A former mill on Strada Morii, turned by Pro Teatru into a place for performances, exhibitions, recordings and workshops. UNITER Senate Special Award, 2025.
WHAT YOU'LL FIND AT THE MILL
Studio Hall
The space where we perform Pro Teatru productions, visiting shows and our Tuesday series for children. 150 seats.
Moara cu Sunet
Audio recording studio. This is where we produce radio drama and record local musicians.
Moara cu Idei
The education hub: workshops, courses and meetings for young people and for our volunteers.
Moara cu Imagini
Contemporary art gallery, opened on Romanian National Culture Day. The only one of its kind in Sălaj.
Curtea Artiștilor
The Mill's open-air stage, for summer shows, concerts and screenings. 200 seats.
FROM DON QUIXOTE'S WINDMILLS TO ZALĂU
We always wanted a big mural in Zalău. When we started building the cultural centre, the Mill's wall was the obvious choice.
The work covers more than 500 m² and is signed by Otto Szatmari, an artist born in Zalău who has worked in animation and video game studios. In 2025, through an AFCN project, he sketched the composition. In 2026 he covered it in colour. The Mill takes its name from the street it stands on and, of course, from Don Quixote.
We hope it will be the first in a series of murals in town.
“Only in The Hague and in Greece have I seen a performance hall so well suited to the artistic act.”
WHAT THE MILL COULD LOOK LIKE
Architect Mădălina Suciu, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning in Cluj-Napoca, spent two weeks in Zalău on an architecture residency within the project “Moara Artiștilor – from industrial space to cultural centre”, co-funded by AFCN.
Her proposal keeps the volume and industrial identity of the former mill and gives it a new look in brick and metal. Inside, the spaces become brighter and more flexible, for theatre, exhibitions, festivals and educational gatherings. The yard gains art installations, open-air stages and places for young people to meet. A new building, with a café and terraces, connects directly to a skatepark and stays lively all day.
The results were presented at an opening in the Moara cu Imagini gallery, followed by an open debate: what do we want a future cultural centre for Zalău to look like?
“I wanted people, when they come here, to feel that something to do with art and culture is happening.”
THE TRANSFORMATION CONTINUES
Moara Artiștilor is not a finished project. The next stage means further developing the former industrial site and expanding its cultural infrastructure.
Doing something at the Mill?
Launches, concerts, film shoots, workshops, company events. Tell us what you have in mind and we'll send you availability and terms.
Write to usStrada Morii 1/A, Zalău
The Mill isn't finished
Every stage was made possible by our partners, from the Transylvania Order of Architects to Cemacon. You can help with a donation, a sponsorship or 3.5% of your income tax.
Support the Mill