The City of Religious Freedom

After the retreat of the Roman army south of the Danube, the city remained important and rich, due to the "white treasure" - the salt. The Romans were the first to extract it from here and during the medieval era, it became one of the most valuable merchandise in the area. The mine was raised to another level by the Austrian Empire, who increased the production capacity, dug new galleries and turned parts of it into hospitals. You are advised to wear your walking shoes on this tour since there is a museum and the galleries are several kilometres long.

Underground are the galleries which served for extracting the salt; on the surface is a small but crowded city, with the specific Transylvanian diversity of cultures and religions. Turda is the place where the local government decided to allow the freedom of all religions and to put an end to the Reformation wars.

If the crowded streets and the chaotic life of the city are overwhelming and you want to escape, visit the natural reservation of Turda Gorges. Legend has it that a Hungarian king split the mountains to flee a lost battle and the mountains have stood separated ever since. Today it is a highly protected area and crossing it will give you a chance to see many rare plant and animal species.

The tour returns to Cluj in the evening.