The best hikes from bus stations in Bistrița-Năsăud

The Evangelical Church dominates the city views in the center of Bistriţa. The city's main landmark is a popular photo subject.

The Roman Catholic church, formerly the church of the Piarist monastery, dates back to the 18th century. The gymnasium founded in Bistriţa in 1717 was the first Piarist school in Transylvania. In that year, General Stephan Steinville bought the land previously owned by the Dominicans and brought the Piarists to the city. The church was built by the Piarists from 1781 onwards on the site of a building that was destroyed by fire in 1758 and demolished in 1779. The church was built in the Viennese Baroque style according to plans by the master engineer Paul Schmidt with financial support from the Viennese imperial court, which wanted to strengthen Catholicism in Transylvania. The work was led by the architect Anton Türk and completed in the spring of 1787, as evidenced by the inscription on the façade.

At the northern corner of the roundabout where Strada Gării meets Strada Gheorghe Șincai stands the imposing building of the "Old Post Office" of Bistrita. The prominent corner bay window with its turret is striking. The building is now used as a residential and commercial building.

On June 11, 2008 at 7 p.m., a fire broke out at the base of the church tower. Due to the fir wood framework with which the tower was covered during renovation work, the flames quickly spread to the top of the tower. In less than half an hour, the roof of the tower and the roofs of three of the small turrets collapsed. The fire was probably started by three children aged between 12 and 15 who were collecting scrap metal.

The Evangelical Church is an architectural monument from the second half of the 14th century, representing the transition from Gothic to Renaissance in Transylvania. The church tower is 75 meters high and is the highest medieval tower in Romania, only a few centimeters higher than the tower of the Evangelical Cathedral in Sibiu. An elevator takes you to the top of the tower and you can enjoy the view over the city. Under the walls of the current church are the foundations of the early 14th century church built by the first Saxon settlers. The Roman Catholic church, originally dedicated to Saint Nicholas, became Lutheran when the congregation converted to the Protestant faith during the Reformation.

Since 1983, the city administration under the current mayor Ioan Turc of the liberal-conservative PNL has resided in this building directly opposite the Evangelical Church.

Alexandru Roșu, born on January 9, 1854, was the most famous Romanian photographer of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In his 59 years of life, he left many valuable photographic documents to posterity. For example, he took the famous photo of the signatories of the "Transylvanian Memorandum", which demanded more rights for the Romanian population of Transylvania from Emperor Franz Josef in Vienna in 1892. Since December 2015, the bronze statue of the master photographer has stood in the city's central square.

A bronze model in a passage between Strada Vasile Alecsandri and Strada Liviu Rebreanu commemorates the eastern gate of the medieval town of Bistriţa, which once stood on this spot and probably looked like this in the 14th century. The Citadel of Bistriţa was one of the strongest fortifications in Transylvania. In the 19th century, a large part of the city walls were demolished, only the Dogarilor Tower and a few remains of the walls remained.