Câmpeni: Cultural History in the Apuseni Mountains

Câmpeni can be explored through specific historical sites, churches and the landscape of the Apuseni Mountains. Museums, places of remembrance, cultural routes and a historic railway offer a range of themes for planning your own trip.

Culture and History

The Muzeul „Avram Iancu“ is housed in the building that Avram Iancu used as the headquarters of the Auraria Gemina Legion during the 1848–1849 Revolution. In the first room, the museum presents the ancient and prehistoric history of the local region through exhibits and materials. The equestrian statue of Avram Iancu is also part of the town’s historic landscape: it was brought from Târgu Mureș to Câmpeni in autumn 1940 and placed there on a prepared stone pedestal.

Câmpeni became the centre of the 1784 uprising. In November 1784, Horea established his headquarters in Câmpeni and, from there, directed the fighting against the oppressive authorities together with Cloșca, Crișan and other confidants. The Muzeul „Beciul lui Horea“ commemorates the events that led to this uprising, including the Câmpeni spring market on 24 May 1782. The museum contains a „POARTA“ dating from that period, seven display cases with historical documents and objects, and a mural depicting Horea, Cloșca and Crișan. At this spring market, Mediu was described as a traditional drink of the Moți.

Other historic sites include the Biserica din Deal and the Biserica din Vale. The Biserica din Deal has been documented since 1550 and is probably considerably older. The cemetery behind the church contains the graves of Avram Iancu’s followers: Preotul Iosiv Gomboș, Nicolae Corches and Mihail Andreica. The Biserica din Vale was built from 1906 to 1 March 1911 and constructed as a single-nave building in the style of Transylvanian churches. A bust of Avram Iancu can also be found in the courtyard of the Colegiul Național „Avram Iancu“.

Monastery and Religious Sites

The Valea Bistrii Monastery is located in the Bistrii Valley in Câmpeni in the Apuseni Mountains and is dedicated to the Holy Hierarchs Ilie Iorest and Sava Brancovici. It was initially a nuns’ skete; on 28 September 2012, it was elevated to monastery status with the approval of the Metropolitan Synod of the Metropolis of Transylvania. From the DN 75, which leads from Câmpeni to Bistra, turn left onto the DC 141. After approximately 200 metres, a sign indicates the access road to Valea Bistrii Monastery.

Landscape in the Apuseni Mountains

Câmpeni lies in a subsidence basin crossed by the Arieș in the central Apuseni Mountains. The area around Câmpeni ranges from 550 metres at the confluence of the Arieș Valley and the Bistra Valley to 1,597 metres at the summit of Runcului. These elevations make the town’s geographical setting tangible, as do its river and valley connections.

Cultural Routes and the Mocănița

The Alba Regalis cultural route passes through Câmpeni and includes the Podul „Regele Ferdinand“ in Câmpeni. The Ruta Unității Naționale also passes through the town and forms part of an approximately 150-kilometre cultural route through Alba County. The Mocănița Apusenilor is a historic tourist train offering scenic journeys through the Apuseni Mountains and insights into local traditions. It runs from Câmpeni railway station to Cărpiniș near Abrud; the round trip takes approximately two hours. Different distances and time scales help you incorporate the cultural route and train journey separately into your own daily itinerary.

Tourist Information

Câmpeni has a national centre for tourist information and promotion on Strada Gării, with no street number.

Other places: Pleși, Ocna Mureș, Vințu de Jos, Blaj, Mesentea, Pleșcuța, Sălciua De Sus, Sohodol

For the higher-level travel overview: Alba.