Via Principalis – Union Bell loop from Alba Iulia

02:28

19.6km

550m

Running

Hard run. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 21, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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1.76 km

Via Principalis

Highlight • Historical Site

The Via Principalis was the main road connecting the two main gates of the ancient Roman castrum of Apulum, to the north and south. The road ran in front of the "Principia" of the Roman fort, the headquarters of the 13th Gemina Legion. Carts transporting salt, oil, wine, and military equipment for the camp's inhabitants drove along the stone-paved road. The remains of the road, along which the Roman soldiers walked, were uncovered during the fort's renovation. The Roman-era slabs can be seen here, as well as the masonry canal beneath the road's longitudinal axis, which was intended to ensure its drainage.

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1.83 km

Union Bell

Highlight • Monument

The bell depicts scenes from the three Romanian principalities of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia. As a whole, it is a monument to the unity of Greater Romania since 1918.

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2.02 km

National Museum of the Union

Highlight • Historical Site

The National Museum of the Union (Muzeul Național al Unirii) is housed in Alba Iulia's largest Romantic-style building, built between 1851 and 1853. It once housed the Habsburg army in the citadel. Its residents were recruited from across the Habsburg Empire, and it was said that "all the languages of the world" were spoken here. Hence, locals called the building the "Babylon Building." With its thick walls and over 100 rooms, it resembles a fortress within a fortress. After the union of 1918, the Romanian army moved in. It wasn't until November 28, 1968, that the National Museum of the Union opened in the building, one of Romania's most famous museums, both culturally and scientifically.

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19.6 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types