Zalău

The seat of Sălaj county in north-western Transylvania, Zalău lies at the foot of the Meseș mountains, in a landscape of hills and forests that once marked the very edge of an empire. A few kilometres away rises Porolissum, one of the largest Roman forts in Dacia, which once guarded the northern frontier and today remains a remarkable archaeological site, its walls, gates and amphitheatre brought back into the light.

In town, the County Museum of History and Art gathers the evidence of this layered past, while the Botanical Garden offers a green pause at the heart of the city. Above all, though, Sălaj is the land of wooden churches: slender spires and modest sanctuaries scattered through the surrounding villages, telling of a faith and a craft in wood handed down across the centuries.