# Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Cluj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/cluj) › [Turda](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/turda)

> Archaeology and local history museum in a 15th–16th-century building in Turda's old centre, known as the Princely Palace: finds from the Roman fort of Potaissa, prehistory and medieval Turda.

**At a glance:** Museums and memorial houses in Turda, Cluj County. Opening hours: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 17:00. Ticket: 16 lei. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 23 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 17:00 — Last admission is 40 minutes before closing. Closed on Mondays.
- **Ticket:** 16 lei — pensioners, students 8 lei
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — for the permanent exhibitions
- **With kids:** Yes — reconstructions and workshops
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the streets in the centre
- **Best season:** All year round — open all year
- **Address:** Strada Bogdan Petriceicu Hașdeu 2, Turda, Cluj County
- **Coordinates:** 46.57198, 23.78449
- **Phone:** +40 264 311 826
- **Website:** https://muzeulturda.com/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatul_Princiar_din_Turda
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18545140
- **Categories:** [Museums and memorial houses](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzee-si-case-memoriale), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)

The History Museum is housed in Turda's old centre, in a listed historic monument (LMI code CJ-II-m-A-07794) that scholars call the Princely Palace. The house preserves parts from the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century and was originally used to administer salt, hence its old name, the Salt Chamber (Cămara de Sare). In the time of the Báthory princes it was extended to the north (1588) and came to be called the voivodal or princely palace; it was then rebuilt in 1818 and reinforced at the end of the 19th century. The stone balcony above the entrance, carried on corbels, comes from a renovation in the 20th century.

The institution was founded on 22 November 1943 and looks after around 40,000 cultural objects, more than 60% of them from the Roman period, mainly from the camp of the Fifth Legion Macedonica and the ancient town of Potaissa.

### What you can see

The permanent exhibitions begin with the prehistory of the area, with finds from the caves of the Turda Gorge (Cheile Turzii), and go on to the Roman archaeology gallery, where military equipment, a piece of chain mail and bronze scale weights inlaid with silver letters are shown alongside panels and reconstructions of everyday life almost 2,000 years ago. The exhibition "Turda between the medieval and the modern" follows the town from its first documentary mention (1075) to the end of the 19th century: coin hoards, Turda pottery, guild tools, seals, weapons, fragments of the inscription of the covered bridge over the Arieș and the painting that depicts the Diet of Turda of 1568.

In the courtyard, pieces of carved stone and inscriptions are on display.

### Good to know

The museum has its own ticket; there is also a combined ticket with the Potaissa Roman Camp and the Ethnographic Section, valid for 5 days. The Ethnographic Section is in a separate building, on Piața 1 Decembrie 1918.

## Don't miss

- The piece of Roman chain mail from the Potaissa camp, in the Roman archaeology gallery.
- The bronze scale weights inlaid with silver letters.
- Turda pottery and guild tools in the exhibition on medieval Turda.
- The painting of the 1568 Diet of Turda by Körösfői-Kriesch Aladár.
- The stone balcony on corbels above the entrance to the building.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Turda is ~30 km south-east of Cluj-Napoca, on the A3 motorway (Turda exit) or the DN1 (~35 minutes); from Alba Iulia it is ~65 km (~45 minutes). The museum is in the old centre, on Strada B.P. Hașdeu, a few steps from Piața Republicii: leave the car in the centre and walk.

**Public transport:** frequent minibuses Cluj-Napoca – Turda (~45 minutes); from the centre of Turda the museum is a few minutes' walk.

### Where to park

In the centre of Turda you park on the surrounding streets, usually for a fee. The easiest option is to leave the car near Piața Republicii and walk for a few minutes.

### Fees & discounts

Adult ticket 16 lei; students and pensioners 8 lei; pupils 4 lei. The combined ticket for the History Museum, the Potaissa Roman Camp and the Ethnographic Section, valid for 5 days, costs 42 lei. A guided tour on request (50 minutes) costs 90 lei. Amateur photography is charged at 35 lei per hour (no flash), filming at 350 lei per hour. Admission is free for the categories listed in the tariff (children with special needs, people with a severe or marked disability and their companions, teachers with organised groups, ICOM members, tour guides) and for Euro 26 card holders under 30 on the 26th of the month.

### Rules

The visit is self-guided or with a guide on request. Amateur photography is allowed without flash, for a fee; professional photography and filming have separate charges. Do not touch the exhibits and follow the instructions of the gallery staff.

### Facilities

Shop with information materials and replicas · guided tours on request · interactive workshops for a fee

## Details

- **Collection type:** archaeology and local history
- **Guided tour:** Yes
- **Historical period:** Middle Ages

## Frequently asked questions about Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)

**How much is a ticket to Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)?**

A ticket to Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) costs 16 lei (pensioners, students 8 lei). Adult ticket 16 lei; students and pensioners 8 lei; pupils 4 lei. The combined ticket for the History Museum, the Potaissa Roman Camp and the Ethnographic Section, valid for 5 days, costs 42 lei. A guided tour on request (50 minutes) costs 90 lei. Amateur photography is charged at 35 lei per hour (no flash), filming at 350 lei per hour. Admission is free for the categories listed in the tariff (children with special needs, people with a severe or marked disability and their companions, teachers with organised groups, ICOM members, tour guides) and for Euro 26 card holders under 30 on the 26th of the month.

**What are the opening hours of Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)?**

Opening hours at Turda History Museum (Princely Palace): Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00 – 17:00. Last admission is 40 minutes before closing. Closed on Mondays.

**How long does a visit to Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) take?**

A visit to Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) takes about ½ – 1 hours (for the permanent exhibitions).

**Can you visit Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) with kids?**

Yes, Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) is suitable for children (reconstructions and workshops).

**Where can I park at Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)?**

There is paid parking at Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) (on the streets in the centre). In the centre of Turda you park on the surrounding streets, usually for a fee. The easiest option is to leave the car near Piața Republicii and walk for a few minutes.

**How do I get to Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)?**

Turda History Museum (Princely Palace) is located at Strada Bogdan Petriceicu Hașdeu 2, Turda, Cluj County. By car: Turda is ~30 km south-east of Cluj-Napoca, on the A3 motorway (Turda exit) or the DN1 (~35 minutes); from Alba Iulia it is ~65 km (~45 minutes). The museum is in the old centre, on Strada B.P. Hașdeu, a few steps from Piața Republicii: leave the car in the centre and walk. Public transport: frequent minibuses Cluj-Napoca – Turda (~45 minutes); from the centre of Turda the museum is a few minutes' walk.

**When is the best time to visit Turda History Museum (Princely Palace)?**

The best season for Turda History Museum (Princely Palace): All year round (open all year).

## Nearby attractions

- [Potaissa Legionary Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castrul-roman-potaissa) — Monuments and historic sites · Turda, CJ · 21 lei · ½ – 1 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 1 km
  The fortress of the Fifth Legion Macedonica on Dealul Cetății in Turda, with its restored headquarters building and baths, open to the public since 2026 and part of the UNESCO site of the Dacian frontier.
- [Durgău Salt Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/strandul-durgau) — Resorts and thermal baths · Turda, CJ · 40 lei · 2 km
  A summer lido on two salt lakes formed in collapsed old salt pits, 100 m from the Durgău entrance of the Turda Salt Mine. The very salty water keeps you afloat; the mine is visited separately.
- [Băile Sărate Turda Lido](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/strandul-baile-sarate-turda) — Resorts and thermal baths · Turda, CJ · 2 km
  Turda's historic lido, on the Roman Lake, a salt lake formed in old salt workings in the Băile Sărate district. The town's spa was born here around 1840.
- [Turda Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-turda) — Salt mines · Turda, CJ · 75 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 20 · 2 km
  A salt mine worked from the Middle Ages until 1932 and turned into a spectacular underground park: a Ferris wheel, a lake with rowing boats, an amphitheatre and salt walls 120 m below ground, near Cluj.
- [Turda Gorge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cheile-turzii) — Gorges and canyons · Mihai Viteazu, CJ · 2 – 2½ hours · 9 km
  A limestone gorge 6 km from Turda, with walls over 100 m high, a lower trail with footbridges over the Hășdate river, caves and hundreds of climbing routes.
- [Szentkereszty-Bethlen Manor](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/conacul-szentkereszty-bethlen) — Castles and palaces · Câmpia Turzii, CJ · 45 min · 11 km
  A 19th-century manor in Câmpia Turzii, restored with PNRR funds and opened to the public in 2026 as a cultural tourism centre, with exhibitions and the Metallurgy House in the basement.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-istorie-turda
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/muzeul-de-istorie-turda.md
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania