Discover Beclean: Salt History, Culture and Experiences
Accommodation in Beclean
The archaeological site of Băile Figa lies approximately halfway between the town of Beclean and the village of Figa, about 300 metres west of the road connecting them. At the surface, there are saline muds, springs, ponds, saltwater streams and halophilic vegetation. According to current findings, the site appears to be the most significant in Transylvania and one of the most important in all of Romania for the study of prehistoric salt production. Here, visible salt deposits and archaeological research into prehistoric salt production therefore come together in one place.
Salt Landscape and Archaeology
In 2020, salt-aerosol structures were constructed at Băile Figa. They are arranged lengthwise and in circles. The salt structures are considered the first of their kind in Romania. Their two arrangements already differ in shape: some run lengthwise, while others are circular.
Culture and Architectural History
The Reformed Church in Beclean is a 15th-century building. It was expanded and renovated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its late Gothic details include the west portal, niches in the choir wall and the window surrounds. The church therefore preserves evidence of both its medieval construction period and later alterations.
Andras Bethlen Castle was built in the Baroque style in the 18th century. In the 19th century, it stood amid a park designed as an English landscape garden. Count Pál Bethlen's castle was built in the 17th century near the former fortress of Beclean. It features medieval architectural elements. The histories of the two castles therefore reach back to different historical periods, each preserving its own architectural characteristics.
The Muzeul Casa de Vânătoare was opened in 2009 as the first public museum in the history of the town of Beclean. It displays hunting trophies, animal hides and stuffed birds. The collection also includes firearms. The exhibition therefore encompasses specimens and objects from several areas of hunting history.
Traditions, Markets and Horses
Înstruțatul boului is celebrated on Whit Sunday in the Figa district of Beclean. The local tradition, maintained every year, features a decorated ox. It is led to the hill behind the church and then allowed to descend towards the village. The proceedings thus combine the festively decorated ox with a precisely defined route from the hill behind the church towards the village.
At the markets held on Wednesdays in Beclean, producers from the surrounding area sell agricultural products, livestock products and handicrafts. Fairs are held in Beclean two to three times a year. The markets therefore take place on a fixed day of the week, while the fairs are scheduled several times a year.
Herghelia Beclean offers opportunities for horse riding and carriage rides. Horses of the Lipizzaner breed are bred there, including the coloured black and bay variety, as well as Semigreul Românesc. The breeding horses mentioned therefore include both Lipizzaners in the coloured variety and Semigreul Românesc.
Water and Leisure
The Legacy recreation and rehabilitation centre near Băile Figa, close to Beclean, has three swimming pools. One of them is a saltwater pool. The centre also includes a children's pool with a spiral slide and a bowling alley. The facilities at Centrul Recreativ Legacy therefore include water areas, a pool with a slide and bowling.
To the main travel overview: Beclean.
