Roman Dacia's north-western frontier ran along the crest of the Meseș mountains, and the hill country around Mirșid, east of Zalău, is laced with its traces: watchtowers, earthworks and small forts placed so that each could see the next. In 2024 these remains became part of the World Heritage listing for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in Dacia. The name of the spot, La Strâmtură by the wolves' brook, gives a fair idea of its character: a narrow place in the hills, wooded and quiet, where the eye has to work to pick out a low mound or a ditch in the grass.
A few kilometres away lies the reason for all this watchfulness. Porolissum, near the village of Moigrad, was the great Roman stronghold of the region, a fort and town that controlled a key pass and the trade that flowed through it from the free Dacian lands beyond. Its rebuilt stone gate and walls stand on a hilltop, and walking among the foundations of the amphitheatre and the customs post, looking north over the Someș plain, you feel very much at the edge of the empire.
The roads here are a pleasure for anyone who likes quiet, rolling country. Minor roads loop between villages of houses with wooden gates and orchards, climbing over low ridges and dropping into valleys, with views of the Meseș hills and the plain. Surfaces range from new tarmac to patched and potholed, and horse-drawn carts are still a normal part of the traffic, as are dogs who take their guarding duties seriously. Autumn, with the beech woods turning and plum brandy being distilled in the villages, is a lovely time.
Zalău, the county town, is only about seven kilometres away and has fuel, supermarkets, mechanics and restaurants. Mirșid itself is a village with a shop or two. Sălaj cooking is hearty: sour soups, sarmale cabbage rolls, polenta with cheese and cream, and of course pálinka or țuică offered with enthusiasm. Ask before stepping onto field paths to reach the remains, and give grazing animals and their shepherd dogs plenty of room.