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Aiud

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Iulia Adriana Oana Badea

Aiud (in Hungarian - Enyed, Nagyenyed, in German - Strassburg am Mieresch) draws its name from Saint Egidus (Saint Gilles in French, in Italian Sant'Egidio and Hungarian Szent Egyed).

It is an old locality, on its territory being found the ancient Roman settlement called Brucla. The first documentary testimony dates from 1293, in an act issued by King Ladislaus IV of Hungary, when the population was mostly made of Saxons. With the Reformation and the embrace of the religious doctrines by a large number of inhabitants, the city was Magyarized and became the most active cultural and educational center of Calvinism in Transylvania. Its medieval history, as a burg at the conjunction of important commercial routes, is intertwined with that of Transylvania - a past marked by ups and downs and sprinkled with countless bloody confrontations.

Aiud is a multi-ethnic and multicultural Transylvanian city, situated on the right bank of the Mureş river. It is surrounded by the Apuseni Mountains and the Tarnavelor Plateau, and lies at a distance of 70 km from Cluj Napoca and 35 km from Alba Iulia. According to the 2011 census, the population of Aiud amounts to 22,876 inhabitants, most of them are Romanians (74.12%). 

Aiud is connected to the national and international road systems via the European route E81. Aiud will soon be connected to the western border and main port to the Black Sea via a system of highways. More specifically, the highway to Cluj-Napoca is already operational, the section to Sibiu is to be opened by the end of 2019 according to the constructor's commitments, and the highway to the crossing point of the western border will be operational by 2021. Moreover, the city enjoys the presence of a railway station and is located near two railway nodes (Teiuș and Războieni). Thus, potential investors will certainly benefit from a modern transport infrastructure.

Prior to 1989, the city was known as a metallurgical industrial center, hosting a large company with over 10,000 employees. Today, the data show that there are over 16,000 citizens able to work and only 5,405 of them are currently employed in the city. Moreover, the labor force potential is much larger including the surroundings.

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In Aiud you can visit:

  • The Aiud Fortress - among the best-preserved urban fortresses in Transylvania (14th century);
  • The Museum of Natural Sciences - the oldest museum of this kind in Romania (1796);
  • Râpa Robilor - a place of remembrance of the sufferings and the crimes committed during the communist regime in Romania;
  • The Student’s Monument from the Municipal Park;
  • The Roman Catholic Church - a Baroque architecture monument (18th century);
  • Vineyards in Aiud - known throughout the country for their wine varieties;
  • The events organized by the municipality (International Folklore Festival - 1-6 August 2019, Roses Day - June 29, 2019, Aiud Marathon - October 19, 2019, and many more).

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Near the city you can visit:

  • Sâncrai Castle - the Castle's story begins in the nineteenth century and is linked to the noble families of Kemeny and Banffy (5 km away);
  • Sloboda Forest - a protected area of national interest (10 km away);
  • Cheile Vălișoarei - natural reserve declared protected area (15 km away);
  • Rimetea Village - unique heritage in Romania (25 km away);
  • Alba Carolina Citadel - a fortress with Vauban type bastions built at the beginning of the 18th century in the medieval town of Alba Iulia (30 km away);
  • Turda salt mine - a true museum on the history of salt mining (30 km away).