Turda

Turda, known as Torda in Hungarian, stands near the Arieș at the western edge of the Transylvanian plateau. Salt deposits brought wealth and a special importance to the town: a mine is recorded here in 1271, when King Stephen V granted it to the Transylvanian Church. The salt chamber later administered mines, storehouses, agricultural lands and other property. Its market and position on roads through Transylvania also made it a frequent meeting place for the estates of the principality.

The Diet of Transylvania met repeatedly at Turda, bringing nobles and representatives of privileged communities together to decide the affairs of the principality. In 1568, under Prince John Sigismund, it declared that preachers could teach according to their understanding of the Gospel and that communities could choose preachers whose teaching they accepted. The decree became a landmark in the coexistence of Christian confessions in Transylvania, although it did not grant equal individual rights to all inhabitants. Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed and Unitarian churches developed within the principality's changing religious settlement.

Salt continued to connect Turda's local economy with the needs of rulers and merchants. The administration of the mines and the storage and movement of salt gave the town a role beyond its immediate district, while assemblies held here left a lasting mark on the political and religious history of Transylvania.