Judging from the serene tranquility that pervades its streets and from its apparent patriarchal languor, one might feel justified to think of Satu Mare as "the place where nothing has ever happened", as Mihail Sadoveanu would say. Nothing could be more mistaken.

A great deal goes in Satu Mare, although the city itself lacks the familiar din of large urban centers. But not many people know, for instance, that some 75% of the Romanian strawberry production comes from this area and that most of this is grown on the hills surrounding the city. When summer begins and the fruit ripen, the market stalls of Satu Mare turn red and the air misty with a fragrance few can resist.

In his chronicle "Gesta Hungarorum", Anonymus writes that the site of today's city was occupied by an fortified stronghold called Castrum Zotmar. In 900 the fortress was mentioned for the first time in an official document that acknowledges its inhabitants as descendents of Dacians who had not been conquered by the Romans. The citadel gained political, commercial and strategic importance with the development of crafts and trade. Queen Gizella brought Teutonic colonists to settle the city (Villa Zotmar) in 1006, while Mintin, on the opposite bank of the Somes River, was occupied by German colonists. The city became the property of the Bathory family in 1543. To protect the southern flank of the city, the course of the Somes river was deviated in such wise that the citadel found itself perched on an island, surrounded by water and linked to the main roads by three bridges. In 1562 the city was besieged by the Ottoman army lead by Ibrahim Pasha and Maleoci Pasha from Timisoara. The Habsburgs carried out the next assault which determined the inhabitants of Zotmar to abandon the city, subsequently burned down by the Transylvanian armies. The Austrian General Lazar Schwendi ordered the fortress to be rebuilt based on the plans of an Italian architect, Ottavio Baldigara. The two citadels on the opposite banks of the Somes River merged between 1712-1715, as confirmed in a document dated 2 January 1721 signed by Carol VI. Satu Mare thus gained the status of a free burg. After the Union of 1 December 1918 the city's economy experienced rapid development mostly due to local industrial enterprise such as the Unio train car factory, the Pincz factory, the textile manufacturer Aradeanca and the Freund oil refinery. Today Satu Mare boasts 350 foreign equity companies among which the renowned Steilmann, Electrolux, Draxlmeier, etc.

Even the busiest visitor can enjoy an unforgettably beautiful evening at the Teatru de Nord or at a concert of the Satu Mare Philharmonic Orchestra. He may also choose to visit any one of the city's 17 museums or 2 art galleries. But the personality of the city and its true fascination lies in the voluptuous richness of its urban architecture. The old baroque Town Hall, with its facade topped by a tower, was built between 1768-1772. The building which hosts the Art Collection of the Satu Mare County Museum is built in the same style. The two wings of the museum complex have different architectural styles. Of the building bought by Baron Vecsey in 1789 only one wing remains and this is considered to be the oldest standing civil building in Satu Mare. In 1842 the second wing of the museum was added, built in neo-Gothic style. Not far from the Vecsey House, the Roman-Catholic cathedral occupies a central position in Piata Libertatii. Built between 1785 and 1798 and extended in 1937 during the episcopate of Ham Janos, the neoclassical cathedral displays an imposing portal sustained by six Corinthian columns. The nearby Episcopal Palace was built during the first half of the 19th century, also in neoclassic style, based on a design by Architect Iosif Bitthmaier from Wurzburg. Another neoclassic treasure from the same period is the Ormos House located at Piata Libertatii. The Dacia Hotel is to be found in the center of the city and is one of the most beautiful Secession style buildings in Transylvania. It was built in 1902 based on a design acclaimed at an architecture contest in Vienna. The facade in enameled ceramic is generously decorated with entewined plants and animals. The roof combines two nuances of blue, conferring a special elegance to the entire building. The necessary contrast is provided by the nearby White House, thus called for its facade - another beautiful Secession style building erected between 1911 - 1912 according to the designs of architects Ede and Miklos Schneider. In its vicinity is the House of the Shoemakers Guild.

A representative monument for the architecture of the 18th century is the Reform Church "with chains" built over a period 19 years and based on baroque-in-spired sketches by Sigismund Preinlich. Teatrul de Nord is another neoclassic building built in 1889. And last but not least, mention should be made of the Art Section of the County Museum where one can admire over 3000 works by famous Romanian artists Nicolae Grigorescu, Dumitru Ghiata, Henri Catargi, Corneliu Baba, Aurel Ciupe, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Ion Jalea, Ion Irimescu, Paul Erdos, Aurel Popp.

The special charm of this particular area in the county of Satu Mare comes from its strict observance of popular and folk traditions. On special holy days people don their finest costumes and come together for a village festival in Negresti-Oas. The city, mentioned in official documents as far back as 1270, was built on 77 hills surrounded by forested mountain slopes, home to deer, boar, stags and bears. Carei is a reletively young city but an important tourist destination. Known as far back as 1320 by the name of Villa Karul, the town boasts the splendid Karoly castle (now a museum) built in 1794, which still stands in the city's well preserved park. Here one can also see and admire the Monument of the Romanian Soldier, a creation by the great sculptor Vida Geza, who was born in Carei. To the enjoyment of tourists, the city still boasts old medieval homes, guild houses, pottery workshops and folk art workshops Ardud has a lot to offer to lovers of history; its ruined citadel once belongigng to the prince Bartolomeu Dragfi, a relative of Stefan cel Mare. In Acas, visitors have a choice between the thermal water pool, the Reform Church built in the 13th century and the forests whose population include wolves, rabbits, boar, and deer. Other places worth visiting are can be the Museum in Tasnad, the German Museum in Petresti, the Maghyar Museum in Bogdand, the Museum of the Moti People in Scarisoara, the wooden church in Soconzel, the Free Dacians Reserve in Mediesu Aurit and the archaeological reservation in Bobold-Carei.

The Roman-Catholic Cathedral

Karoly Castle and
Stronghold ruins in Mediesu Aurit

Ruins of Ardud Fortress

Negresti-Oas
Museum of Oas County