Ioan Raica Municipal Museum

The Ioan Raica Municipal Museum operates within Casa Zápolya, also known as the Könighaus (Royal House), a category A historical monument of national and universal significance, located in the north-eastern corner of the Piața Mare in Sebeș. The building, whose origins predate the 15th century, was initially constructed as a small Gothic-style palace, serving as the seat of the Scaunul de Sebeș and of the Transylvanian Diet. Important Diet assemblies were held here in 1547, 1550, 1552, 1556, 1557, 1657 and 1659. On 21 July 1540, Ioan Zápolya, voivode of Transylvania and King of Hungary, died in this building — an event that gave it its enduring name. Architecturally, the building combines Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The museum was founded in 1951 and opened to the public in 1956. Its collections cover the history of the Sebeș area from the Neolithic period through to the medieval era, with exhibits related to Saxon guilds, everyday life, a collection of clocks, weapons, pharmacy objects and the city's executioner's sword. The ethnographic collection includes Romanian and Saxon folk costumes, icons on wood and glass, ceramics and the Franz Binder African ethnography collection. The museum is well worth a visit both for its collections and for the exceptional historical significance of the building itself. Address: Piața Primăriei no. 3, Sebeș, Alba County.