The thermal baths complex
On the right bank of the Mureș river, near Cigmău village, in a place called “Cetatea Urieșilor” (The City of Giants), a roman military castra was discovered. Its purpose was to guard and defend the road that linked Ulpia Traiana Sarmisegetusa and Micia (nowadays Vețel), with Apulum (the modern day Alba Iulia) and “The Gold Route” leading to Săcărâmb and Albunus Maior (Roșia Montana), as well as supervising the trading done on the river.
An approximate localization of the castra was established in the late nineteen hundreds, with the discovery of the first sculptural monuments, coins, and stamped tiles and bricks. The surface of the plateau on which the castra was found was over 30.000 square meters. It seems that a fortified settlement from the Dacian period also lied here. An Archaeological research begun here in 2000 managed to establish the size of the castra: 320×120 meters.
A principia (the headquarters) was discovered in the center of the plateau, two large horrea (granaries) to the west and a third one to the east. A series of wooden buildings are also present.
The garrison quartered here was called Numerus Singulariorum Peditum Britannicianorum.
Access: there is a tourist sign on DJ 107A, near Cigmău, pointing to the location of the castra.
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