One of Transylvania’s most important centres for the research and promotion of Roman heritage, the Calugareni Archaeological Park – Limespark, will be inaugurated this weekend following the completion of a project worth more than 12.6 million RON, financed through Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
“The Calugareni Archaeological Park – Limespark represents one of the most important centres for the research and promotion of Roman heritage in Transylvania. Its development is part of a broader effort to preserve, study and promote cultural heritage, through which Mures County Council and the Mures County Museum aim to enhance the region’s cultural and tourism appeal and bring the public closer to its history and values. Through the launch of the Limes Park, the heritage of Calugareni becomes more accessible, more interactive and more closely connected to the community, offering visitors the opportunity to discover history where it actually unfolded,” the Mures County Museum said in a press release.
The project, “Development of the Calugareni Archaeological Park, Eremitu Commune, Mures County” aims to revive Mures County’s Roman heritage as part of the Frontiers of Roman Dacia, which were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2024.
“The event, organised on the occasion of the European Archaeology Days, marks an important milestone in the promotion of the Calugareni site and highlights the results of investments carried out under the project “Development of the Calugareni Archaeological Park, Eremitu Commune, Mures County”, implemented by Mures County Council together with the Mures County Museum and financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Component C11 – Tourism and Culture, Investment I1 – Promotion of the 12 tourist and cultural routes, the Roman Forts Route. The total value of the project amounts to 12,615,065.91 RON, of which 12,506,924.66 RON represents non-repayable NRRP funding,” the museum said.
The opening of the park was scheduled for June 12, in the presence of county and local officials and experts in cultural heritage from academia and the cultural sector.
The park offers a new approach to engaging with heritage, allowing history to be discovered through direct experiences, interactive activities and close contact with the cultural landscape of the Roman limes.
“Designed as a space dedicated to education, research and heritage interpretation, it contributes to the promotion of one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Mures County,” the museum stressed.
The programme includes historical re-enactment demonstrations by the Milites Marisensis Association, recreating aspects of military and everyday life on the frontier of the Roman Empire and giving visitors an opportunity to explore the communities that lived and worked in the area nearly two millennia ago.
Visitors will also be able to take part in Herbarium, a series of museum education workshops dedicated to plants in Antiquity.
“The natural pigment dyeing workshop will present the ways in which plants and minerals were transformed into colours used for textiles and decorative objects, while the workshop on plants and Roman gastronomy will explore ingredients, aromatic herbs and culinary practices specific to the Roman world,” the press release said.
The programme also includes mosaic and fresco workshops, offering participants the chance to discover artistic techniques used in Antiquity and create their own works inspired by the area’s cultural and natural heritage.
