Whenever I move to a new town, I look for a beautiful place where I can read, think and smoke a cigar. In Târgu Mureș in Romania, you can find me on one of the benches of this romantic tree-lined boulevard, lost in a novel and puffing clouds of smoke into the sky. Only the many newlyweds who come from all around the world to misappropriate Europe’s most romantic boulevard as a backdrop for their wedding pictures disturb the serenity.
These photos were taken when I moved here in October. By now, the leaves have turned yellow. With every burst of wind, the trees are shedding more of them. Soon, the first snow will fall and it will look particularly romantic at night. Which it already does now.
Whenever I walk up or down this boulevard, I am thinking of my friends in Hollywood because it’s exactly the kind of street they would love to use as a film location.
Oh, you want to know the exact address now? It is Bulevardul Cetăţii, behind the medieval fortress in Târgu Mureș.
The Happy Hermit 
Such a lovely collection of photos!
I was born in one of the houses nearby… I remember playing hide-and-seek with my father behind those trees 50 years ago… Since, those times this is my favorite place…
Always amazing how many stunning places you find OUTSIDE Hollywood and movies ;)
Yes, the real world is quite a good alternative, especially if movies keep getting worse and worse. :-)
There are much more romantic places in Targu Mures, this is only one of them.
I would love to hear about them!
Or are you offering a tour? ;)
Hello Andreas. We do have a lot of beautifull places in town. It is a nice city. I would’d change it for nothing in the world :D
There is also a beautiful place near “weekend”(in 7 Noiembrie) where the river Mures offers a romantic view. On the other part of the street there is a place with carting cars. It should help you find it. And then, going in the opposite direction, there is a boulevard recently built that floats along with the same river. And there is also Platoul Cornesti wih a large park and zoo and a tremendous view of the city especially at night.
This boulevard was establisment in the period of Hungarian Kingdom,the hungarian people, by Bernády György, the maior of city Marosvásárhely (Tirgu-Mures after the Trianon shame-treatment) in the year of 1912. I’m living in an old hungarian house near this boulevard, but the great problem is: the paranoic and criminal maior of the present day in Tirgu-Mures – Dorin Florea – wants to cut every trees, and destroy this boulevard. He is a romanian gipsy came from another territory of Romania, and not an inhabitant of this city. PLEASE HELP US TO SAVE THIS BOULEVARD ! Because the hungarian people is now in minority, they don’t have a force against this romanian barbarism,vandalism, represion and brutality !
Wasn’t Hungary part of Austria in 1912?
Unfortunately, your racist rant shows why the people of Targu Mures/Marosvasarhely won’t get together for a protest. And in the end, the trees will be cut because nationalists like you find it more important to distort history.
Hey, Andreas, thank you for the nice words about my town. Maybe, if you’re still here we can have a drink ;)
Yes!
I will still be here until May 2015 because I have made this cute town my temporary home for this fall/winter/spring.
You have great landscape and nature photography in your Flickr portfolio! It looks like you would also know some beautiful spots for hiking and exploring nature.
have you visited the zoo? it’s AMAZING!
Not yet. I always feel sorry about the animals in zoos. But I guess I should pay a visit, if only to find out how to best liberate the animals from captivity.
Reading this, i thought I’d put together an album of photos my from in and around Targu Mures. You can find it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mateibotan/sets/72157649003362739/
Wow, there are beautiful shots, and you captured some amazing colors!
Thank you. I was was born in Targu Mures, and I’ve had plenty of time to explore it (some of the landscapes are from the farther reaches of Mures county, but most are close by). I’m so glad that you enjoy the town and also my way of portraying it (most of the photos are shot on film, which in my opinion is the best way to capture this town….feel free to explore my photostream whenever).
Best wishes !
Aww, this is my hometown! I live at a street’s distance from the Boulevard! Thank you for the lovely words of praise! :) I am so happy you like the street as well!
If you live so close, I am sorry if the cigar smoke became too much on some days. Now that it has gotten cold, you are getting a few months of reprieve.
I can’t smell any cigar smoke. The Combinat factory is all anyone can smell in the city nowadays sadly..
Is this the factory: https://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/sunset-factory/ ?
Of course it is. I live on the top of the hill next to the Boulevard, and every morning when I look out my window instead of seeing my pretty little hometown I can only see a few tall buildings and a huge cloud of whatever that factory is emitting.. It’s becoming a real problem and everyone just seems to ignore it.
I live on Bulevardul 1848 opposite the Unitarian Church at Piaţa Dávid Ferenc, and I have a direct line of view to the factory as well. On some days I can’t see the hills outside of town because the clouds of smoke blur any difference between the earth and the sky.
Now you are making me curious! I read that the factory emitted/emits much more ammonia than permitted. Is there any environmental organization in Târgu Mureș?
Yes, there is. The factory is constantly being penalized for emitting more ammonia than permitted. They pay the bill (or don’t pay-we don’t really have access to such info), and they run the factory like nothing happened. They say that they won’t close the factory because it gives a job to 1.000 people. And pollute the lungs of 160.000 people…
Hi, there, regarding to the factory, they better pay the fine instead of investing in filtration, in this way the costs are lower… sad but true.
Btw, I also live in the same neighbourhood right near the unitarian church and I can smell the pollution especial afternoon and before dark, the air is getting heavy.
I understand it from the factory’s point of view.
But I don’t understand it from the government’s point of view. If the pollution limit is exceeded, then the pollution is getting dangerous (especially when the wind blows the smoke towards the city, which it seems to do almost every day).
Charging a fine in this instance is like charging a drunk driver a fine each time, but handing him back his licence and his car. Imagine people running around with guns and shooting at people, and they would just need to pay fines in order to continue running around and shooting at people.
A payment like that is less of a fine than a fee for a permit to poison the population of Târgu Mureș. Nice to see that our health has a price, at least.
Been there! Love TgM – a lovely place
Soon i’m going home, can’t wait to take a walk there and many other nice places :)
Oh my God!!! I’ve spent all my teen years on Bulevardul Cetății….my high school is on that boulevard!!! Thank you for honoring the place that brought me some of the most memorable experiences in my life! Enjoy your stay in Târgu Mureș!
Reblogged this on Simona Prilogan.
The place where I learned to walk! :)
I still hope the mayor won’t cut off all the old trees of the Boulevard as he’s planning to… He’s the Enemy of all trees in town: every piece of green must be destroyed and built on, because he thinks we don’t need oxygen to live, but only money. :(
And not only oxygen, but also memories, beauty, the soul of a town.
If anyone ever wants to cut down these trees, I have the impression from the many comments that there are enough of us willing to chain ourselves to the trees to prevent that. Count me in!
Thankfully there is even a facebook group of a local society that has organized tree-hugging flashmobs. I hope they’ll organize something if the mayor really wants to cut off the trees in the Boulevard. I’ll let you know if that happens ;)
Regarding the Combinat factory: unfortunately the government is made up of people, who have interests in keeping these factories (ours isn’t the only one polluting) alive, for their own pocket’s safe. This is not a country where government is for the people, they can do whatever they want, even if it’s actually against the people’s health, as you can see. :(
Look what happened today, 13th December, near the Week-End by the side of the river:
http://vasarhely.ro/hir/lecsaptak_a_vasarhelyi_fameszarlok#.VIxs1MnLq8B
Our “beloved” mayor killed a few trees on a Saturday when there is nobody at the City hall to give any information about what did these trees do to deserve this fate.
I hope you’ll see my reply ;)
Oh no, the poor trees. :-(
I wish the trees could fight back, like in this video: https://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/christmas-video-treevenge/
Uggh! That was one gruesome movie! But true, the trees in town should have a chance to fight back!
That’s why I buy living trees every Christmas, although I live in a flat, and plant them in our garden outside of town ;)
That’s a much nicer idea! And over time, you will grow a small forest this way.
Hello!
so beautiful !
I’m from Iran, we have lots of wonderful places here. nice to see you in Iran soon.
I agree that Iran has very beautiful places, and above all, the most amazing people and hospitality. I have been to Iran twice and both were very memorable trips.
I don’t know if I will come to Iran soon however, because the last time I was arrested by the Interior Intelligence Service and spent one week at Evin prison, so I am a bit scared of coming again. But just a bit, and sooner or later my curiosity will win over my fear. ;-)
It’s my favorite city and also one of my favorite streets from Targu Mures. I visit the city every year and there is the place where I can recharge my batteries.
It’s very beutiful this is a boulevard.
This is the place where I had my first date with my boyfriend, and since than this is our place. This is the place where I can feel more love than anyplace. It’s quiet, no one is disturbing us, I feel like it’s just us against the whole world. As i read these comments I read that you live in Bulevard 1848, I live there too, and I’m challenging you to visit all the beautiful places not only from Targu Mures , but the whole country.Believe me, it’s worth living here:) and once again, these are some beautiful pictures.:)
Dear Author! Thank you very much you highlighted a little Transylvanian town’s promenade, make me feel pride to read about it. I am only miss from your blog to mention of he town’s origin Hungarian name: Marosvásárhely. As you may know this town is so called capital of Szeklerland (Székelyföld, Tinitul Secuiema). Hungarians recently are oppressed and restricted in very field of the life and main purpose of the current government to assimilate them, so to mention of the town’s origin name as it is called by its inhabitants would be a nice, respectful motion. Thank you to take into consideration of my comment.
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However the mayor of the city wants to cut the trees to transform to a new and modern public space.
Unfortunately Attila is right, the mayor, nicknamed The chainsaw-handed, wants to give a futuristic image of this beautiful boulevard. This is the single promenade in Europe with so much Hackberry trees, but it seems he is not intereseted in such “minor” things. His men are cutting trees all over the town and nobody can stop this.
Yes, we can stop this!
From taking part in the debate, talking to friends and colleagues about it, staging activities on our favorite boulevard, and if nothing else helps, we can chain ourselves to the trees.
I am currently traveling in Israel, but I will be back in Targu Mures on 23 April. Then I’ll get active!
There is a Facebook-group (I don’t know if you know about it, Ne vágj ki minden fát https://www.facebook.com/groups/nevagjkimindenfat/?fref=ts ) and the members are trying to fight against these tree-cuttings. You should join this group :)
The massacre has started in Tirgu Mures!!!
Oh nooo. :-(((
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HAT KEREM SZEPEN A SOK MAGYAR MIERT NEM BESZEL MAGYARUL DE ROMANUL IS LEHETNE TERMESZETESEN MI MIND A KETTOVEL OTTAN NOTTUNK FEL!
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De-aleea asta, intr-o toamna ruginie, m-am indragostit si eu…
Un felinar plapand pazeste strada, si-o banca singura asteapta…doi amorezi
Hello,Andreas! Thank you for the amazing photos of my favorite place on earth. I felt like I was back to my childhood when I spent so many great moments over there with family and friends. Seeing those made me feel so close to home… Thank you!
La Mures, ceru-i azuriu,
Doar niste nori plutesc in zare.
Batranul bulevard, pustiu,
Isi etaleaza teii-n floare.
Tu nu mai bati asfaltul serii
Cu pasul tau, tocat marunt,
Ramas-am eu, in pragul verii
Sa termin visele, carunt.
i used to buy weed and smoke it right on that bvd.
Isn’t that illegal? :P
Hi, i’m from Tirgu Mures, was born here.
First of all i’m really happy to read your article about our boulevard :)
As i read the comments, you already know that we have an extremely idiot mayor, but i’d like to inform you, that right two weeks ago he affirmed in media that he doesn’t like those old threes, and is planning to cut all of them! :(
So if you know any way to promote your article about how beautiful that boulevard/park is, more intensive (ore even aggressive :) ) everywhere in the world, to any media, maybe he won’t do anything stupid tree-cutting action there…
I grew up in TgM and live now now in S Fla. For everything the good old usa has to offer it never comes close to the feeling of autumn on Blvd Cetatii ❤️ As a kid I used to make piles of leaves and jump into them. I used to punt the buckeye nuts like I was Maradona and loose myself in the colors of the fall….
For a bump up in fall colors check out Valea Muresului
You are making me miss Targu Mures myself, and I didn’t even grow up there!
Whenever I am in North America, I really miss Eastern/Central European city planning, with public places to sit and loiter and read, with boulevards that have a history, and with winding paths up the hill or down to the river, lots of spaces that are just there, with no signs that threaten death upon trespassing, with paths made for people, not for cars, and with plenty of space without any pressure to consume or to buy anything.
Dumneavoastra sunteti “OVI” de pe Google maps, sau fotografiile nu va apartin?
Yes, the photos are mine.
But no, I am not on Google Maps.