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THE MINT’S GATE
FORMER HUNGARIA HOTEL
October 23, 2017
DRUMMER’S SQUARE
October 23, 2017THE MINT’S GATE
From the old mint that worked inside the Alba Iulia Citadel from the 17th to the 19th century only one fragment of its wall is preserved but underground there are the walls of the huge cellars of the complex, partially visible in some points.
The first monetary emissions with the city logo („A-I” or „AI-IV”) date from the time of prince Gabriel Bathory (1608-1613). A large coin quantity was minted during the time of his successor, Gabriel Bethlen, including gold pieces. A large part of these emissions was performed incognito, thus the prince gaining a huge fortune. That is why his epoch, at least for Alba Iulia, was considered „the golden age”. The place where the mint used to be is not precisely known although, according to the known sources, we can say that if it was a different place, it was not far away from the one where the mint used to work in the 18th and the 19th century. After the Austrians took over Transylvania, the mint became state propriety, that is to say the propriety of the Habsburg Empire. “The new mint” was placed on the south side of the bastionary citadel, between the Arsenal organized in the Princes Palace and the Storehouse, probably inside the buildings that used to be the former nun monastery. In a short period of time it became a very important mint for the Austrian monarchy. The choosing of Alba Iulia for this purpose was linked to the exploitation of the mines in Apuseni Mountains from which the metals necessary for the production of the coins were extracted.
The mint was functional during the entire period of Austrian administration and a few years after the annexation of Transylvania to Hungary and then, from 1871, its equipment and attribution were taken over by the old mint in Kremnica (Slovakia). After the decommissioning, inside the buildings of the former mint, the Court of law held its sessions. In 1903, the entire complex was demolished.
Several coins issued in Alba Iulia can be seen in the Union Museum exhibition.
Scientific consultant: Tudor Roșu, PhD historian
Translation made by: Ciprian Dobra, PR expert
There have been two mints in the Alba Iulia Citadel: the „old” mint and the „new”.
The old mint operated at the time when Alba Iulia was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania, a title which endured for nearly 150 years.
The first issue of coins, which displayed the city’s logo, dates back to the early 1600s, the time of Prince Gabriel Báthory. The old mint reached its peak during the reign of his successor, Prince Gabriel Bethlen, who issued a significant amount of coins, including gold pieces.
When the Austrians took over Transylvania, the mint became property of the Habsburg Empire. The now „New Mint” was located on the southern side of the Bastion Fortress, between the eastern wing of the Princely Palace and the Storehouse.
It soon became a mint of great importance for the Austrian monarchy and worked here until 1871, when it was closed and the goods were transferred to the mint in Kremnica, Slovakia. The choice of this city as a monetary centre was also facilitated by the existence of mines in the Apuseni Mountains, which provided metals for coin production.
Today, only traces of the original mint in the Alba Iulia Citadel can be witnessed. They are preserved in a fragment wall with halls of former renaissance windows as well as two large gates on the northern side of the premises. Some of the complex’s imposing cellar walls are also preserved underground, while mint traces are visible at the access area of the Route of the Three Fortifications.
The complex in which the mint operated was demolished in 1903. Several coins issued in Alba Iulia can be seen in the National Museum of the Union.
