guide introduces us to the various Roman emperors, the heating system used by the Romans, the sewerage system, the rooms of the castle.

Principia

screening room

Roman Castle wall

Roman sewers

value bags

Legion XIII Gemina

Traian

Hadrian

Roman heating

Roman settlement

5. Principia Museum - courtyard

Other statues of Roman emperors, columns, capitals and a gate are displayed outside the building.

Caracalla

Roman columns

Septimius Severus

Doric capital

me at the Principia Museum

Conclusion

Princes' Palace and Principia Museum can be visited as a package. Chronologically, it would make sense to visit the Principia Museum first and then the Palace of the Princes of Transylvania.

All the best!

Steps:

en_USEnglish