Complexul Muzeal Bistrița-Năsăud

The Bistrița-Năsăud Museum Complex, based in the town of Bistrița, is the county's most important museum institution, custodian of a rich heritage covering the history, archaeology, ethnography and art of this land at the foot of the Bârgău and Rodna Mountains. The collections hold prehistoric, Dacian and Roman remains, as well as testimonies of the medieval age, when Bistrița was a powerful Saxon town, a fortress of guilds and a trading centre on the road between Transylvania and Moldavia. On display are silverware, tools, Romanian, Saxon and Hungarian folk costumes, liturgical objects and documents that illustrate the multi-ethnic coexistence of the area.

The museum also showcases the celebrated Iron Age bronze ornament hoard. Through its exhibitions, the complex offers a complete key to understanding the history of north-eastern Transylvania. Practical note: combine the visit with a walk through Bistrița's historic centre, with its Evangelical church and its row of arcaded houses.