Cluj County:
A Historical Overview
IOAN-AUREL POP
T
HE CLUJ C o u n t y of today, located in t h e n o r t h w e s ­
tern part of w h a t was once the voivodate of Tran­
sylvania, is a fairly r e c e n t a d m i n i s t r a t i v e - t e r r i t o r i a l
unit (established in 1968) a n d t h e r e f o r e c a n n o t b e said to
have a c e n t u r i e s - o l d historical t r a d i t i o n of its o w n , at least
not within its c u r r e n t b o u n d a r i e s . T h e c o u n t y of today was
preceded by other forms of administrative organization, w h i c h
only partially overlapped its present-day territory. C o n s e q u e ­
ntly, w i t h i n the c o u n t y w e can speak o f certain areas w i t h a
historical i d e n t i t y o f t h e i r o w n , s u c h as t h e city o f C l u j -
Napoca, w i t h its s u r r o u n d i n g region, and the areas o f Turda,
Gherla, D e j , and H u e d i n .
T h e first traces o f h u m a n habitation in this area date from
time i m m e m o r i a l . T h e m o r e t h a n 1,400 historical m o n u ­
ments and protected archaeological sites p r e s e n t h e r e offer
plenty of evidence in this respect. S o m e of these pieces, s u c h
as the s t o n e t o o l s f o u n d at C ă p u ş u M i c o r o n t h e actual
territory o f C l u j - N a p o c a , date back to t h e Paleolithic or O l d
Stone Age period, b e i n g m o r e t h a n o n e h u n d r e d t h o u s a n d
years old. F r o m the Neolithic, or the N e w Stone Age (approx.
7 0 0 0 - 3 7 0 0 B.c.), w e have t h e finds m a d e in a p p r o x i m a t e l y
60 settlements, s u c h as G u r a Baciului (with pieces b e l o n g ­
ing to t h e o l d e s t N e o l i t h i c h a b i t a t i o n o n R o m a n i a n t e r r i ­
tory), C h e i l e Turzii ( w i t h i t e m s t h a t gave t h e i r n a m e t o a
Middle N e o l i t h i c culture), and Iclod (one o f the largest b u r ­
ial sites of the Late N e o l i t h i c ) . T h e B r o n z e Age ( 3 7 0 0 - 1 2 0 0
B.C.) is r e p r e s e n t e d o n t h e territory o f t h e c o u n t y by finds
made in nearly 90 s e t t l e m e n t s , chiefly b e l o n g i n g to the Si-
ghişoara-Wietenberg c u l t u r e . Q u i t e distinct features are ex­
hibited by t h e objects f o u n d at C o p ă c e n i .
T h e First Iron Age (Hallstatt) left significant traces, a m o n g
t h e m the large fortified s e t t l e m e n t s of S o m e ş e n i , H u e d i n ,
etc. After t h e year 1000, in t h e n o r t h e r n parts o f the t e r r i ­
tory inhabited by the large g r o u p o f the T h r a c i a n s e m e r g e d
the peoples o f t h e G e t a e a n d of t h e D a c i a n s , called G e t a e -
Dacians b y m a n y specialists, given the similarities b e t w e e n
their material and spiritual c u l t u r e s . Transylvania was a ter­
ritory ot the D a c i a n s . T h e D a c i a n period is q u i t e well d o c u ­
m e n t e d o n t h e t e r r i t o r y o f Cluj C o u n t y , in all of its stages
of development. T h e evidence uncovered here includes dwel­
lings w i t h a typically Dacian inventory, d o m i n a n t b e i n g the
o r n a m e n t a l vessels w i t h p r o t r u d i n g k n o b s , m a d e o f b u r n t
clay, a n d t h e D a c i a n beakers, shaped by h a n d , as well as the
larger a n d s o m e t i m e s h u g e v e s s e l s , m a d e o n t h e p o t t e r ' s
w h e e l . T h e s e t t l e m e n t located o n t h e banks of t h e S o m e ş u l
M i c River, o n t h e p r e s e n t location o f Cluj city, called Napuca
1
by the g e o g r a p h e r P t o l e m y (2'" c e n t u r y A . D . ) , was a t h r i v ­
ing c o m m u n i t y and was c o n s i d e r e d to be " o n e of the m o s t
s p l e n d i d cities o f Dacia." Today's T u r d a (Potaissa, Potavissa)
was also o n c e a D a c i a n settlement, and smaller s u c h settle­
m e n t s existed at D e z m i r and C o j o c n a . For the S e c o n d I r o n
Age (Latène), archaeologists found the traces o f a Celtic pres­
ence alongside the Dacian p o p u l a t i o n , in the necropolises of
Apahida and D e z m i r , w h i c h feature the specific Celtic i n v e n ­
t o r y o f b r o n z e bracelets, h a r n e s s pieces, etc., as well as t y p ­
ical D a c i a n i t e m s . T h i s d e m o n s t r a t e s t h e c o h a b i t a t i o n of
the two populations, c o n c l u d e d w i t h the assimilation of
t h e C e l t s . Significant traces o f a S c y t h i a n p r e s e n c e w e r e
also f o u n d o n the territory o f the county.
T h e R o m a n conquest of Transylvania following the Second
D a c i a n - R o m a n War ( A . D . 1 0 5 - 1 0 6 ) radically c h a n g e d t h e
h i s t o r y o f t h e r e g i o n . After t h e y e a r 106, t h e t e r r i t o r y of
the c o u n t y became part of the R o m a n province of Dacia.
U n d e r the R o m a n rule, the region experienced a remarkable
d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e R o m a n civilization spread far b e y o n d the
cities o f N a p o c a and Potaissa a n d b e y o n d the R o m a n fort­
resses (castra). In their turn, the rural areas saw the construction
of m a n y villae rustkae (a sort o f m a n o r s or f a r m h o u s e s ) , s u c h
as t h e o n e s in C h i n t e n i , Ciumăfaia, Apahida, or S o p o r u de
C â m p i e . T h e stone q u a r r i e d at Baciu, Suceagu, C h e i a , and
P o d e n i , used for c o n s t r u c t i o n o r for m o n u m e n t s , t h e gold
p a n n e d o n t h e b a n k s o f t h e Aries River, t h e salt m i n e d at
O c n a D e j u l u i , Sic, a n d C o j o c n a , as w e l l as t h e m a n y clay
q u a r r i e s c o n t r i b u t e d to the p r o s p e r i t y of this rich territory
a n d allowed for t h e rapid d e v e l o p m e n t of crafts, chiefly in
the urban areas. N a p o c a and Potaissa, Dacian cities taken over
b y t h e R o m a n s u n d e r t h e i r old n a m e s a n d elevated t o t h e
r a n k of municipia a n d t h e n o f coloniae, w e r e h o m e to m a n y
s t o n e m a s o n s ' and potters' shops, identified by archaeologists,
w h i c h w o r k e d n o t o n l y for the local c o m m u n i t y , b u t also for
the i n h a b i t a n t s o f the rest of the p r o v i n c e .
B e t w e e n A . D . 107 and 109 a road was built c o n n e c t i n g the
D a n u b e Valley at O r ş o v a ( D i e r n a ) t o Z a l ă u - M o i g r a d
( P o r o l i s s u m ) , a n d p a s s i n g by U l p i a Traiana (today S a r m i -
zegetusa), A p u l u m (Alba Iulia), Potaissa, and N a p o c a . Traces
of it can still b e seen today. Later o n ( 1 2 3 - 1 2 4 ) t h e P r o v i n c e
of Dacia Porolissensis was established, following the se­
paration from Dacia S u p e r i o r of the n o r t h e r n part of T r a n ­
sylvania. T h e city o f N a p o c a w a s elevated t o t h e r a n k o f
mttnicipium, b e c o m i n g the capital of the n e w province. A m i l ­
itary d i p l o m a i s s u e d b y E m p e r o r H a d r i a n o n 2 J u l y 133
a n d f o u n d in t h e r u i n s of t h e R o m a n legion fort at G h e r l a
is t h e o l d e s t d o c u m e n t t o s p e a k o f a D a c i e i P o r o l i s s e n s i s .
To p r o t e c t t h e n o r t h e r n b o r d e r o f t h e p r o v i n c e , t h e R o ­
m a n s followed the c u s t o m and built the so-called limes (earth­
w o r k s ) . In 156-157, the Dacian limes along the S o m e ş River,
r e p e a t e d l y attacked b y t h e free D a c i a n s , was s t r e n g t h e n e d .
Also for defensive reasons, Legio V M a c e d o n i c a was b r o u g h t
in from the O r i e n t and stationed at Potaissa ( 1 6 7 - 1 6 9 ) , m a s ­
sively b o l s t e r i n g t h e d e f e n s e s o f t h e n o r t h e r n b o r d e r s o f
R o m a n Dacia. O t h e r military units, auxiliary f o r m a t i o n s of
cavalry or infantry, w e r e stationed in the fortresses o f G h e r ­
la, Căşeiu, Gilău, and Bologa.
D u r i n g the reign of C o m m o d u s ( 1 8 0 - 1 9 2 ) , N a p o c a w a s
elevated to the r a n k o f colonia, the highest in the R o m a n E m ­
pire, m e a n i n g that its citizens enjoyed equal status w i t h the
c i t i z e n s o f R o m e . T h e s a m e h a p p e n e d to Potaissa, w h i c h
b e c a m e a colonia at t h e t i m e of S e p t i m i u s Severus ( 1 9 3 - 2 1 1 ) .
In 213, his successor, the E m p e r o r Caracalla (211-217), m a d e
a visit to Dacia. T h e fortress o f C ă ş e i u was r e b u i l t for t h e
occasion.
S o m e t i m e b e t w e e n 271 a n d 274, in a p r o c e s s t h a t m a y
h a v e t a k e n years t o c o m p l e t e , t h e R o m a n army, a d m i n i s ­
tration, a n d a part o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n left Dacia. D u r i n g the
approximately 170 years of R o m a n rule, the material and t h e n
t h e spiritual c u l t u r e o f t h e m a n y L a t i n - s p e a k i n g colonists,
arrived h e r e ex toto Orbe romano ("from all over t h e R o m a n
w o r l d " ) b l e n d e d w i t h t h e tradition o f t h e local p o p u l a t i o n ,
q u i t e limited in n u m b e r , and eventually prevailed, leading to
t h e d e e p and irreversible R o m a n i z a t i o n o f t h e p r o v i n c e . I n
light o f t h e i r c o n s e q u e n c e s , t h e a d o p t i o n o f t h e Latin l a n ­
g u a g e a n d o f t h e R o m a n civilization are t h e m o s t i m p o r ­
tant p h e n o m e n a associated w i t h the R o m a n Era.
After t h e R o m a n w i t h d r a w a l f r o m Dacia, t h e t e r r i t o r y
o f Cluj C o u n t y , j u s t like the rest of the f o r m e r R o m a n p r o ­
vince, c o n t i n u e d to be inhabited by a fully R o m a n i z e d , Latin-
speaking population, the ethnic matrix of the R o m a n i a n
people. At C l u j - N a p o c a , Turda, Dej, Gilău, Sic archaeologists
found clear evidence of a local population living here between
th 1 od, w h e n the g r o u p s of warriors led by T u h u t u m w e r e in the
the 4 and the 6' ' centuries. T h e pottery found in these places
displayed the s a m e t e c h n i q u e and o r n a m e n t a t i o n as the o n e
p r o d u c e d in R o m a n Dacia. T h e archaeological finds m a d e at
rd ,h
S o p o r u de C â m p i e ( 3 - 4 c e n t u r i e s ) indicate t h e p e n e t r a ­
tion of the free Dacians in n o r t h e r n Transylvania, w h i l e the
th
paleo-Christian items (4 century) found at Potaissa, N a p o c a ,
G h e r l a , and in o t h e r locations p r o v e that C h r i s t i a n i t y had
been embraced by the D a c i a n - R o m a n population. Beginning
th
w i t h the 4 century, the n o r t h e r n part of the f o r m e r R o m a n
p r o v i n c e received v a r i o u s m i g r a t o r y p o p u l a t i o n s . T h u s , a
G e r m a n i c ( O s t r o g o t h i c or Gepidic) necropolis was found at
th
Apahida, dating form the 5 c e n t u r y and featuring o n e of the
richest O l d G e r m a n i c h o a r d s in E u r o p e . O n e of t h e lead­
ers b u r i e d h e r e w a s n a m e d O m h a r u s . T h e archaeological
finds m a d e at Ţ a g a a n d S o p o r u d e C â m p i e , d a t i n g f r o m
th dl
t h e 5 —6 c e n t u r i e s , indicate t h e p r e s e n c e o f a local p o p u ­
lation in the period following the R o m a n retreat. F r o m a m o n g
t h e m i g r a t o r y p e o p l e s , t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t w e r e t h e Slavs,
also w h e n it c o m e s to t h e t e r r i t o r y o f C l u j C o u n t y . T h e i r
massive p e n e t r a t i o n in t h e r e g i o n s u r r o u n d e d by the C a r ­
pathian M o u n t a i n s is archaeologically c o n f i r m e d in the area
dl
a r o u n d Cluj by the finds m a d e at S o m e ş e n i (7 c e n t u r y ) .
A c c o r d i n g to the a n o n y m o u s n o t a r y (of H u n g a r i a n King
Bela) w h o w r o t e t h e Gesta Hungarorum, a r o u n d the year
9 0 0 n o r t h e r n T r a n s y l v a n i a w a s h o m e to an i n d e p e n d e n t
R o m a n i a n - S l a v i c " d u c h y " (its leader was referred to by t h e
title dominus), led b y a R o m a n i a n n a m e d G e l o u (Gelou quidam
Blachus). R e c e n t investigations have s h o w n that this polity
(the t e r m d u c h y is s o m e w h a t s y n o n y m o u s to that o f v o i v o ­
date) included the central part of the present-day Cluj C o u n ­
ty and the eastern part of what is today Sălaj County. According
to t h e same chronicle, G e l o u ' s capital was located "near the
S o m e ş River," that is, s o m e w h e r e in the valley of the Someşul
M i c River, m a y b e in the vicinity o f today's Gilău or even at
lh
N a p o c a ( C l u j ) . T o w a r d s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e 10 century,
t h e t e r r i t o r y r u l e d by G e l o u w a s c o n q u e r e d b y a g r o u p of
H u n g a r i a n s led, a c c o r d i n g to the a n o n y m o u s chronicle, by
T u h u t u m , the father of H o r c a . T h e H u n g a r i a n c o n q u e r o r s
t o o k u p residence in t h e area b e t w e e n Gilău and the r u i n s of
the ancient city of Napoca. In the vicinity of the latter, archae­
ologists f o u n d t w o i m p o r t a n t c e m e t e r i e s d a t i n g f r o m t h e
dl
p e r i o d of the H u n g a r i a n c o n q u e s t . T h e 9 and t h e 10"' c e n ­
turies saw the c o n s t r u c t i o n of b a n k and ditch e n c l o s u r e s at
Cluj-Mănăştur, Dăbâca, M o l d o v e n e ş t i , and C u z d r i o a r a . Fol­
lowing the conquest of Transylvania by the K i n g d o m of H u n ­
gary, these settlements b e c a m e the capitals of t h e c o u n t i e s of
C l u j , Dăbâca, Turda, a n d Solnoc. G e l o u ' s duchy, i n h a b i t e d
b y R o m a n i a n s a n d Slavs, had a military organization, even
if the fighters w e r e only a r m e d w i t h b o w s and arrows. Prior
to t h e invasion, H u n g a r i a n scouts i n f o r m e d their leaders that
the inhabitants w e r e poor, b u t that the c o u n t r y itself was rich
in salt and gold, w h i c h c o u l d be f o u n d even in t h e sand of
t h e rivers. T h e archaic n a m e o f "Terra U l t r a s i l v a n a " (land
b e y o n d t h e forests), s y n o n y m o u s to the later n a m e of T r a n ­
sylvania, was given to the territory precisely d u r i n g this p e r i ­
area of t h e M e s e ş Gates and w e r e getting ready to cross the
woods and reach G e l o u . T h e c h r o n i c l e narrates a n o t h e r sig­
nificant event, occurred after Gelou's defeat and death: " u p o n
seeing that t h e i r lord was d e a d , " t h e R o m a n i a n a n d Slavic
inhabitants "willingly pledged themselves" to the e n e m y and
elected T u h u t u m as their n e w ruler. T h e y also t o o k an oath
of fealty to h i m , in the place n a m e d Esculeu, today t h e village
of Aşchileu ( C l u j C o u n t y ) . T h i s a c t i o n b r o u g h t r e c o g n i ­
tion for the rights and t h e privileges o f t h e old R o m a n i a n -
Slavic p o p u l a t i o n , c o n q u e r e d and s u b d u e d b y t h e force o f
arms.
In 1 0 0 2 - 1 0 0 3 , Transylvanian ruler Gyula II, a d e s c e n d a n t
of T u h u t u m , was defeated b y K i n g S t e p h e n I o f H u n g a r y .
Transylvania, or rather the w e s t e r n part of the future v o i v o ­
date, was officially i n c l u d e d in t h e political s y s t e m o f t h e
H u n g a r i a n K i n g d o m . T h e actual military and institutional
c o n q u e s t o f Transylvania w a s a g r a d u a l p r o c e s s , o c c u r r e d
th
in the second half of the 1 1 century. T h e oldest k n o w n H u n ­
garian d o c u m e n t c o n c e r n i n g the history of Transylvania (it
speaks about the year 1075) m e n t i o n s the salt c u s t o m s office
of Turda. Apart f r o m the political and social-economic insti­
tutions imported from the West, d u r i n g this process the c o u n ­
try also received Latin (later Catholic) religious i n s t i t u t i o n s .
According to tradition, H u n g a r i a n K i n g Ladislaus I ( 1 0 7 7 -
1095) founded the Benedictine abbey of C l u j - M ă n ă ş t u r , o n e
of the most i m p o r t a n t ecclesiastical institutions in medieval
Transylvania. F o r c e n t u r i e s , t h e a f o r e m e n t i o n e d C a t h o l i c
m o n a s t e r y was a b o n e of c o n t e n t i o n a n d it q u a r r e l e d o v e r
the issue of assets w i t h t h e b i s h o p r i c of Transylvania. T h i s
Catholic diocese, p r o b a b l y w i t h Byzantine antecedents, was
1,1 ,h
gradually established b e t w e e n t h e 11 and the 13 centuries
and, according to recent investigations, its seat was n o t i n i ­
tially at Alba lulia. Its first itinerant residences w e r e located
in n o r t h e r n Transylvania, in the area of C l u j - F l o r e ş t i - G i l ă u
th
where, until the 14 century, the bishopric had its largest p o s ­
sessions. It is n o t by accident that t h e m a i n c h u r c h in Cluj
was dedicated to the same St. Michael, the p a t r o n saint of the
Episcopal C a t h e d r a l of Alba lulia.
O n the t e r r i t o r y t a k e n over f r o m G e l o u , life c o n t i n u e d
u n c h a n g e d for a l o n g t i m e , especially since the n e w c o m e r s
were few in n u m b e r and had n o t b r o u g h t w i t h t h e m a s u p e ­
rior civilization. C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e first f o r m s o f a d m i n i s ­
trative organization imposed by the Hungarians are only m e n ­
th
t i o n e d in t h e 12 c e n t u r y , after t h e c o n s o l i d a t i o n o f t h e
K i n g d o m of H u n g a r y and following the actual c o n q u e s t of
the r e g i o n . T h u s , D ă b â c a C o u n t y w a s first m e n t i o n e d in
1164, w h i l e Cluj C o u n t y first appears in a 1177 d o c u m e n t .
A 1213 d o c u m e n t speaks o f a C l u j fortress (castrutn Clus),
probably an old R o m a n c e n a m e derived from the Latin clausus
(with variants s u c h as dusa or dus), m e a n i n g enclosed, n a r ­
r o w space b e t w e e n hills. T h e n a m e h a d probably b e e n given
by the old R o m a n c e and R o m a n i a n p o p u l a t i o n . In fact, w e
n o t i c e t h a t t h e first w r i t t e n f o r m s o f t h e n a m e s o f T u r d a
and C l u j , albeit w r i t t e n in c h a n c e l l e r y Latin, are identical
or nearly identical to t h e R o m a n i a n p h o n e t i c f o r m s o f the
respective place n a m e s . In 1214, a d o c u m e n t m e n t i o n s the
t o w n of D e j , capital of the I n n e r S o l n o c C o u n t y (the future
Someş C o u n t y ) , largely included in the Cluj C o u n t y of today.
T h e lives of the local inhabitants w e r e severely disrupted
in 1241, the year of the great Tartar invasion. O n its way towards
central Hungary, o n April 11 the Mongolian a r m y led by Kadan
seized the fortress of C l u j - M ă n ă ş t u r , massacring the people
w h o h a d s o u g h t shelter t h e r e . O n average, b e t w e e n 10 a n d
1 5 % o f the k i n g d o m ' s population was killed or enslaved. T h e
m o n k R o g e r i u s , in his Carmen Miserabile ( S o n g of s o r r o w ) ,
w r o t e that "near a forest lay a village called Frata in the lan­
guage of the people, and there, four miles away from the for­
est, stood a m o u n t a i n of w o n d r o u s height," w h i c h provided
shelter to "a great m a n y m e n and w o m e n . " It seems that h e
w a s talking a b o u t the h o m o n y m o u s village situated in Cluj
C o u n t y . After the invasion, significant defensive and p r e v e n ­
tive measures w e r e taken, including the erection of solid stone
th
fortifications. I n the second half of the 13 century, medieval
Cluj was s u r r o u n d e d by its first fortified wall, w h i c h enclosed
an area of approximately 7 hectares, later k n o w n as the Óvár
(Old t o w n ) . M u c h later, in 1405, following a decree issued by
Sigismund of L u x e m b o u r g ( 1 3 8 7 - 1437), the perimeter wall
th
w a s e x t e n d e d a n d , d u r i n g t h e 1 5 century, after successive
interventions, it came to enclose an area measuring 45 hectares.
th
G o i n g back to t h e 1 3 century, w e find t h e first d o c u m e n ­
tary reference to Turda C o u n t y ( 1 2 5 6 ) — w h o s e territory is
largely i n c l u d e d in today's Cluj C o u n t y — a n d to t h e t o w n
of G h e r l a (1291), m e n t i o n e d by the n a m e given to it by the
locals: "Gerla." H u e d i n was first m e n t i o n e d in a 1332 text.
B e l o n g i n g to o n e or a n o t h e r administrative u n i t d u r i n g
the v a r i o u s historical p e r i o d s , t h e m e d i e v a l society of C l u j
C o u n t y was g r o u n d e d in the old structures of the R o m a n i a n -
Slavic d u c h y / v o i v o d a t e , later c o m b i n e d w i t h c e r t a m m o d ­
els o f W e s t e r n civilization b r o u g h t h e r e b y the H u n g a r i a n
C r o w n : royal fortresses ( c o n t i n u i n g the older fortresses o f
t h e earlier p e r i o d s ) , c o u n t i e s , C a t h o l i c m o n a s t e r i e s and, at
the same t i m e , t o w n s h i p s s u c h as C l u j , D e j , a n d Turda, salt
and ore m i n i n g centers ( O c n a D e j u l u i , Sic, C o j o c n a , Turda,
R i m e t e a Trascăului), w h e r e H u n g a r i a n s , R o m a n i a n s , Saxon
colonists, a n d others w o r k e d and lived together.
T h e prosperity of the towns of Cluj, Turda, and Dej, h o m e
to m a n y and diverse craftsmen and m e r c h a n t s and quite p o p ­
ular for their fairs, is also reflected b y their s t r u c t u r e : radi­
al-concentric streets a n d alleys, p u b l i c buildings ( t o w n halls,
schools, guildhalls), Gothic and Renaissance m o n u m e n t s
(churches, statues). As w e have seen, s o m e t o w n s were defen­
ded by p e r i m e t e r walls, for shelter and defense (Cluj). W h i l e
the u r b a n and quasi-urban society, especially in the t o w n c e n ­
ters, was G e r m a n and partially H u n g a r i a n (with the R o m a ­
nians taking p e r m a n e n t residence o n l y o n the outskirts and
in the s u b u r b a n villages), the rural society was d o m i n a n t l y
R o m a n i a n , d i s p l a y i n g t h e specific features o f a local f e u ­
dalism w i t h R o m a n - B y z a n t i n e roots and w i t h Slavic influ­
ences. M a n y o f the old local leaders, w h o possessed villages
or p a r t s o f v i l l a g e s — k n e z e s a n d v o i v o d e s / d u k e s — b e c a m e
t h e subjects of t h e n e w lords, favored by t h e king.
 T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f the t o w n of C l u j g r e w t o w a r d s t h e
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t u r n of the 14 century, w h e n the city was inhabited by a large
G e r m a n g r o u p (the hospites). Also i m p o r t a n t was the t o w n of
Turda, a regular v e n u e for the m e e t i n g s (congregationes) of t h e
T r a n s y l v a n i a n n o b l e s , c h a i r e d b y t h e v o i v o d e . A decisive
m o m e n t in the history of Cluj was the day of 19 August 1316,
w h e n King Charles R o b e r t of Anjou elevated the t o w n to the
r a n k of "royal city" (civitas regia). Shortly afterwards, in 1323,
the Cluj m i n t began to operate, following the currency reform
i n t r o d u c e d by the s a m e C h a r l e s R o b e r t of Anjou. T h e first
d o c u m e n t a r y reference to the stone b u i l d i n g of St. M i c h a e l ' s
Ih
C h u r c h o f C l u j , c o m p l e t e d in the 14 century, dates b a c k
to 1349. T h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of this G o t h i c h a l l - c h u r c h , a t r u e
e m b l e m o f t h e city and o f Transylvania, r e q u i r e d the devel­
o p m e n t h e r e of certain artistic crafts and gathered together
m a n y great artists. T h u s , in 1373, t w o G e r m a n sculptors from
Cluj, M a r t i n and G e o r g e , the sons of N i c h o l a s , w e r e c o m ­
m i s s i o n e d by E m p e r o r C h a r l e s IV to m a k e the b r o n z e stat­
u e o f St. G e o r g e w h i c h still stands in the square of St. Vitus's
d o m e in P r a g u e . A later copy of the s a m e statue can b e s e e n
in f r o n t o f t h e f o r m e r F r a n c i s c a n m o n a s t e r y ( t o d a y a R e ­
formed church) of Cluj. T h e works of these artists, n o w large­
ly lost, far exceed t h e level achieved by the G o t h i c art of Cluj
and o f Transylvania in general, b e i n g c o m p a r a b l e a n d c o m ­
patible w i t h the E u r o p e a n art o f t h a t t i m e . In 1427, a n o t h ­
er G e r m a n artist from Cluj, a painter n a m e d T h o m a s , p a i n t ­
ed t h e triptych-altar o f t h e Crucifixion c u r r e n t l y o n display
at t h e M u s e u m o f t h e A r c h b i s h o p r i c o f S t r i g o n i u m ( E s z ­
t e r g o m , H u n g a r y ) . T h e p a n e l s o f t h e altar f e a t u r e s c e n e s
of the Passion, painted in the m o s t exquisite style reached b y
medieval Transylvanian art.
,h 1 1
D u r i n g t h e 15 and the 16 ' centuries t h e territory of Cluj
C o u n t y e x p e r i e n c e d e p i s o d e s o f m a j o r social u n r e s t . T h e
great uprising of the R o m a n i a n and H u n g a r i a n peasants from
n o r t h e r n Transylvania (the Bobâlna U p r i s i n g ) o f 1 4 3 7 - 1 4 3 8
took place mostly o n the present-day territory of Cluj County.
T h e two main written agreements between the " c o m m u ­
nity of H u n g a r i a n and R o m a n i a n inhabitants" and the nobles,
c o n c l u d e d in 1437, w e r e givenjudicial consecration in k e e p ­
i n g w i t h the c u s t o m , at t h e C o n v e n t o f C l u j - M ă n ă ş t u r , t h e
m a j o r c h a n c e l l e r y (loca crcdibilia) i s s u i n g legal d o c u m e n t s
in t h e n o r t h e r n h a l f of Transylvania. It has b e e n r e c e n t l y
d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t t h e p e a s a n t s ' a t t e m p t t o gain r e c o g n i ­
tion as "citizens" (regnicolari), like they had b e e n in times o f
old, and to f o r m a privileged g r o u p (an estate, a c o m m u n i ­
ty, a universitas), in k e e p i n g w i t h t h e c o r p o r a t i s t m o d e l o f
t h a t t i m e , h a d its o r i g i n in t h e e p i s o d e o f t h e o a t h a n d o f
t h e "shaking of the h a n d " o c c u r r e d in Aşchileu a r o u n d t h e
year 900, w h e n t w o equal a n d free c o m m u n i t i e s had agreed
to respect each o t h e r ' s rights. T h e events of t h e year 900 and
those o f t h e year 1437 o c c u r r e d largely o n t h e s a m e t e r r i ­
tory. T h e c o n s e q u e n c e s of the peasant u p r i s i n g did n o t spare
the city of C l u j . In 1438, because o f its i n v o l v e m e n t in t h e
Bobâlna U p r i s i n g , the city lost s o m e of its privileges, only to
regain t h e m later, at t h e t i m e of J o h n H u n y a d i . T h e h i s t o ­
ry o f the H u n y a d i s t h e m s e l v e s is c o n n e c t e d to this region.
Matthias C o r v i n u s , the son ofJ o h n H u n y a d i and of Elisabeth
Szilágyi and king of H u n g a r y b e t w e e n 1458 and 1490, was
b o r n in the city of Cluj o n 23 or 24 February 1443. T h e house
in w h i c h he was b o r n suffered a series of later modifications,
b u t still displays m a n y Renaissance architectural features and
can be seen today in the city center, being k n o w n as Casa Matei.
After b e c o m i n g king of H u n g a r y , M a t t h i a s t o o k care of his
native t o w n , o f its p e o p l e , and o f its i n s t i t u t i o n s . After the
d e a t h o f K i n g M a t t h i a s , t h e peace o f t h e country, Transyl­
vania included, was disturbed by a n u m b e r of events. A m o n g
t h e m , in the early 16"' century, w e find a n o t h e r major peas­
ant uprising, w h i c h t u r n e d violent in several places. In 1514,
t h e peasants w e r e s u m m o n e d to B u d a in p r e p a r a t i o n for a
crusade against the O t t o m a n s . A series of u n e x p e c t e d devel­
o p m e n t s m a d e it so that t h e p l a n n e d crusade t u r n e d into a
social uprising, led b y G e o r g e D ó z s a , an e n n o b l e d Szekler
peasant. T h e p o o r t o w n s m e n o f Cluj and Dej also joined the
rebellion. H o w e v e r , the i n v o l v e m e n t o f the local p o p u l a t i o n
in the 1514 u p r i s i n g did n o t e n d t h e r e : a p a r t of t h e peas­
ant a r m y was defeated by the forces of the nobles in the vicin­
ity o f C l u j , and L a w r e n c e M é s z á r o s , o n e ot the rebel lead­
ers, was impaled in t h e city square.
th th
T h e 1 5 a n d t h e 16 c e n t u r i e s saw n u m e r o u s c o n t a c t s
b e t w e e n T r a n s y l v a n i a a n d t h e R o m a n i a n p r o v i n c e s lying
beyond the Carpathians, the region of Cluj receiving spe­
cial a t t e n t i o n in this context. T h e s e contacts w e r e political
and e c o n o m i c , b u t also spiritual in n a t u r e . After having par­
ticipated as a distinct g r o u p to the political life o f Transylvania
lh lh
in the 1 3 and t h e 14 centuries, gradually R o m a n i a n s came
to be excluded from a m o n g the estates, that is, from a m o n g
the privileged g r o u p s that h a d all the power. T h e m a i n rea­
son for this was their O r t h o d o x faith, t h e fact that they b e ­
longed to a "schismatic" d e n o m i n a t i o n often seen as heresy.
T h e Catholic K i n g d o m of Hungary, seeking to fulfill its m i s ­
sion as an "apostolic k i n g d o m " and eager to fight the "hea­
thens, the heretics, and the schismatic" by any m e a n s , refused
to offer official acceptance, n o t even in t h e case o f Transyl­
vania, to a n o n - C a t h o l i c e t h n i c g r o u p . C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e
R o m a n i a n s — c o n q u e r e d by force of arms but for a t i m e equal
to the n e w m a s t e r s — s a w themselves relegated to an inferi­
or position. T h e i r "schismatic" C h u r c h was disparaged and
interdictions w e r e passed regarding t h e activity of their cler­
g y m e n , o f their hierarchy, or regarding t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of
n e w places of w o r s h i p . Still, unofficially, the Eastern C h u r c h
o f t h e Transylvanian R o m a n i a n s c o n t i n u e d to operate, and
t h e region of Cluj was actually h o m e to s o m e high institu­
tions of this C h u r c h , s u p p o r t e d b y t h e clergy a n d by the lay­
m e n o f M o l d a v i a , t h u s , in 1 4 8 8 , d o c u m e n t s s p e a k of an
O r t h o d o x A r c h b i s h o p o f Feleac n a m e d D a n i e l , a n d in 1498
w e read a b o u t a M e t r o p o l i t a n See o f Feleac. D u r i n g the se­
th
c o n d half o f the 1 5 century, p r o b a b l y w i t h t h e assistance
of S t e p h e n the G r e a t ' s Moldavia, the c h u r c h located in the
village of Feleac was built, later to b e c o m e an archbishopric
a n d a m e t r o p o l i t a n cathedral. In D e c e m b e r o f 1497, M o l -
daviaii treasurer Isaac gave t h e m e t r o p o l i t a n see of Feleac a
Slavonic Gospel, with a dedication engraved in the silver cov­
ers It is k n o w n that S t e p h e n the Great received as fiefs f r o m
the king of H u n g a r y the Transylvanian estates of C i c e u a n d
Cetatea de Baltă, w i t h approximately 80 villages. T h e estate
of Ciceu, the larger of t h e t w o , i n c l u d e d m a n y villages f r o m
the region of C l u j .
Another Moldavian prince w h o s e n a m e is associated w i t h
Transylvania was Peter Rares, the son of S t e p h e n the Great,
w h o received from K i n g J o h n Zápolya, as a r e w a r d for t h e
victory obtained at Feldioara (1527), t h e fortress o f U n g u -
ra§ (together w i t h R o d n a a n d Bistriţa). T h e s e estates c a m e
to complete the inherited ones of Ciceu and Cetatea de Baltă.
Seeking to i m p r o v e the o r g a n i z a t i o n o f the C h u r c h , Peter
Rares b r o u g h t Bishop Anastasius of P u t n a to the old m o n a s ­
tery of Vad, f o u n d e d b y S t e p h e n the Great. T h e b i s h o p c a m e
to exercise spiritual a u t h o r i t y over a sizable part of the T r a n ­
sylvanian R o m a n i a n s . In O c t o b e r 1529, Anastasius was sign­
ing his letters w i t h t h e title o f B i s h o p o f Vad, a n d in 1531
he is m e n t i o n e d as s u c h in an inscription. U n d e r Anastasius,
the m o n a s t e r y o f Vad, e n d o w e d b y earlier v o i v o d e s w i t h
two villages and a mill, received four additional villages from
Peter Rares, w h o also erected a n e w c h u r c h h e r e , in 1530.
C h r o n i c l e r G r i g o r e U r e c h e claims that in 1538 B i s h o p
Anastasius, w h o was calling h i m s e l f " B i s h o p of F e l e a c " in
1536, s c h e m e d to capture Prince Peter R a r e s — w h o had b e e n
d e t h r o n e d a n d h a d t a k e n refuge in C i c e u — a n d h a n d h i m
over either to J o h n Zápolya or to the n e w M o l d a v i a n ruler,
Stephen Lăcustă. D e s p i t e his s c h e m i n g , B i s h o p Anastasius
managed to r e m a i n in office u n t i l 1546, w h e n Peter Rares
dispatched B i s h o p Tarasius t o the b i s h o p r i c . I n 1550, Uiaş
Rares w r o t e to the people of Bistriţa that a n e w bishop of Vad,
George, had b e e n a p p o i n t e d and o r d a i n e d in Suceava. T h e
next b i s h o p o f Vad was M a r c u s ( m e n t i o n e d in a 1557 d o c ­
u m e n t ) . After the R e f o r m a t i o n and following the loss b y t h e
Moldavian rulers o f their possessions in Transylvania (1561),
the R o m a n i a n c h u r c h e s in Transylvania lost m u c h of the ear­
lier protection e x t e n d e d by t h e R o m a n i a n state located east
of the C a r p a t h i a n s . At any rate, t h e r e is plenty of evidence to
indicate t h a t t h e b i s h o p s o f Vad c o n t i n u e d to c o m e f r o m
Moldavia, b e i n g a p p o i n t e d b y t h e M o l d a v i a n p r i n c e s a n d
carrying letters o f r e c o m m e n d a t i o n addressed to t h e Saxon
magistrate o f Bistriţa. T h e y w e r e o r d a i n e d in the canonical
fashion in Suceava by the m e t r o p o l i t a n bishops o f Moldavia,
w h o had b e e n e m p o w e r e d to d o so by the e c u m e n i c a l patri­
archy of C o n s t a n t i n o p l e .
In 1537, M e t r o p o l i t a n B i s h o p Varlaam o f Wallachia o r ­
dained the successor of B i s h o p D a n i e l o f Feleac in t h e p e r ­
son o f t h e Iatter's b r o t h e r , Peter, a n d gave h i m as a gift a
religious object e m b r o i d e r e d w i t h his n a m e a n d w i t h t h e
name of Voivode R a d u Paisie and dated in the year 7045 since
the creation of t h e w o r l d ( A . D . 1537). In 1538, w h i l e Peter
was b i s h o p , the priest o f Feleac was a certain J o h n w h o , in
1550, w a s t h e o w n e r o f all t h e village assets o n c e h e l d b y
Bishop D a n i e l (and w h i c h had b e e n probably sold to h i m by
Bishop Peter). In 1572, Stephen Báthory acknowledged Efthi-
n n o s as b i s h o p of the R o m a n i a n s in Transylvania and in Par­
t i u m , b u t l i m i t e d his j u r i s d i c t i o n to the c o u n t i e s of Turda,
C l u j , Dăbâca, I n n e r S o l n o c , aud later Bihor. In 1573-1574,
Efthimios traveled to Wallachia and Moldavia, w h e r e Voivode
J o h n appointed h i m b i s h o p of R o m a n (1574). H i s office in
R o m a n lasted very little (as Voivode J o h n the Terrible died),
and o n 11 J u n e 1574 h e r e t u r n e d to Transylvania and beca­
m e B i s h o p o f Vad. H i s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n c l u d e d the c o u n t i e s
of I n n e r Solnoc, Cluj, and Turda, and he exercised his a u t h o ­
rity t h e r e until his death, in 1576. H i s successor was a M o l ­
d a v i a n c l e r g y m a n n a m e d S p i r i d o n , w h o s e a u t h o r i t y also
extended to the counties of Crasna and M i d d l e Solnoc. W h e n ,
for a few m o n t h s (1585), Spiridon became the substitute m e t ­
ropolitan bishop of Alba Iulia, he tasked the archpriest George
of G h e o r g h e n i w i t h the collection of episcopal r e v e n u e from
1
t h e clergy. At the e n d of the 16' ' century, the b i s h o p of Vad
was o n e J o h n C e r n e a , " O r t h o d o x b i s h o p of certain R o m a ­
nian c h u r c h e s a n d father s u p e r i o r o f the M o n a s t e r y o f the
H o l y Virgin M a r y at Vad." H e was o n e of Michael the Brave's
collaborators in Transylvania.
th
At the m i d d l e of the 16 century, Transylvania experienced
significant political and religious changes, w i t h Cluj (and t h e
s u r r o u n d i n g territory) playing a major part in this respect.
After t h e year 1541, w h e n Transylvania b e c a m e an a u t o n o ­
m o u s principality u n d e r Turkish suzerainty, the p r i n c e t o o k
u p residence in Alba Iulia, b u t Cluj remained the m o s t i m p o r ­
tant city in the principality (with a population o f 8 , 0 0 0 - 1 0 , 0 0 0
i n h a b i t a n t s ) , the v e n u e o f m o r e t h a n 80 D i e t m e e t i n g s . As
the city suffered considerable d a m a g e a r o u n d t h e t u r n of the
1
17' ' century, P r i n c e G a b r i e l B e t h l e n s u p p o r t e d t h e r e c o n ­
s t r u c t i o n w o r k and granted it additional privileges. T h e D i e t
that laid t h e f o u n d a t i o n s of the n e w political and a d m i n i s ­
trative o r g a n i z a t i o n of t h e Principality o f Transylvania w a s
c o n v e n e d in Turda, in 1542. After t h e collapse o f H u n g a r y ,
w i t h Transylvania a nearly i n d e p e n d e n t principality, s o m e
d e n o m i n a t i o n s b o r n o u t o f t h e R e f o r m a t i o n f o u n d it easi­
er to spread across the province. T h e Saxons of Cluj and from
the neighboring territories uniformly embraced Lutheranism,
and so did their entire nation. T h e H u n g a r i a n nobles, after
a b r i e f L u t h e r a n e x p e r i e n c e , b e c a m e largely Calvinist, and
the c e n t e r of the n e w d e n o m i n a t i o n r e m a i n e d the same ci­
ty of C l u j . T h i s is w h y local C a l v i n i s m is referred to as the
"Cluj religion." T h e city also saw the birth o f a n e w c h u r c h ,
t h e m o s t radical of all P r o t e s t a n t c h u r c h e s , k n o w n as t h e
U n i t a r i a n or t h e A n t i - T r i n i t a r i a n C h u r c h . Even today, its
m e m b e r s p r o u d l y state that the city o f Cluj is t h e w o r l d c e n ­
ter of this faith. All of these changes occurred in a fairly peace­
ful m a n n e r , b e c a u s e in 1543 t h e D i e t of C l u j received t h e
right to a p p o i n t the prince and p r o c l a i m e d the principle o f
r e l i g i o u s f r e e d o m in T r a n s y l v a n i a . T h e r a p i d a d v a n c e o f
t h e n e w d e n o m i n a t i o n s was also m a d e possible by the advent
o f printing, i n t r o d u c e d in Cluj in 1550 (after the older p r i n t ­
ing shops of Sibiu and Braşov) by a C i s n ă d i e Saxon n a m e d
Gaspar Heltai, w h o b e c a m e a r e s i d e n t of t h e city. H e was a
fervent s u p p o r t e r of C a l v i n i s m . T h e U n i t a r i a n C h u r c h was
led by a n o t h e r interesting Cluj character, Francis David, h i m ­
self the son of a Saxon and a m a n w h o embraced four d e n o m ­
inations in the c o u r s e o f his life: C a t h o l i c i s m , L u t h e r a n i s m ,
C a l v i n i s m , and finally U n i t a r i a n i s m . T h e same h a p p e n e d to
J o h n S i g i s m u n d , t h e son of J o h n Z á p o l y a a n d o f Isabella,
restored to the princely t h r o n e in 1556, in Cluj, w i t h the help
o f M o l d a v i a n and Wallachian armies. D u r i n g t h e s a m e p e r i ­
od, o n 1 J a n u a r y 1557, S t e p h e n Bocskai, prince of Transylva­
nia b e t w e e n 1604 and 1606, was b o r n in t h e city o f C l u j .
T h e religious t u r m o i l , peaceful or v i o l e n t and c e n t e r e d
either in Cluj or in Turda, eventually led to t h e legal r e c o g ­
n i t i o n o f t h e n e w P r o t e s t a n t d e n o m i n a t i o n s . I n 1568, t h e
Diet of Turda granted recognition to U n i t a r i a n i s m and i n t r o ­
d u c e d t h e s y s t e m of t h e four "official" (receptae) religions:
C a t h o l i c i s m , L u t h e r a n i s m , Calvinism, U n i t a r i a n i s m . S h o r t ­
ly after, t h e D i e t b a n n e d all o t h e r religious " i n n o v a t i o n s . "
T h u s , the O r t h o d o x denomination of the Romanians
remained a "tolerated," unofficial one, "accepted" in the c o u n ­
try "until the citizens and the princes decide otherwise." M u c h
has b e e n w r i t t e n a b o u t this system of t h e t h r e e r e c o g n i z e d
" n a t i o n s " (the H u n g a r i a n nobles, the Saxons, the Szeklers)
a n d o f t h e " f o u r r e l i g i o n s , " and it has b e e n p o r t r a y e d as a
regime of "tolerance," understood almost in democratic terms.
T h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n is c o m p l e t e l y false, as it c o m e s in total
disregard of the realities o f t h a t time, a time w h e n democratic
r e g i m e s w e r e inconceivable a n y w h e r e in E u r o p e . T h e "tol­
,h
e r a n c e " system o f 16 c e n t u r y Transylvania m e a n t that t h e
old C a t h o l i c elite, namely, t h e n o b l e s , t h e Saxons, a n d t h e
Szeklers, w h i c h h a d b e c o m e almost entirely Protestant, did
n o t h i n g b u t e x t e n d official recognition to the n e w d e n o m ­
inations t h e y had e m b r a c e d . T h e n e w system m e a n t that t h e
majority of t h e c o u n t r y ' s p o p u l a t i o n , that is, the O r t h o d o x
R o m a n i a n s , still had n o access to any positions o f a u t h o r i ­
ty, b e i n g m e r e l y "accepted" as public c o n t r i b u t o r s , and t h e i r
d e n o m i n a t i o n c o n t i n u e d to b e seen as an inferior, u n o f f i ­
cial o n e . N o Transylvanian city, C l u j , Turda, or Dej i n c l u d ­
ed, allowed the c o n s t r u c t i o n of an O r t h o d o x c h u r c h "intra
m u r o s , " t h a t is, i n t h e w a l l e d p r e c i n c t . F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e
P r o t e s t a n t fervor that led to the rise a n d the official r e c o g ­
n i t i o n o f the n e w d e n o m i n a t i o n s (in 1550-1570) c o m p l e t e ­
ly destroyed t h e C a t h o l i c hierarchy, led to the confiscation
of the properties of this C h u r c h and to the seizure of its places
o f w o r s h i p , s a w m a n y C a t h o l i c p r i e s t s c h a s e d away a n d
prevented from celebrated the service, etc. S u c h episodes also
occurred in Cluj, Turda, D e j , or in other places in the region.
O n l y t h e arrival o n the Transylvanian t h r o n e o f the C a ­
tholic princes b e l o n g i n g to the B á t h o r y family m a n a g e d to
s o m e w h a t t e m p e r the Protestant zeal, b u t failed to completely
r e v e r s e t h e t r e n d . T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t of t h e t h r e e J e s u i t
m i s s i o n s b r o u g h t into t h e principality as part of the C o u n -
t e r r e f o r m a t i o n operated in t h e city of C l u j . T h r o u g h its ef­
forts, in 1 5 7 9 - 1 5 8 1 t h e U n i v e r s i t y College or t h e C a t h o l i c
U n i v e r s i t y o f C l u j was established, w i t h t h r e e faculties—
Theology, Philosophy, and L a w — a n d u n d e r the leadership
of the Jesuit rector A n t o n i o Possevino. Like all E u r o p e a n u n i ­
versities, a c c o r d i n g to its statutes it offered t h e c u s t o m a r y
degrees of'baccalaurcus, magister artiiim, and doctor.
At the t i m e of Michael the Brave ( 1 5 9 9 - 1601), for a short
t i m e Cluj h a d a R o m a n i a n magistrate (index), appointed by
the voivode, a l t h o u g h patricians and the nobles in the region
w e r e far f r o m h a p p y w i t h t h e s i t u a t i o n . O n 2 N o v e m b e r
1599, the city o p e n e d its gates to Earl M i h a l c e a and to his
1,000 cavalrymen. D u r i n g a D i e t initially c o n v e n e d in Cluj
and t h e n relocated to Alba Iulia, o n 3 N o v e m b e r the nobles
t o o k t h e i r o a t h o f fealty to M i c h a e l , seen as the e m p e r o r ' s
representative. M i c h a e l t h e Brave e x e m p t e d Cluj from the
p a y m e n t o f exceptional taxes. Still, in 1600, t h e citizens of
Cluj j o i n e d in the conspiracy of the nobles against Michael.
T h u s , the nobles refused to attend a n o t h e r Diet, c o n v e n e d
in Sebeş, and gathered instead in Turda, on 1 September 1600.
O n 14 S e p t e m b e r 1600, o n e o f Michael's c o m m a n d e r s , Aga
Lecca, was forced to cede G h e r l a and C h i o a r to the nobles.
After the defeat suffered at Mirăslău, in order to gain safe pas­
sage to Wallachia, M i c h a e l t o o k an oath to the Transylvanian
Estates (25 S e p t e m b e r 1600) and left his family hostage and
u n d e r guard in Gilău. W h i l e the prince as in P r a g u e , seeking
to clarify his situation and gain assistance from the e m p e r ­
or, his captain Baba N o v a c was executed ( t o r t u r e d , impaled,
and b u r n e d alive) in the central square of Cluj (on 5 February
1601) by n o b l e m e n h u n g r y for v e n g e a n c e . H i s b o d y was left
to t h e crows, impaled o n a stake o u t s i d e the city walls, near
t h e Tailors' Bastion. After t h e victory of G u r u s l ă u (3 August
1601), o n A u g u s t 11 the r u l e r m a d e his e n t r y i n t o t h e city
of C l u j . H e spent five days in the c a m p laid o n t h e left b a n k
o f the S o m e ş River. It w a s h e r e t h a t he received a delega­
tion o f boyars w h o told h i m that h e had b e e n reinstated as
r u l e r o f Wallachia. G e n e r a l G e o r g e Basta s t o p p e d M i c h a e l
from taking revenge o n t h e Cluj b u r g h e r s and o n the nobles
w h o had killed Baba N o v a c , b u t h e raised a cross m the place
w h e r e his b o d y h a d b e e n p u t o n display, n e a r t h e Tailors'
Bastion. O n A u g u s t 1 7 - 1 8 , M i c h a e l the Brave laid c a m p at
Cristiş, near Turda, and the following day h e was assassinated
by G e o r g e Basta's m e n . T h e chronicle tells us that "his body,
p r o u d like a m i g h t y oak, fell to t h e g r o u n d , as h e was c o m ­
pletely taken by surprise, and his s t r o n g h a n d never even got
to d r a w the quick sword from its sheath." H i s b o d y r e m a i n e d
o n the "Torda plain," w h e r e it was later b u r i e d by s o m e loyal
c o m p a n i o n s , w h i l e his h e a d w a s taken b y T u r t u r e a (magis­
ter pincemarum) to be b u r i e d at D e a l u monastery, w h i c h h e
had established s o m e w h e r e near the t o w n of Târgovişte. O n
the place w h e r e h e died, near Turda, a chapel was later erect­
th
ed in his m e m o r y , b u t it was d e s t r o y e d in the 1 7 c e n t u r y
by local officials. M i c h a e l never p u r s u e d a u n i t e d R o m a n i a ,
b u t h e r e m a i n s a c o m p e l l i n g R o m a n i a n national symbol as a
fighter for t h e cause o f C h r i s t i a n i t y and of E u r o p e a n civi­
lization, praised for the m e a s u r e s taken in favor o f the p e r ­
secuted R o m a n i a n s of Transylvania and for t h e m o m e n t a r y
 nification of the three countries that w o u l d c o m b i n e to form
th
Romania in the 19* and the 2 0 century. As w e have seen, his
career was also c o n n e c t e d to the city o f C l u j .
th
In the 17 century, i n t e r n a l l y and i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y T r a n ­
sylvania e m e r g e d as a P r o t e s t a n t , or i n d e e d Calvinist p r i n ­
cipality led by Calvinist princes and by an elite that largely
belonged to the same d e n o m i n a t i o n . O n e of the m o s t i m p o r ­
tant such princes was Gabriel Bethlen (1613-1629), a p p o i n t ­
ed on 22 O c t o b e r 1613 by the Transylvanian Estates convened
in the Diet of Cluj. T h e same city saw the renewal, in 1622,
of the friendship and alliance treaty b e t w e e n Gabriel B e t h l e n
and R a d u M i h n e a , t h e r u l e r o f Wallachia. A n o t h e r e v e n t
occurred in this region was the battle of G i l ă u - F l o r e ş t i , o f
22 M a y 1660. O n t h a t o c c a s i o n , t h e T u r k s defeated t h e
Transylvanian a r m y led by Prince G e o r g e Rákóczi II.
At the e n d o n t h e 17* century, T u r k i s h s u z e r a i n t y over
Transylvania e n d e d and the province came u n d e r the a u t h o r ­
ity of the H a b s b u r g s , experiencing a series of m u t a t i o n s . T h i s
was a t i m e o f anxiety in t h e villages o f t h e county, c a u s e d
by the arrival of the imperial a u t h o r i t i e s . In 1686, G e n e r a l
Scherffenberg o c c u p i e d Cluj and D e j , causing m u c h d a m ­
age and suffering to the inhabitants. L e o p o l d ' s D i p l o m a o f
1691 enacted the n e w status of Transylvania, recognizing the
old customs of the country, or rather the system of the "three
nations and four religions," as detailed in the Approbatae Ccrns-
titutiones (1653) and the Coinpilatae Constitutiones (1669). A n
Austrian g a r r i s o n w a s s t a t i o n e d in C l u j , a n d t h e city also
became the seat of the provincial government, the G u b e m i u m .
In other w o r d s , Cluj was t h e political capital o f Transylvania,
a province of the H a b s b u r g E m p i r e . C e n t r a l i z i n g tendencies
and the s u p p r e s s i o n o f c e r t a i n u r b a n privileges t r i g g e r e d
the protests o f the b u r g h e r s o f C l u j , T u r d a , and D e j , w h o
j o i n e d the large-scale m o v e m e n t led b y Francis Rákóczi II
( 1 7 0 3 - 1 7 1 1 ) . T h e cities w e r e p l a c e d u n d e r m i l i t a r y o c ­
cupation ( n e w fortifications for t h e Austrian garrison w e r e
built in C l u j ) , t h e y suffered from fires a n d d e s t r u c t i o n , all
c o m b i n e d w i t h a heavy tax b u r d e n . O n top o f e v e r y t h i n g ,
in 1717 the Tartars m o u n t e d an invasion that reached as far
as Dej. T h e Tartar invasion had b e e n p r e c e d e d by a plague
epidemics, o c c u r r e d in 1710. T h e villages o f Cluj C o u n t y
w e r e devastated b y T u r k i s h i n r o a d s , b y t h e k u r u c s r e b e l ­
lion, by social conflicts, etc.
T h e situation began to stabilize starting w i t h the s e c o n d
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decade o f t h e 1 8 century, a n d t h e n e w A u s t r i a n a u t h o r i ­
ties took m e a s u r e s to organize and consolidate their regime.
th
At the t u r n o f t h e 1 8 century, a large A r m e n i a n c o m m u ­
nity f r o m M o l d a v i a was resettled in G h e r l a . Skilled m e r ­
chants and craftsmen, they w o u l d build h e r e an impressive
Baroque c h u r c h . Following this migration, in 1726, the t o w n ,
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e m b e l l i s h e d b y a beautiful 16 c e n t u r y castle ( M a r t i n u z z i
Castle), w a s r e n a m e d A r m e n o p o l i s and e n t e r e d a stage o f
rapid d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e A u s t r i a n state i n t e r v e n e d m o r e
and m o r e often w i t h regulations c o n c e r n i n g t h e activity o f
the trade guilds, performing "adjustments"—deemed by m a n y
to be u n e q u a l a n d unfair—to the fiscal obligations. T h e e c o ­
n o m i c reforms began d u r i n g the reign o f Maria Theresa
( 1 7 4 0 - 1 7 8 0 ) a n d c o n t i n u e d u n d e r J o s e p h II ( 1 7 8 0 - 1 7 9 0 ) ,
w h e n Cluj b e c a m e part of the h o m o n y m o u s c o u n t y (1784),
w h i c h also included a part of the older counties of Cluj, T u r ­
da, and the Aries district. In 1786, Cluj b e c a m e the capital of
t h e district that i n c l u d e d the f o r m e r c o u n t i e s o f C l u j , Turda,
Inner Solnoc and M i d d l e Solnoc. State intervention in a d m i n ­
istrative m a t t e r s increased, especially w h e n it c a m e to t h e
administration of cities like Cluj, D e j , and Turda. T h e Bánffy
Palace o f Cluj was built in 1 7 7 4 - 1 7 8 5 and r e m a i n s the m o s t
representative B a r o q u e c o n s t r u c t i o n in Transylvania, desig­
n e d and built by architect J o h a n n E. B l a u m a n n .
th
T h e 18 c e n t u r y saw the rise of the m o d e r n nations, and
Transylvania w a s n o exception. T h e n a t i o n — o r the privile­
ged medieval g r o u p — o f the H u n g a r i a n nobles presently grew
to include the H u n g a r i a n c o m m o n e r s and even the Szeklers.
T h e latter c o n t i n u e d to see t h e m s e l v e s as a distinct nation,
b u t this o n l y in the political sense o f a privileged g r o u p , as
e t h n i c a l l y s p e a k i n g t h e y gradually m e r g e d w i t h t h e H u n ­
garians. T h e R o m a n i a n s , r e p r e s e n t i n g t w o thirds of the total
p o p u l a t i o n o f Transylvania, d e p r i v e d of equal rights, initi­
ated a large-scale national e m a n c i p a t i o n m o v e m e n t , o p e r ­
ating at several levels. T h e y h o p e d to gam national political
r i g h t s , namely, e q u a l status w i t h t h e o t h e r n a t i o n s in t h e
c o u n t r y , e i t h e r b y w a y o f religion (by j o i n i n g t h e C h u r c h
of R o m e , t h r o u g h the U n i o n of 1697-1701), t h r o u g h peace­
th
ful political negotiations ( d u r i n g the e n t i r e 18 c e n t u r y and
in the first half of the c e n t u r y that followed, petitions w e r e
repeatedly sent to Vienna, the m o s t i m p o r t a n t of t h e m , the
Supplex Libellas Valadiomm, being sent to the e m p e r o r in 1791),
t h r o u g h social m o v e m e n t s (Horea's U p r i s i n g of 1784—1785),
or t h o u g h cultural progress (the E n l i g h t e n m e n t m o v e m e n t
k n o w n as the Transylvanian School).
All o f these historical processes were manifest in the region
of C l u j . In 1784, the R o m a n i a n i n h a b i t a n t s of the W e s t e r n
C a r p a t h i a n s j o i n e d t h e revolt led by H o r e a , Cloşca, and C n -
şan. T h e uprising engulfed the villages in the counties of Cluj
a n d Turda, as d e m o n s t r a t e d decades ago b y historian David
P r o d a n , in his d o c t o r a l thesis d e f e n d e d in C l u j . After the
defeat o f the uprising, H o r e a was c a p t u r e d o n 27 D e c e m b e r
in t h e forest of Scoruşet located in the Gilău M o u n t a i n s .
T h e revocation of reforms after the d e a t h of their author,
E m p e r o r J o s e p h II ( 1 7 9 0 ) , a n d t h e d o m i n a n t role p l a y e d
by the n o b l e s in political life m a d e it so that the central insti­
tutions of the principality, the G u b e r n i u m and the Diet, w e r e
c o n c e n t r a t e d in C l u j . Gradually, t h e city b e c a m e a n o b i l ­
iary city, strongly o p p o s e d to the central a u t h o r i t i e s and to
t h e R o m a n i a n claims. T h u s , in 1791, the D i e t o f the n o b l e ­
m e n c o n v e n e d in Cluj rejected the political m e m o r a n d u m
of t h e R o m a n i a n s entitled Supplex Libellus Valachomm, w h i c h
d e m a n d e d political r i g h t s for t h e R o m a n i a n n a t i o n . T h e
Supplex, the fundamental political d o c u m e n t of the R o m a n i a n
nation, was m e t with uniform hostility by all privileged groups,
w h o saw in its d e m a n d s an a t t e m p t to o v e r t h r o w the " c o n ­
stitution" and the political system of the principality.
1 r
T h e 18' ' c e n t u r y w as marked by the attempts m a d e by the
R o m a n i a n c o m m u n i t i e s to gain status in t h e u r b a n areas.
In C l u j , D e j , and Turda the m e r c h a n t s and t h e R o m a n i a n s
in general increasingly m a d e their presence felt, finding l o o p ­
holes in the d i s c r i m i n a t o r y medieval legislation and r e a c h ­
i n g a h i g h e r level of prosperity. T h e R o m a n i a n m i g r a t i o n
t o t h e u r b a n areas, despite t h e obstacles, t h e i n t e r d i c t i o n s ,
a n d t h e e x p u l s i o n s — s u c h as those o c c u r r e d in Dej in 1742,
1791 and 1793—was a steady o n e , all the m o r e so since the
rural areas s u r r o u n d i n g these t o w n s w e r e nearly all i n h a b i ­
ted by a R o m a n i a n majority. In t i m e , the goods of the R o ­
m a n i a n m e r c h a n t s from C l u j , w h o w e r e trading w i t h W a l -
lachia, c a m e to c o m p e t e w i t h the local p r o d u c t s . In 1770, the
n u m b e r o f R o m a n i a n i n h a b i t a n t s r e a c h e d 500 in t h e city
of Cluj, and in 1797 they built an O r t h o d o x church. Naturally,
this h a p p e n e d o u t s i d e the city walls, near t h e city limits of
t h a t t i m e . A r o u n d the year 1800, t h r o u g h a s u b t e r f u g e , a
G r e e k - C a t h o l i c c h u r c h was built in the i m m e d i a t e vicinity
ot t h e central square (it is k n o w n as B o b C h u r c h , after t h e
n a m e of the h o m o n y m o u s B i s h o p l o a n B o b ) . In 1799, after
r e p e a t e d pleas t o t h e G u b e r n i u m b y t h e Blaj C o n s i s t o r y ,
the R o m a n i a n c o m m u n i t y of Dej managed to obtain approval
for t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a G r e e k - C a t h o l i c c h u r c h , i n d i c a t ­
ing the rise of the R o m a n i a n e l e m e n t in the territory locat­
ed at the c o n f l u e n c e of the S o m e ş Rivers.
lh
T h e e n d o f t h e 1 8 c e n t u r y b r o u g h t w i t h it significant
d e v e l o p m e n t s , such a the n e w social status of the R o m a n i a n s ,
liberated from serfdom following Horea's Uprising, the r e d e ­
finition o f t h e political p r o g r a m o f national e m a n c i p a t i o n
e x p r e s s e d in t h e Supplex Libellas Valachonim o f 1 7 9 1 , a n d
t h e cultural renaissance b r o u g h t a b o u t by the e n l i g h t e n e d
scholars of the Transylvanian School, s o m e o f t h e m f o r m e r
s t u d e n t s o f the A c a d e m i c H i g h - S c h o o l of C l u j ( G h e o r g h e
Şincai, Petru Maior, G h e o r g h e Lazăr and others). T h e y s t u d ­
ied in Latin a n d in H u n g a r i a n , d r e a m i n g o f t h e day w h e n
t h e y d e s c e n d a n t s m i g h t study in the R o m a n i a n language as
well.
In the decades prior to the Revolution of 1848-1849,
i n d u s t r i e s developed significantly in the cities o f the c o u n ­
ty, a d v a n c i n g r a p i d l y t o w a r d s a m o d e r n capitalist type o f
society. T h e t r a d e guilds c o n t i n u e d to practice t h e i r crafts
in all cities in the country, in parallel w i t h the n e w industries.
In Cluj, for instance, 20 industrial companies w e r e registered
b e t w e e n 1806 and 1846. U n d e r these circumstances, a cer­
tain social u n r e s t began to manifest itself, fueled by social­
ist ideas circulated m o s t l y by s t u d e n t s r e t u r n i n g from W e s ­
tern E u r o p e .
T h e social and national ideals of the R e v o l u t i o n of 1 8 4 8 -
1849 also inflamed t h e spirits o f the people of Cluj C o u n t y .
O n M a r c h 28, 1848, Cluj hosted a m e e t i n g of the R o m a n i a n
leaders, attended by l o a n B u t e a n u , Florian Micas, Ion Suciu,
and Iosif H o d o ş . T h e participants d r e w u p a petition r e q u e s t ­
i n g f r e e d o m , equality, a n d national j u s t i c e . T h e social and
political t u r m o i l also engulfed the t o w n s of D e j , Turda, and
H u e d i n , b u t especially the villages of Maia, S u c i u l de Jos,
Dăbâca, Dragul, w h e r e Romanian and Hungarian serfs refused
to fulfill their labor obligations and rose against their land­
lords. In the D i e t c o n v e n e d in C l u j , the nobles, disregarding
the political message of the Blaj G a t h e r i n g and g o i n g against
t h e will o f t h e majority o f the p o p u l a t i o n , p r o c l a i m e d the
" u n i o n " b e t w e e n Transylvania a n d H u n g a r y in late M a y of
1848.
T h e a t t i t u d e of t h e n o b l e s a n d t h e h o s t i l i t y s h o w n by
the H u n g a r i a n revolutionary g o v e r n m e n t towards the natio­
nal a n d political c l a i m s o f t h e R o m a n i a n s , as w e l l as the
repressive acts t a k e n against t h e villages a n d t h e rebellion
l e a d e r s , led to a r m e d conflict. M a j o r battles w e r e f o u g h t
o n the territory of Cluj C o u n t y — w i t h the R o m a n i a n forces
led by Avram Iancu (himself a graduate of the Cluj Academic
High-School) and by the other tribunes—at Mărişel, Călăţele,
o n the Aries River or at Fântânele, w h e r e the peasant a r m y
obtained one of its great victories. Cluj also witnessed Nicolae
Bălcescu's efforts to b r i n g t o g e t h e r the R o m a n i a n s and the
H u n g a r i a n s in the a t t e m p t to defeat t h e conservative o p p o ­
sition o f the H u n g a r i a n leaders. S o m e of t h e revolutionists
w e r e arrested, for instance Alecu Russo, i m p r i s o n e d in Cluj,
A. T. Laurian and Nicolae Bălcescu, Simion Fodor, Alexandru
B ă t r â n e a n u , and Vasile S i m o n i s . T h e latter t w o , considered
to be seditious libelers, w e r e executed in Someşeni. A famous
Saxon scholar and politician, the pastor Stephan Ludwig Roth,
was shot b y the nobles in the city of C l u j , o n Fortress Hill,
d e e m e d "guilty" of having stated t h e right of nations, R o m a ­
nians included, to a free and i n d e p e n d e n t d e v e l o p m e n t . In
an article published in 1842, the Saxon pastor w r o t e that " T h e
g e n t l e m e n in t h e Cluj D i e t seek t h e b i r t h of a chancellery
language, and presently rejoice that their baby has c o m e to
this w o r l d . It is unnecessary to declare a language as the offi­
cial language o f the country. T h i s because w e already have
a language of the country. It is n e i t h e r G e r m a n , n o r H u n ­
garian, b u t rather the R o m a n i a n language. N o m a t t e r w h a t
w e , t h e n a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t e d in t h e D i e t , d o , n o t h i n g will
change. T h i s is the reality." T h a t D i e t of C l u j , in w h i c h the
R o m a n i a n s w h i c h a c c o u n t e d for t w o t h i r d s of the p o p u l a ­
t i o n w e r e n o t r e p r e s e n t e d , d e c i d e d t o gradually i n t r o d u c e
H u n g a r i a n as the official language of Transylvania, instead of
Latin. At a time w h e n the Hungarians only represented rough­
ly o n e q u a r t e r of the p o p u l a t i o n , this initiative w a s seen as
an act of aggression against the national identity o f the R o ­
manians and of the Saxons. Consequently, the e m p e r o r reject­
ed t h e bill in t h e f o r m suggested by the H u n g a r i a n nobles,
b u t the possibility o f t h e m e a s u r e b e i n g actually i n t r o d u c e d
still l o o m e d . Therefore, d u r i n g the Revolution of 1848-1849,
the issue of R o m a n i a n as an official language alongside H u n ­
garian a n d G e r m a n p r o v e d t o b e an essential o n e for t h e
R o m a n i a n s . D u r i n g t h e revolution, Cluj r e m a i n e d a s t r o n g ­
h o l d of the conservative nobility, w h o had decided to u n i t e
Transylvania to H u n g a r y a n d s o u g h t t o m a i n t a i n t h e s u b ­
servient status o f the R o m a n i a n s . U n d e r these c i r c u m s t a n -
ces it was unavoidable for the H u n g a r i a n revolution and for
the H u n g a r i a n nobility to c o m e into conflict w i t h the R o ­
manian revolution.
T h e period that followed after the revolution was m a r k e d
by the i n t r o d u c t i o n of n e o - a b s o l u t i s m in the H a b s b u r g E m ­
pire, and implicitly in Transylvania. Policies of excessive c e n ­
tralization and r e o r g a n i z a t i o n w e r e i m p l e m e n t e d , a n d the
political and administrative institutions w e r e relocated from
Cluj to Sibiu. T h e successive a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a n d j u d i c i a l
reorganizations failed to solve the R o m a n i a n d e m a n d s , in­
cluding that of 21 D e c e m b e r 1850 (also i n c l u d e d in t h e p r o ­
gram of the R e v o l u t i o n o f 1 8 4 8 - 1 8 4 9 ) , c o n c e r n i n g the es­
t a b l i s h m e n t o f a R o m a n i a n faculty of p h i l o s o p h y and law
in Cluj. T h e period o f n e o - a b s o l u t i s m was followed by o n e
of historical liberal federalism ( 1 8 6 0 - 1 8 6 7 ) , w h i c h saw t h e
restoration of provincial a u t o n o m y across t h e e m p i r e . A m i d
the tentative liberalization already manifest t o w a r d s the e n d
of the neo-absolutist period, in 1860, t h e R o m a n i a n c o u n ­
cilors managed to secure positions in the administration, fol­
lowing the r e t u r n of the G u b e r n i u m to C l u j .
T h e urbarial p a t e n t s o f 1854, w h i c h p u t an e n d to f e u ­
dal relations, m a d e available the workforce n e e d e d for i n d u s ­
trial d e v e l o p m e n t , and the p o p u l a t i o n o f t h e c o u n t y ' s t o w n s
and cities increased considerably. I f i n 1767 Cluj had a p o p ­
ulation of 12,603 inhabitants, in 1857 their n u m b e r reached
20,115. In 1857-1890 the city's population increased by m o r e
than 84%. Also significant was the increase in t h e R o m a n i a n
population, especially o n the outskirts, which doubled between
1857 and 1869. D e j , w h i c h had 1,498 i n h a b i t a n t s in 1869,
came to have 1,571 in 1880, and 1,791 in 1890. Turda, w h i c h
had 1,728 inhabitants in 1869, had 1,849 in 1880, and 2,297
in 1890. In 1869 G h e r l a had 1,502 inhabitants, in 1880 it h a d
1,705, and in 1890 the p o p u l a t i o n reached 1,979.
T h e p o p u l a t i o n g r o w t h w a s a c c o m p a n i e d by a p r o c e s s
of e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t , also stimulated by the establish­
ment of related institutions typical for the m o d e r n economies.
T h e Cluj C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e was established in 1851.
T h e first m o d e r n factories also appeared d u r i n g this period:
a tobacco plant, a m e d i c i n a l a l c o h o l factory, n e w p r i n t i n g
presses, a m a c h i n e factoiy (1877), mills and distilleries. N e w
financial institutions appeared, a m o n g t h e m the R o m a n i a n
bank called E c o n o m u l , in 1886. A Savings B a n k o p e n e d in
Gherla (1866), as well as a Stock Deposit H o u s e (1888) and
the offices of the C o n c o r d i a , the C r e d i t Institute with R o m a ­
nian Stockholders (1910); in D e j , the Someşana and C r e d i t
Bank was established in 1890, followed by a Credit and Savings
Institute, a Popular Bank, w i t h R o m a n i a n stockholders, and
m 1918 by the Bank for Agriculture, Industry, and C o m m e r c e ,
with R o m a n i a n , H u n g a r i a n , J e w i s h , and F r e n c h s h a r e h o l d ­
ers and w i t h a b r a n c h in Gherla. E c o n o m i c life was further
stimulated b y t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e T e i u ş - C l u j railroad,
completed in 1871. T h e Cluj railway station had b e e n inau­
gurated o n 7 S e p t e m b e r 1870, o n the O r a d e a - C l u j - B r a ş o v
line, built starting w i t h the year 1867 and c o m p l e t e d in 1873.
In the year 1900, the n u m b e r o f m e d i u m enterprises in the
c o u n t y reached 27, rising to 42 in 1910. T h e Schüller b r o t h ­
ers operated a pulp plant in Turda, a brick and c o n s t r u c t i o n
materials factor)' opened in Gherla (1904), and a cigarettes fac­
toiy was established in Dej; Cluj had a tobacco plant, the work­
shops of the railroad company, a métallurgie plant, a leather
processing plant and factories b e l o n g i n g to the food industry.
Cluj and the s u r r o u n d i n g region b e c a m e h o m e to m a n y
i m p o r t a n t ecclesiastical and cultural institutions. While the
city had been a major Protestant center, until the Great U n i o n ,
despite the efforts of Bishop and later M e t r o p o l i t a n Andrei
Şaguna and of his successors, the city failed to b e c o m e o n c e
again an O r t h o d o x episcopal center, such as it had b e e n in
t h e M i d d l e Ages given the p r e s e n c e h e r e of the bishoprics
of Feleac and Vad. O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , the o t h e r R o m a n i a n
C h u r c h — t h e G r e e k - C a t h o l i c C h u r c h — m a n a g e d to estab­
lish a major diocese in the area. T h u s , m 1853, the papal bull
Ad Apostolicam Sedan c o n s e c r a t e d the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of the
R o m a n i a n U n i a t e Bishopric of G h e r l a (after 1930. the R o ­
m a n i a n U n i a t e B i s h o p r i c of Cluj—Gherla). After 1861, the
Transylvanian Association for R o m a n i a n Literature and the
C u l t u r e of the R o m a n i a n People ( A S T R A ) , w i t h its h e a d ­
quarters in Sibiu, b e c a m e very active in the region of C l u j ,
Turda, D e j , G h e r l a and H u e d i n . In 1859, H u n g a r i a n intel­
lectuals from Cluj f o u n d e d the Transylvanian M u s e u m A s ­
sociation, w h i c h initially i n c l u d e d o n l y Transylvanian nat­
uralists.
I n 1865, the D i e t of Cluj o n c e agam v o t e d for the u n i o n
b e t w e e n Transylvania and H u n g a r y . T h i s foreshadowed the
complete disappearance of Transylvanian autonomy, occurred
in 1867, the year of the A u s t r o - H u n g a r i a n dualist pact, which
marked the r e s u m p t i o n of H u n g a r i z a t i o n policies. A n instru­
m e n t in this respect was the n e w m o d e r n university, estab­
lished in Cluj in 1872, w h i c h had only H u n g a r i a n as the lan­
guage of instruction. T h e Austro-Hungarian dualism triggered
a m o r e intense political m o v e m e n t of the R o m a n i a n s from
Transylvania a n d f r o m C l u j c o u n t y , w h o d e m a n d e d legal
r e c o g n i t i o n for the R o m a n i a n n a t i o n and the i n t r o d u c t i o n
o f R o m a n i a n m all official d o c u m e n t s , a l o n g s i d e H u n g a ­
rian. O n e such militant association was the Cluj Association
o f Y o u n g S t u d e n t s , w h i c h i n c l u d e d m a n y leaders o f t h e
R o m a n i a n c o m m u n i t y : Vasile Ladislau Pop, l a c o b Bologa,
Hie Măcelariu, and others.
T h e creation in Sibiu, in 1881, of the R o m a n i a n National
Party ( R N P ) , also t h r o u g h the efforts taken by the Romanians
living in the region of Cluj—politicians like Dr. loan Ratau,
Iuliu C o r o i a n u , Pompiliu P i p o ş — , was a significant step for­
w a r d in the struggle for national e m a n c i p a t i o n . In 1890, at
t h e initiative o f Cluj r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , a C o n f e r e n c e of the
R N P was organized in o r d e r to discuss the draft of the Me­
morandum, drawn u p by Iuliu C o r o i a n u . In the same year, an
extraordinary conference elected Dr. loan Raţiu, a Turda native,
as party chairman. In 1892, the Response of Romanian Students
from Transylvania and H u n g a r y to the Response of the Hungarian
Youths Attending Academic Studies (itself given to a m e m o r a n d u m
o f the R o m a n i a n s t u d e n t s from B u c h a r e s t ) was p u b l i s h e d
in R o m a n i a n , French, English, H u n g a r i a n , and G e r m a n . T h e
initiative saw t h e m a s s i v e i n v o l v e m e n t o f t h e R o m a n i a n s
living in t h e S o m e ş Valley, w h o s h o w e d t h e i r solidarity
d u r i n g t h e trial against Aurel C . Popovici, t h e m a i n a u t h o r
of the Response.
In M a y 1892, representatives of the R o m a n i a n c o m m u ­
nity from Transylvania and H u n g a r y , the region of Cluj i n ­
cluded, d r e w u p and s u b m i t t e d a Memorandum to the i m p e ­
rial c o u r t in Vienna. T h i s was the c u l m i n a t i n g p o i n t of t h e
n a t i o n a l s t r u g g l e o f Transylvanian R o m a n i a n s in t h e s e c ­
dl
o n d half of the 19 century. T h e trial of the a u t h o r s o f t h e
M e m o r a n d u m , hosted by the R e d o u b t Building of Cluj
b e t w e e n 7 and 25 M a y 1894, was m a r k e d by a massive R o ­
m a n i a n p r e s e n c e in the city streets. O n t h a t occasion, Dr.
l o a n Raţiu, t h e c h a i r m a n o f the R N P , s u p p o r t e d by the m i l ­
l i o n s o f R o m a n i a n i n h a b i t a n t s o f Transylvania, m a d e his
famous statement: "What is being discussed here, g e n t l e m e n ,
is t h e very existence of the R o m a n i a n nation. T h e existence
o f a nation, however, is n o t s o m e t h i n g to b e discussed, b u t
th
rather s o m e t h i n g to be asserted!" At the b e g i n n i n g of the 2 0
c e n t u r y a n d d u r i n g t h e First W o r l d War ( 1 9 1 4 - 1 9 1 8 ) , t h e
R o m a n i a n national emancipation m o v e m e n t intensified. T h e
d r a m a o f s o m e R o m a n i a n T r a n s y l v a n i a n s o l d i e r s , forced
by the A u s t r o - H u n g a r i a n state—a state w h i c h they could n o
l o n g e r serve a n d r e s p e c t — t o fight against t h e R o m a n i a n s
f r o m R o m a n i a proper, after the latter's entry into the w a r (in
t h e s u m m e r of 1916) was compellingly p r e s e n t e d by w r i t e r
Liviu R e b r e a n u in his novel Forest of the Hanged.
T h e national r e v o l u t i o n from the a u t u m n of 1918 t o o k
various forms in the area of Cluj, as the population rose against
t h e d u a l i s t a u t h o r i t i e s , against t h e o w n e r s a n d t h e l a n d ­
lords. T h e manifesto called Fellow Hillmen, d r a w n up by A m o s
F r â n c u ( t h e l a w y e r w h o h a d d e f e n d e d l o a n R a ţ i u in t h e
trial of t h e a u t h o r s o f t h e Memorandum and t h e d i r e c t o r o f
the E c o n o m u l Bank), which rejected the authority of E m p e r o r
C h a r l e s of H a b s b u r g , accelerated the o u t b r e a k of the r e v o ­
l u t i o n . T h e R o m a n i a n N a t i o n a l Senate was established in
Cluj and it began i n t r o d u c i n g a R o m a n i a n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n in
the counties. O n the basis of the self-determination principle,
R o m a n i a n s began setting u p national councils and a n a t i o n ­
al g u a r d . T h e i n d e p e n d e n t initiative o f C l u j - b a s e d A m o s
F r â n c u c o n t r i b u t e d to the success of the national liberation
m o v e m e n t , e v e n if it did n o t o c c u r in c o o r d i n a t i o n w i t h
the general R o m a n i a n action.
T h e massive participation of Cluj C o u n t y inhabitants
in the G r e a t N a t i o n a l Assembly of Alba Iulia, c o n v e n e d o n
1 D e c e m b e r 1918, as well as the vote of the 78 official d e l ­
egates h o l d i n g credentials issued by the i n h a b i t a n t s of this
region (representatives o f t h e A S T R A , o f w o m e n ' s associa­
tions, of b o o k c l u b s , of craftsmen's associations, of the U n i a t e
a n d O r t h o d o x C h u r c h e s , o f t h e Social D e m o c r a t i c Party,
o f the R o m a n i a n N a t i o n a l Party, of the national guards, etc.)
c o n t r i b u t e d to t h e fulfillment of t h e national goal, namely,
t h e u n i o n b e t w e e n Transylvania and R o m a n i a .
D u r i n g the first years after t h e G r e a t U n i o n , the t e r r i ­
tory o f Cluj C o u n t y entered a n e w stage of e c o n o m i c , polit­
ical, and cultural development, benefiting from the n e w insti­
tutional and administrative context.
T h e general e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t , and particularly
the industrial d e v e l o p m e n t of Cluj C o u n t y d u r i n g the R o ­
m a n i a n p e r i o d that c a m e after 1918 was q u i t e r e m a r k a b l e .
N e w c o m p a n i e s w e r e established: the C â m p i a T u m i Wire
C o m p a n y ( 1 9 2 0 ) , t h e T u r d a C e m e n t F a c t o r y ( 1 9 2 0 ) , the
T u r d a B r e w e r y , w h i c h m e r g e d w i t h that o f C l u j in 1929,
the Leather Processing Plant of R e n n e r Bros. & C O , the
Transylvania F u r n i t u r e factory, the Familia D a i r y Plant, the
Iris Porcelain Factory, and m a n y o t h e r C l u j - b a s e d c o m p a ­
nies. T h e banking sector also expanded, while the rural world
was considerable changed by the agrarian reform of 1921. All
t h e s e d e v e l o p m e n t s t o o k p l a c e a m i d a rapid p o p u l a t i o n
growth.
Alongside the major part it played in the e c o n o m i c devel­
o p m e n t of Romania, d u r i n g the interwar period Cluj became
the m o s t i m p o r t a n t spiritual center in Transylvania, h o m e to
m a n y cultural and educational establishments. T h e organi­
zation of R o m a n i a n education after the Great U n i o n was one
of the major concerns of the Cluj-based R u l i n g C o u n c i l (the
executive b o d y of Transylvania, until the c o m p l e t e integra­
t i o n of t h e p r o v i n c e i n t o t h e K i n g d o m o f R o m a n i a ) . T h e
greatest a c h i e v e m e n t in this respect was t h e Cluj U n i v e r s i t y
or the N a t i o n a l U n i v e r s i t y of Dacia S u p e r i o r — t h e first R o ­
m a n i a n s t a t e - r u n h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n i n s t i t u t i o n in T r a n ­
sylvania—, w i t h its four faculties: M e d i c i n e , Science, Law,
and Letters. It was i n a u g u r a t e d o n 3 N o v e m b e r 1919, and
the official o p e n i n g c e r e m o n y took place o n 1 and 2 February
1920, in t h e presence of m a n y guests, i n c l u d i n g the c o u n ­
try's royal couple, King Ferdinand I ( 1 9 1 4 - 1927) and Q u e e n
Mary. Cluj could also take pride in an A c a d e m y of Advanced
E c o n o m i c Studies, an Agricultural Academy, an A c a d e m y of
M u s i c and D r a m a , and in an Institute of Fine Arts. T h e fa­
culties of the university had well-organized institutes, w h i c h
g a i n e d f a m e w i t h i n R o m a n i a n c u l t u r e for t h e i r t o p - l e v e l
r e s e a r c h a n d for t h e i r p u b l i c a t i o n s : the B o t a n i c a l G a r d e n
( f o u n d e d by A l e x a n d r u Borza), the Institute of Speleology
( u n i q u e in the world, established by scientist Emil Racoviţă),
the Institute for Classical Studies (founded by Vasile Bogrea,
w i t h t h e s u p p o r t o f Vasile P â r v a n ) , the I n s t i t u t e of N a t i o ­
nal H i s t o i y (led by Alexandru Lapedatu and l o a n Lupaş), the
I n s t i t u t e o f W o r l d H i s t o r y (established b y l o a n U r s u a n d
C o n s t a n t i n M a r i n e s c u ) , the M u s e u m of the R o m a n i a n Lan­
guage (led by Sextil Puşcariu), the Institute of E x p e r i m e n t a l ,
C o m p a r a t i v e , and Applied Psychology (founded by Florian
Ştefanescu-Goangă), the M u s e u m of Archaeology, the E t h ­
nographical M u s e u m (with the first o u t d o o r section in the
c o u n t r y , t h e w o r k o f R o m u l u s V u i a ) , t h e U n i v e r s i t y Li­
brary, etc.
T h e list of great cultural institutions was c o m p l e t e d w i t h
the National T h e a t r e and the R o m a n i a n O p e r a H o u s e , w h i c h
instantly gained c o n s i d e r a b l e prestige. T h e s e i n s t i t u t i o n s
of national and European relevance—especially the University,
soon r e n a m e d K i n g F e r d i n a n d U n i v e r s i t y — c a m e to c o n ­
tradict a n u m b e r o f earlier d i s p a r a g i n g r e m a r k s w h e r e b y
Romania and the R o m a n i a n s were incapable of properly
organizing the cultural life of Transylvania. For instance, t w o
decades after its e s t a b l i s h m e n t , t h e university had b e c o m e
one of the m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n i n s t i t u t i o n s
in Europe, enjoying the cooperation and the respect of great
international scholars and scientists.
Unfortunately, the S e c o n d W o r l d War ( 1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 5 ) p u t
an end to these remarkable a c h i e v e m e n t s . T h e n o r t h e r n and
northeastern part of Transylvania, inhabited by a R o m a n i a n
majority, was occupied by H u n g a r i a n troops, following t h e
arbitrary decision m a d e o n 30 August 1940 and k n o w n as the
Vienna Diktat. T h e H o r t h y s t o c c u p a t i o n of N o r t h e r n T r a n ­
sylvania m a d e m a n y victims a m o n g t h e R o m a n i a n i n h a b i ­
tants of Cluj County. M a n y t o o k the p a t h of refuge: b e t w e e n
5 September 1940 and 31 D e c e m b e r 1942,49,946 people left
the city and the county of Cluj (only partially u n d e r H o r t h y s t
occupation, as t h e f o r m e r Turda C o u n t y and s o m e m o u n ­
tain areas w e r e still part of R o m a n i a ) and w e n t to R o m a n i a .
O n 11 September 1940, Cluj came u n d e r the H u n g a r i a n m i l ­
itary' a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , w h i c h b r o u g h t h e r e u n i t s of t h e state
security, of the police, and other nationalist, dictatorial, c h a u ­
vinistic, and p a r a m i l i t a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s , w h i c h c o m m i t t e d
m u r d e r s , caused devastation, a b u s e d and expelled the R o ­
manians. In 1944, a p p r o x i m a t e l y 120,000 J e w s from N o r ­
thern Transylvania w e r e d e p o r t e d by the H u n g a r i a n o c c u ­
pation forces and m o s t o f t h e m w e r e e x t e r m i n a t e d in places
such as A u s c h w i t z or the o t h e r d e a t h c a m p s .
At cultural, national, and religious level, t h e o p p r e s s i o n
included the near total e l i m i n a t i o n of R o m a n i a n e d u c a t i o ­
nal institutions and a ban o n all R o m a n i a n publications and
cultural associations. At political level, all R o m a n i a n parties
w e r e b a n n e d a n d arrests w e r e m a d e , followed by e x p u l s i ­
ons and i n t e r n m e n t in c a m p s . T h e university had to take t h e
path ot refuge, its m a i n core b e i n g temporarily relocated to
Sibiu.
T h e decisive event for the liberation of N o r t h e r n T r a n ­
sylvania and for its r e t u r n to R o m a n i a was t h e political i m i ­
tative w h e r e b y Romania abandoned the alliance with G e r m a n y
and j o i n e d the U n i t e d N a t i o n s (23 August 1944). W o r k i n g
together, Soviet and R o m a n i a n forced gradually c o n q u e r e d
Transylvania, the city of Cluj b e i n g liberated o n 11 O c t o b e r
1944. O n 25 O c t o b e r 1944, the last t o w n s o n the old t e r r i ­
tory of Romania—Satu M a r e and C a r e i — w e r e liberated from
the N a z i s . After several m o n t h s of Soviet Stalinist military
occupation, o n 13 M a r c h 1945, amid the e n t h u s i a s m of the
crowds g a t h e r e d in C l u j , the R o m a n i a n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n r e ­
turned to N o r t h e r n Transylvania. It s e e m e d that the w o r l d
was r e t u r n i n g to the d e m o c r a t i c values, brutally s u s p e n d e d
by t h e w a r a n d b y m i l i t a r i s t a n d fascist a u t h o r i t a r i a n i s m .
H o w e v e r , t h e "liberating Soviet t r o o p s " failed to leave the
country, and o n e occupation was replaced by a n o t h e r o c c u ­
pation, even m o r e drastic, m o r e dramatic, and longer-last­
ing, b r i n g i n g w i t h i t — u n d e r t h e p r e t e x t o f t h e " p o p u l a r
democracy" and of the "dictatorship of the proletariat"—
an egalitarian c o m m u n i s t ideology. T h i s basically p u t an e n d
to d e m o c r a c y , nearly a n n i h i l a t e d private property, a n d led
to the physical elimination of the political, military, e c o n o m i c ,
social, and cultural elites of R o m a n i a .
Cluj C o u n t y shared the same fate. T h e rigging of the par­
l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s o f 19 N o v e m b e r 1946 h a d its n e f a ­
rious c o n s e q u e n c e s h e r e as well. T h e t o w n s of the c o u n t y
e x p e r i e n c e d a c o m m u n i s t t y p e of e c o n o m i c a n d c u l t u r a l
d e v e l o p m e n t , w i t h a c e n t r a l i z e d a g r i c u l t u r e and i n d u s t r y
and w i t h culture and education d o m i n a t e d by the M a r x i s t -
Leninist ideology, w i t h a t o u c h of c o m m u n i s t n a t i o n a l i s m ,
w i t h severe deprivations and w i t h h u m a n rights violations
(painful for the entire population, b u t especially for the m i n o r ­
ity g r o u p s ) , w h i c h b e c a m e quite manifest especially d u r i n g
the last 10-15 years of Ceauşescu's dictatorship. O n 1 O c t o b e r
1948, the c o m m u n i s t authorities placed a brutal ban o n the
Greek-Catholic d e n o m i n a t i o n . T h e Bishopric of Cluj—Gherla
was abolished, to be restored o n l y after 1990. In 1950, t h e
n e w authorities operated an administrative reorganization of
the c o u n t r y and created t h e R e g i o n of Cluj, covering an area
o f 16,820 s q u a r e k i l o m e t e r s a n d i n c l u d i n g , c o m p l e t e l y or
in part, the territories of the former c o u n t i e s of C l u j , Turda,
S o m e ş , Sălaj, N ă s ă u d , a n d Alba. O n l y in 1968, f o l l o w i n g
another administrative reorganization, Cluj C o u n t y was
established within its present borders. In 1974, o n the anniver­
sary of 1,850 years since t h e first d o c u m e n t a r y references
to the municipium of N a p o c a (at t h e t i m e of R o m a n E m p e r o r
H a d r i a n ) , t h e city of Cluj was r e n a m e d C l u j - N a p o c a .
T h e events of D e c e m b e r 1989 restored d e m o c r a c y in the
country, but not after great difficulties and following an exces­
sively long transition. Still, nearly t w o decades later, w i t h t h e
c o u n t r y a m e m b e r o f N A T O a n d of the E u r o p e a n U n i o n ,
t h e r e is h o p e that R o m a n i a n society will c o n t i n u e to devel­
op in keeping w i t h the values of E u r o p e a n civilization. Today,
Cluj is the second m e t r o p o l i t a n area in the country, a major
e c o n o m i c and financial center, h o m e to prestigious c u l t u r ­
al a n d s p i r i t u a l i n s t i t u t i o n s . T h e college s t u d e n t p o p u l a ­
tion alone reaches 100,000, approximately half of t h e m study­
i n g at Babeş-Bolyai U n i v e r s i t y ( f o u n d e d in 1959 t h o u g h a
m e r g e r b e t w e e n the R o m a n i a n language Victor Babes U n i ­
versity and the H u n g a r i a n J á n o s Bolyai U n i v e r s i t y ) , a m o d e l
E u r o p e a n university, w i t h three lines of studies and w i t h three
languages of i n s t r u c t i o n — R o m a n i a n , H u n g a r i a n , and G e r ­
m a n — a n d w i t h an u n p r e c e d e n t e d v o l u m e of international
exchanges. Today, Cluj is a R o m a n i a n city w i t h a strong m u l ­
ticultural a n d m u l t i - d e n o m i n a t i o n a l tradition and w i t h an
obvious ecumenical vocation. Cluj hosts four faculties of t h e ­
ology, b e l o n g i n g to d i f f e r e n t d e n o m i n a t i o n s a n d h a v i n g
different languages of instruction, it is the residence of five
ecclesiastical institutions o f bishopric level or h i g h e r — O r -
thodox, Greek-Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran, and U n i t a r i a n —
it is h o m e to an I n s t i t u t e o f J e w i s h S t u d i e s ( b e l o n g i n g to
Babeş-Bolyai University), to a C e n t e r for Transylvanian S t u ­
dies (belonging to t h e R o m a n i a n A c a d e m y ) , to a H u n g a r i a n
state theatre and to a H u n g a r i a n opera h o u s e , etc. Life p r o ­
ceeds here at a rapid pace, further accelerated by massive for­
eign i n v e s t m e n t (with the J u c u project a case in p o i n t ) , by
Historical Monuments in Cluj
Cluj-Dej National Road
APAHIDA ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1263 d o c ­
ument)
th
W o o d e n church, 18 century, restored.
SOMEŞENI (village incorporated in t h e city of C l u j - N a p o c a )
th
Church, 1 3 c e n t u r y dating from the same period as C a l -
v a n a C h u r c h of C l u j - M ă n ă ş t u r .
RĂSCRUCI (village in the c o m m u n e o f B o n n d a , first m e n ­
tioned in a 1325 d o c u m e n t )
N o b i l i a r y castle b e l o n g i n g to t h e Bánffy family, 19*
century.
BoNŢIDA ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1263 d o c ­
ument)
Nobiliary castle b e l o n g i n g to the Bánffy family, 18 c e n ­ th
tury, in t h e B a r o q u e style.
ICLOD ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1348 d o c u m e n t )
M u s e u m o f Ethno-Archaeology - the m u s e u m build­
ing is a m a n o r w h o s e c o n s t r u c t i o n began in the 15' ' c e n ­1
tury and w h i c h holds valuable collections of archaeo­
logy, local history' and ethnography.
DÀBÂCA ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1291 d o c u ­
ment)
Fortress, situated in the w e s t e r n part of the village, o n the
terrace lying o n the right side of the Lona Valley. T h e for­
th
tifications w e r e built b e t w e e n the 9 and the 1 1 c e n t u ­ th
ry, so the fortress m u s t have been contemporary to Voivode
G e l o u . T h e site, m e a s u r i n g 6 0 0 / 2 0 0 m e t e r s , r e v e a l e d
t h e p r e s e n c e o f four c o n s t r u c t i o n phases for t h e walls,
of three old necropolises, partially overlapping, and of four
c h u r c h e s erected o n t h e same f o u n d a t i o n d a t i n g back to
th d
the 9 —13 ' centuries. S u c h a well-organized fortress i n d i ­
cates the existence of a fairly well-developed local e c o n ­
omy, also confirmed by the diversity of archeological pieces
found h e r e : silver o r n a m e n t s and e n a m e l e d pottery from
t h e B y z a n t i n e E m p i r e , gilded i r o n s p u r s , a r r o w h e a d s ,
and a sword p o m m e l b r o u g h t from the e m p i r e of
Charlemagne.
t h e p r e s e n c e o f s h o p p i n g m a l l s , of r a d i o a n d T V stations,
of residential districts that turn adjacent villages into urban
areas. Also present are, unavoidably, the challenges of every­
day life, the specter of inflation, t h e w o r r i e s of t h e elderly,
etc. T h e s e are all part of life, a n d the pulse of life is strong
in Cluj and in the n e i g h b o r i n g region, d r a w i n g o n the s u b ­
stance of a m i l l e n n i a - l o n g tradition.
County
After G e l o u ' s defeat, the fortress w e n t t h r o u g h a peri­
od of stagnation b u t , starting w i t h the s e c o n d half of the
th
10 century, the n e w masters erected n e w fortifications.
The Panned Chronicle of Vienna tells us that in 1068 King
S o l o m o n of H u n g a r y spent a w e e k at Dăbâca, preparing
to face the Pechenegs o n the battlefield at Chiraleş.
1
N e w walls w e r e e r e c t e d in t h e 13' ' century, b u t the
fortress was m o s t likely destroyed by the Tartars and its
e c o n o m i c , military', and administrative role began to wane.
GHERLA (a t o w n since 1510, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1291 d o c ­
ument)
,h
Armenian church, erected in the 18 c e n t u r y by the Ar­
m e n i a n s colonized here, an impressive artistic m o n u m e n t
h o s t i n g t h r e e e x t r e m e l y valuable Gospels.
Municipal History M u s e u m , Avram Iancu Street 7
T h e m u s e u m c o l l e c t i o n s , p u t o n d i s p l a y in an old
Armenian house, include many archaeological pieces found
d u r i n g t h e excavation o f t h e R o m a n e n c a m p m e n t that
o n c e hosted the Ala Secunda P a n n o n i o r u m . Inscriptions,
coins, w e a p o n s , pottery, all i t e m s c o m e to reflect life as
it o n c e was in this part of Dacia Porolissensis. T h e m u s e ­
u m also posesses valuable collections of ethnography, of
technical history, etc.
NlCULA (a village in t h e c o m m u n e o f Fizeşu G h e r l i i , first
m e n t i o n e d in a 1326 d o c u m e n t )
Brick and stone church, o n c e b e l o n g i n g to t h e G r e e k -
Catholic C h u r c h , built b e t w e e n 1875 and 1879 o n the site
o f an older c h u r c h . T h e c h u r c h m u s e u m displays a valu­
able collection of old b o o k s , icons painted o n glass and
w o o d , religious objects and b o o k s . T h e c h u r c h in N i c u l a
is also h o m e to t h e m i r a c u l o u s icon o f the H o l y Virgin,
painted by Father Luca o f Iclod in the year 1681.
S i c ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1291 d o c u m e n t )
R e f o r m e d c h u r c h , in t h e c e n t e r o f t h e village, a v a l u ­
able m o n u m e n t of the Late R o m a n e s q u e and Early Gothic,
th
built at the e n d of the 1 3 century. S o m e fragments of the
,h
14 century wall painting have been preserved until today.
NlMA (a village in t h e c o m m u n e of M i n t i u G h e r l e i , first
m e n t i o n e d in a 1225 d o c u m e n t )
 Reformed church, built in t h e Early Gothic style (13 c e n ­ lh
tury) o u t of carved stone blocks.
DEJ (a municipality since 1968, a t o w n since 1668, first m e n ­
tioned in a 1261 d o c u m e n t )
Roman road, u n e a r t h e d u n d e r Rose Hill and b r a n c h i n g
out towards the R o m a n forts o f Căşeiu a n d Ilişiua. T h e
salt m i n e s used d u r i n g t h e R o m a n era can still be seen
at O c n a Dejului.
Reformed church, central square
T h e c h u r c h w a s built b e t w e e n 1453 and 1526 in t h e
Late Gothic style, w i t h high walls consolidated by stepped
buttresses. T h e c h u r c h w a s d a m a g e d by fire o n several
occasions, t h e last s u c h i n c i d e n t o c c u r r i n g in 1 6 4 2 . I n
1880, it w a s e n c l o s e d w i t h i n a massive p e r i m e t e r wall,
built u s i n g s t o n e t a k e n f r o m t h e o l d fortifications o f
Dej.
T h e Romanian church, b u i l t in 1889, in t h e s a m e year
that saw t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e Romanian high school,
today's A n d r e i Şaguna H i g h School.
Municipal History Museum, Bobâlna Square 7
T h e m u s e u m possesses a valuable archaeological col­
lection o f items f o u n d in t h e R o m a n s e t t l e m e n t s in t h e
r e g i o n . It also i n c l u d e s a salt m u s e u m , a s t o n e c o l l e c ­
tion, d o c u m e n t s a n d testimonies regarding t h e participa­
tion of the local people in t h e uprisings o f 1437 and 1514
and to H o r e a ' s Revolt o f 1784.
MĂNĂSTIREA (a village b e l o n g i n g to t h e c o m m u n e o f Mica,
first m e n t i o n e d in a 1308 d o c u m e n t )
T h e O r t h o d o x c h u r c h i n t h e village c e n t e r is a s t o n e
d
edifice erected in the 13 ' century, completed w i t h a w o o d ­
1
en belfry in t h e 18' ' century.
th
T h e nobiliary castle, built in t h e 16 century, is o n e of the
best examples o f Transylvanian Renaissance art.
CĂŞETU ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1261 d o c u m e n t )
T h e Roman fort is situated o n the right b a n k of the S o m e ş
River, in t h e place called ' C e t a t e ' (fortress) by t h e local
people. T h e stone fortress w a s square in shape, w i t h t h e
sides 165 m e t e r s in l e n g t h a n d w i t h s t r o n g trapezoidal
towers m t h e corners. T h e fort was built d u r i n g t h e t i m e
of E m p e r o r Caracalla ( 2 1 1 - 2 1 7 ) , probably b e t w e e n 2 1 2
and 2 1 7 . It h o s t e d t h e C o h o r s I Britannica, r e d e p l o y e d
here from P a n n ó n i a , as well as an auxiliary cavalry unit.
O n t h e site, archaeologists f o u n d statues, funeral stelas,
votive altars, a n d m o r e t h a n 50 i n s c r i p t i o n s kept in t h e
m u s e u m s o f Cluj a n d D e j . A significant civilian settle­
m e n t , called vims Samus, g r e w a r o u n d t h e fort.
CoPLEAN (a village b e l o n g i n g t o t h e c o m m u n e o f C ă ş e i u ,
first m e n t i o n e d in a 1348 d o c u m e n t )
T h e castle located in t h e c e n t e r o f t h e village a n d b u i l t
between 1729 and 1771, o n the site of an old m a n o r house,
is an original and u n i q u e example of Transylvanian Rococo
a r c h i t e c t u r e . T h e castle is s u r r o u n d e d by a r e c t a n g u l a r
p e r i m e t e r wall, w i t h a small r o u n d bastion on the left side
of the entrance and w i t h valuable stone carvings, t h e w o r k
o f sculptor A n t o n S c h u c h b a u e r .
Roman-Catholic church
T h e R o m a n - C a t h o l i c c h u r c h , built in t h e year 1540,
can be found in the i m m e d i a t e vicinity of the R o m a n fort;
it hosts a valuable collection of ecclesiastical v e s t m e n t s .
VAD ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1467 d o c u m e n t )
Orthodox church, erected b y S t e p h e n t h e Great ( 1 4 5 7 -
1504)
After defeating Matthias C o r v i n u s at Baia (1467), Ste­
p h e n t h e Great b e c a m e t h e m a s t e r of t h e estates o f C i c e u
and Cetatea d e Baltă. C o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e political-mil­
itary organization o f t h e area a n d w i t h spiritual matters,
d u r i n g t h e s e c o n d part o f h i s r e i g n S t e p h e n t h e G r e a t
o r d e r e d t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e c h u r c h in Vad, in t h e
M o l d a v i a n architectural style, b u t w i t h s o m e G o t h i c ele­
m e n t s . S o m e o f t h e s t o n e s u s e d for t h e c h u r c h walls
feature Latin inscriptions, indicating that they came from
t h e R o m a n fort o f Căşeiu. T h e initial building, c o m p l e ­
ted during the reign of Peter Rares (1527-1538; 1541-1546),
w a s r e b u i l t in t h e past c e n t u r y , w h e n a belfry w a s a d ­
ded. D u r i n g t h e reign o f S t e p h e n t h e G r e a t , t h e parish
o f Vad b e c a m e a bishopric. Peter Rares gave it t w o n e a r ­
by villages: Bogata de Sus a n d Bogata de J o s . T h e i m p o r ­
t a n c e o f this place o f w o r s h i p gradually decreased after
the Moldavian rulers lost their Transylvanian estates. Still,
it r e m a i n e d a pillar o f t h e O r t h o d o x faith a n d o f t h e
R o m a n i a n n a t i o n in t h e S o m e ş Valley. After 1 6 2 3 , t h e
seat of the bishopric m o v e d t o Alba lulia (Bălgrad). Traces
of stone buildings were identified around the church, indi­
cating the presence here of w h a t m u s t have been t h e res­
idence o f the bishop.
BOBÂLNA ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d i n a 1332 d o c ­
u m e n t , called O l p r e t until 1957)
I n t h e s u m m e r o f 1437, R o m a n i a n a n d H u n g a r i a n serfs
gathered o n Bobâlna Hill a n d built a strong military e n ­
c a m p m e n t , rising against t h e nobles. In t h e great battle
t h a t t o o k place h e r e , t h e r e v o l t e d p e a s a n t s o b t a i n e d a
victory of t r e m e n d o u s social and political importance, cel­
ebrated by a m o n u m e n t erected h e r e in 1957, t h e w o r k
o f architect Virgil Salvanu and of sculptor Alexander Kós.
CREMENEA (a village belonging t o t h e c o m m u n e of Bobâlna.
first m e n t i o n e d in a 1448 d o c u m e n t )
T h e w o o d e n church o f t h e H o l y A r c h a n g e l s , b u i l t in
th
the 1 8 c e n t u r y and rebuilt i n 1802, has b e e n recognized
as a historical m o n u m e n t . T h i s small place of w o r s h i p
s e e m s to be a l m o s t a m i n i a t u r e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , w i t h its
steep shingle roof a n d w i t h its tall pointed spire.
 Cluj—Turda National Road
FELEACU ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1366 d o c ­
ument)
T h e church o f Stephen the Great, built in the G o t h i c style
a n d c o m p l e t e d in 1516, w a s e r e c t e d o n t h e site o f a
m o n a s t e r y h o s t i n g t h e O r t h o d o x b i s h o p r i c . Feleac is
the native place of Professor Ştefan M i e l e , t h e h u s b a n d
o f poetess Veronica M i e l e .
MOLDOVENEŞTI ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1075,
previously called Varfalău)
h
O n Fortress H i l l lie t h e r u i n s of the H ' c e n t u r y feudal
fortress, o n e of the oldest feudal fortified settlements in
Transylvania, d e s e r t e d after t h e Tartar invasion (1241).
Initially, t h e fortress had belonged to the local R o m a n i a n
p o p u l a t i o n and was strengthened by a ditch and bank. In
th
the 12 century, however, it became a royal fortress, defend­
ed by stone curtain walls w h o s e ruins can still be seen today.
TURDA (a municipality since 1968, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1075
document)
T h e fort of Legio V Macedonica, dating back to the 2" cen­ d countries, b e i n g the w o r k of sculptors M a r i u s B u t u n o i u
t u r y A . D . , is located o n Fortress H i l l , in t h e s o u t h w e s t ­
e r n part o f t h e p r e s e n t - d a y city. T h e fort m e a s u r e d 575
meters in length and 410 meters in width, covering an area
of 26 hectares. It was s u r r o u n d e d by a ditch 12 meters wide
and 2.50 m e t e r s deep. O n the w e s t side, the gate, flanked
b y t w o t o w e r s , s p o r t e d o n t h e top a s t o n e b l o c k m e a n t
to balance the arch a n d in w h i c h a f o o t - l o n g statue was
carved, portraying Jupiter, M a r s , or M i n e r v a . In the right
hand, the carved character held a shield that reached d o w n
to the legs and featured the face of the G o r g o n M e d u s a ,
covered in snakes. T h e gate collapsed in 1657, and the stat­
u e was lost. T h e R o m a n fort b e c a m e a stone q u a r r y for
the t o w n , a source of already carved stone blocks.
Roman-Catholic church (Republicii Square)
T h e c h u r c h was built in 1498-1504 and suffered later
m o d i f i c a t i o n s . O n l y t h e o u t e r walls r e m a i n o f t h e i n i ­
tial building. F o l l o w i n g the repair w o r k of 1822, the old
vaults w e r e replaced by the B a r o q u e ones w h i c h can still
be seen today. T h e c h u r c h o n c e h o s t e d t h e m e e t i n g s o f
the Transylvanian D i e t s .
Reformed church (Turda N o u ă )
T h e c h u r c h w a s e r e c t e d in 1504, as i n d i c a t e d b y an
inscription o n the s o u t h façade o f the chancel. T h e initial
G o t h i c b u i l d i n g w a s altered in t h e c o u r s e of t i m e , a n d
successive deteriorations and repairs, especially those d o n e
a r o u n d the year 1800, c a m e to c h a n g e its interior. T h e
c h u r c h is s u r r o u n d e d by an oval perimeter wall 4—5 meters
in height.
Reformed church (Republicii Square)
This Gothic building was erected around the year 1400,
at the t i m e of King S i g i s m u n d of L u x e m b o u r g . T h e 60
m e t e r s tall t o w e r was b u i l t in 1 9 0 4 - 1 9 0 6 , replacing the
o n e that had collapsed in 1865.
H o u s e o f the Princes (Republicii Square)
lh
Built in the 15 century, it once belonged to the Báthory
family. T h e b u i l d i n g h o s t e d t h e participants in the con­
gregations and later in the D i e t s of Transylvania. It was
rebuilt in 1818, the c u r r e n t shape b e i n g the o u t c o m e of
t h e 1911 repair w o r k . T h e b u i l d i n g p r e s e n t l y hosts the
History Museum, w h o s e collection includes Dacian pieces
and valuable items from the R o m a n era.
T h e M o n u m e n t o f Dr. loan Raţiu (Steluţei Square)
It is t h e w o r k of s c u l p t o r C o r n e l M e d r e a . T h e bas-
relief o n the pedestal s h o w s episodes from the trial of the
a u t h o r s of the Memorandum (1894).
D r . l o a n Raţiu's H o u s e (Dr. l o a n R a ţ i u S t r e e t ) , w h i c h
belonged to the hero of the Transylvanian Romanian
national struggle, Dr. loan Raţiu, c h a i r m a n of the R o m a ­
nian N a t i o n a l Party and a p r o m o t e r of the Memorandum.
T h e m o n u m e n t raised o n t h e field n e a r T u r d a w h e r e ,
o n 19 August 1601, Michael the Brave was m u r d e r e d . T h e
m o n u m e n t was u n v e i l e d in 1974, o n the celebration of
375 years since the first u n i o n between the three Romanian
and Vasile R u s - B a t i n .
Cluj—Gilău—Negreni National Road
G n Ă U ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1246 d o c u m e n t )
T h e R o m a n fort was located in w h a t is n o w t h e center
o f t h e village, in t h e p a r k o f t h e m e d i e v a l castle. T h e
fort was 221 m e t e r s l o n g and 137 m e t e r s w i d e , had trape­
zoidal bastions at the corners, and each o f the gates was
flanked by two towers. D u r i n g the entire R o m a n rule over
Dacia, the fort was h o m e to the 500 cavalrymen of the Ala
Siliana. A r c h a e o l o g i s t s f o u n d h e r e a w e a l t h o f m a t e r i ­
al—military diplomas, inscriptions, coins, toreutics pieces,
pottery, etc.—, presently o n display at the N a t i o n a l M u ­
s e u m of Transylvanian H i s t o r y of C l u j - N a p o c a .
T h e castle of Gilău is located in the center of the vil­
th
lage, in the Gilău natural park. Built in the 15 c e n t u r y in
t h e R e n a i s s a n c e style, t h e castle w a s t h e r e s i d e n c e of
George Rákóczi I. Later on, it was given by Maria Theresa
to G e o r g e Bánffy, the g o v e r n o r of Transylvania. T h e cas­
,h
tle, o w n e d by Michael the Brave at the e n d of the 16 cen­
I:
tury, was rebuilt t o w a r d s the e n d of the 19 ' century, b u t
the Renaissance architectural features w e r e left intact.
LlTA (a village b e l o n g i n g to the c o m m u n e of Săvădisla, first
m e n t i o n e d in a 1324, previously called Lita R o m â n ă )
T h e ruins o f Lita fortress can be seen o n the hill over­
looking the Iara Valley. T h e date of the original c o n s t r u c ­
tion is u n k n o w n , b u t d o c u m e n t s first speak a b o u t it in
1324, w h e n it was a royal fortress given to the voivodes
 of Transylvania. D o c u m e n t s indicate that in 1405 K i n g
S i g i s m u n d gave to t h e city of C l u j t h e t h r e e mills t h a t
belonged to the fortress, their income being m e a n t to c o m ­
plete the a m o u n t needed for the construction of the defen­
sive walls a r o u n d the city. I n t h e year 1562, a m i d i n t e r ­
nal strife, the fortress c a m e u n d e r attack and, o n F e b r u a r y
12, as military units w e r e c o m i n g t h o u g h its gates, its g u n ­
p o w d e r stores b l e w u p , d e s t r o y i n g the fortress. It seems
that after the Tartar invasion of 1241, the fortress hosted
the administration of Cluj County, until the city was rebuilt.
DUMBRAVA (a village b e l o n g i n g to the c o m m u n e of C ă p u ş u
Mare, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1288 d o c u m e n t )
W o o d e n church, a m o n u m e n t of R o m a n i a n architecture.
MĂNĂSTTRENI ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1332 d o c ­
ument)
T h e Reformed church located in t h e center of the village,
initially a monastery, is a R o m a n e s q u e b u i l d i n g erected
th
towards the m i d d l e o f the 1 3 c e n t u r y a n d e x p a n d e d in
th
the 15 century.
BOLOGA (a village b e l o n g i n g to t h e c o m m u n e of Poieni, first
m e n t i o n e d in a 1319 d o c u m e n t )
T h e R o m a n fort is located o n the left b a n k of the C r i ş u l
Repede River, o n a plateau n a m e d Grădişte, covering an
area of 2.5 hectares. T h e fort was part of the defenses of
the northwestern border of the province of Dacia, built along
the ridges of the Meseş M o u n t a i n s . Its c o m p l e m e n t c o n ­
sisted of two auxiliary cohorts.
T h e medieval fortress, located o n t h e hills at t h e c o n ­
fluence b e t w e e n the C r i ş u l R e p e d e River and t h e Sebeş
River, w a s an i m p o r t a n t m i l i t a r y b u i l d i n g of m e d i e v a l
Transylvania. First m e n t i o n e d in d o c u m e n t s in 1319, it
Cluj-Napoca: Historical and Tourist Landmarks
R o m a n stone c o n s t r u c t i o n (Victor D e l e u S t r e e t ) w i t h
m a n y r o o m s , s o m e heated by a hypocaustum, w h i c h e x p e ­
rienced four c o n s t r u c t i o n stages, reflecting t h e d e v e l o p ­
m e n t of the t o w n into a municipium and t h e n into a colo­
nia. T h e b u i l d i n g yielded a silver h o a r d (1,268 denarii),
st
found in a clay p o t covered w i t h a lid ( 1 c e n t u r y B . C . - 3
century A . D . ) .
Roman ruins (Unirii Square), once part of the central square
rd
of the R o m a n t o w n of N a p o c a (2'"'-3 c e n t u r y A . D . ) , later
covered by medieval, m o d e r n , and c o n t e m p o r a r y b u i l d ­
ings.
Fortification and church o f Cluj-Mănâ§tur (Calvaria)
T h e o b l o n g fortification c o n s i s t i n g of a s t r o n g b a n k
lh
and ditch dates back to the 9 c e n t u i y and was probably
part of the defensive system set u p by Voivode Gelou. T h e
seems that it was actually built in the 13'" centuiy. Its m a i n
f u n c t i o n was to guard the road t h a t led to central Tran­
sylvania. T h e Bologa fortress r e m a i n e d in c o n s t a n t use
until the 18°' c e n t u r y and, as expected, it suffered repeat­
ed m o d i f i c a t i o n s a n d a l t e r a t i o n s . T h e k e e p , b u i l t o n a
r o u n d f o u n d a t i o n , is similar to the o n e found in the fort­
ress of Spis (Slovakia), erected b e t w e e n 1250 and 1260.
T h e fortress was initially a royal possession, b u t in the 14"'
century it was transferred to a series of feudal lords, a m o n g
w h o m w e find, for a w h i l e , even M i r c e a the Elder.
HUEDIN (a t o w n since 1961, oppidum since 1437, first m e n ­
t i o n e d in a 1332 d o c u m e n t )
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T h e Reformed church built in the 16 c e n t u i y has a c o m ­
m a n d i n g architecture and a w o o d e n guard tower.
T h e Ethnographic M u s e u m displays folk pieces and cos­
t u m e s from the H u e d i n Depression and from the Western
C a r p a t h i a n s , valuable c r e a t i o n s o f p o p u l a r art p r e s e r v ­
ing the e l e m e n t s of traditional art.
ClUCEA ( c o m m u n e seat, first m e n t i o n e d in a 1384 d o c u m e n t )
A n old R o m a n i a n village, located at t h e e n t r a n c e i n t o
t h e pass across the Pădurea C r a i u l u i M o u n t a i n s .
T h e castle of Octavian G o g a (located in a park w h i c h also
h o s t s t h e p o e t ' s grave) is n o w a d a y s a m e m o r i a l m u s e ­
u m , w i t h valuable collections of paintings, furniture, p o t ­
tery. A n e t h n o g r a p h i c m u s e u m was o p e n e d in the b u i l d ­
ing of the f o r m e r monastery, also located in the p a r k of
t h e castle.
B e n e d i c t i n e m o n k s w h o t o o k u p residence in t h e forti­
th
fied p e r i m e t e r s o m e t i m e in t h e 1 1 c e n t u r y , w i t h t h e
approval o f t h e H u n g a r i a n C r o w n , b u i l t h e r e a R o m a ­
n e s q u e c h u r c h , destroyed d u r i n g the great Tartar invasion
of 1241.
r d
T h e c u r r e n t c h u r c h situated in the Calvaria precinct
was built r o u g h l y b e t w e e n 1470 and 1508, in the G o t h i c
th 1
style. I n t h e 16 a n d in t h e 17' ' c e n t u r i e s , t h e c h u r c h
was c o m p l e t e d w i t h c o m m a n d i n g b u i l d i n g s erected o n
the n o r t h e r n and w e s t e r n sides of the closed perimeter.
T h e Tailors' Bastion is part o f the system of walls and for­
Ih
tifications erected b e t w e e n t h e first half of the 15 c e n ­
th
t u i y and the 17 century, w h e n the defenses a r o u n d Cluj
city w e r e c o m p l e t e d . T h i s section of t h e wall, w i t h the
d e f e n s i v e b a s t i o n , was t o b e d e f e n d e d a n d m a i n t a i n e d
b y the tailors' guild, h e n c e t h e n a m e given to it. In 1601,
Baba N o v a c , o n e of Michael the Brave's generals, was kil­
led right in front of the bastion, in the place w h e r e n o w
his statue stands.
St. Michael's church, U n i r i i Square
T h e construction, b e g u n a r o u n d the m i d d l e of the 14
century, w a s c o m p l e t e d o n l y a c e n t u r y later. T h e m o n ­
u m e n t suffered considerable damage in the course of time,
especially in the fires of 1489,1655, and 1697. T h e c h u r c h
is o n e o f t h e m o s t beautiful G o t h i c m o n u m e n t s in T r a n ­
sylvania. T h e belfry, 80 m e t e r s in h e i g h t , w a s b u i l t in
t h e N e o - G o t h i c style in 1 8 3 6 - 1 8 6 2 . E q u a l l y i n t e r e s t e d
are t h e m u l t i c o l o r e d stained-glass w i n d o w s and the sac­
risty door, carved in the Renaissance style.
T h e Franciscan church and monastery, M u z e u l u i S q u a r e
,h
T h i s G o t h i c b u i l d i n g was erected in the 1 5 c e n t u r y
b y t h e D o m i n i c a n s , w i t h t h e financial s u p p o r t o f J o h n
H u n y a d i . In 1725, the m o n a s t e r y was given to the F r a n ­
ciscans, w h o altered t h e G o t h i c w e s t e r n façade a n d t h e
i n t e r i o r of t h e c h u r c h in k e e p i n g w i t h t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s
o f B a r o q u e art.
Reformed church, Mihail Kogălniceanu Street
T h e construction of this Gothic c h u r c h and m o n a s t e r y
b e g a n at the initiative and w i t h the s u p p o r t of K i n g M a t t ­
th
hias C o r v i n u s , in the second half of the 15 century, being
i n t e n d e d for the Friars M i n o r , the Franciscans. T h e p u l ­
pit, d o n e in t h e R e n a i s s a n c e style in 1646, is t h e w o r k
o f the famous Transylvanian sculptors B e n e d i c t and Elias
Nicolai. T h e m o n a s t e r y b u i l d i n g i n c l u d e d cells, d o r m i ­
tories, reading r o o m s , service r o o m s . After 1581, the m o ­
nastery also h o s t e d a university-level college, w h e r e t h e
son of Michael the Brave, Nicolae Pătraşcu, seems to have
studied. T h e m o n a s t e r y later became a R e f o r m e d c h u r c h .
th
I n the 18 century, for a s h o r t while, t h e m o n a s t e r y was
r e t u r n e d to the Franciscan order.
In front o f the c h u r c h stands the equestrian statue of
St. George slaying the dragon, a late copy o f the P r a g u e
s t a t u e d o n e in 1373 b y G e r m a n s c u l p t o r s M a r t i n a n d
G e o r g e o f C l u j . A n exquisitely crafted piece, t h e statue
can c o m p e t e w i t h t h e first e q u e s t r i a n s c u l p t u r e s of t h e
early Renaissance.
T h e Mattias Corvinus H o u s e (Casa Matei), Matei C o r v i n
Street
T h e b u i l d i n g , c u r r e n t l y b e l o n g i n g to the U n i v e r s i t y
o f Fine Arts a n d Design and formerly an inn, is the h o u s e
in w h i c h K i n g M a t t h i a s C o r v i n u s was b o r n in t h e year
1443. Probably built s o m e t i m e at the b e g i n n i n g of the 15
century, t h e h o u s e suffered a series o f m o d i f i c a t i o n s in
t h e f o l l o w i n g c e n t u r i e s . S o m e o f t h e old G o t h i c d o o r ­
frames can still be seen inside, the e n t r y portal is a b r o ­
ken arch, a n d the stone frames of the w i n d o w s are d o n e
in the Renaissance style.
Piarist church, Universităţii Street
Built between 1718 and 1724, this c o m m a n d i n g build­
ing was the first Baroque edifice in Transylvania. T h e con­
struction started at the initiative of t h e J e s u i t order, and it
b r o u g h t here a n e w type of architecture, typically Baroque,
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featuring a façade w i t h t w o t o w e r s and interior chapels,
th
a type imitated in the 18 c e n t u r y by all J e s u i t b u i l d i n g
and also by other Catholic buildings, including some erect­
ed by the R o m a n i a n U n i a t e C h u r c h . In 1776, three years
after the abolition of the Jesuit order, the church was trans­
ferred to the Piarists.
T h e church o f the Friars Minor, E r o i l o r Boulevard
In 1724, the Friars M i n o r returned to Cluj and acquired
the H e n t e r H o u s e , building in its place a c h u r c h designed
by architect J o h a n n E. B l a u m a n n . T h e façade shows per­
fect stylistic unity and the interior is decorated w i t h ele­
m e n t s typical for the B a r o q u e style. Today, the building
is t h e G r e e k - C a t h o l i c c a t h e d r a l of t h e B i s h o p r i c of
Cluj-Gherla.
Unitarian church, 21 D e c e m b r i e 1989 Boulevard
B e t w e e n 1792 and 1796, the U n i t a r i a n s of Cluj erect­
ed a b u i l d i n g of their o w n , in the Late B a r o q u e style.
C h u r c h o f Saints Peter and Paul, 2 1 D e c e m b r i e 1989
Boulevard
T h e c h u r c h was built b e t w e e n 1848 and 1850 in the
th
N e o - G o t h i c style, in the place of an o l d e r 1 5 c e n t u r y
c h u r c h w h o s e G o t h i c c r y p t still exists today u n d e r the
c h a n c e l . I n front o f t h e c h u r c h s t a n d s the portal of St.
M i c h a e l , b r o u g h t h e r e d u r i n g t h e restoration w o r k d o n e
to St. M i c h a e l ' s c h u r c h in 1 9 5 7 - 1 9 6 0 . B e h i n d t h e altar
is the statue of M a r y the Protector, d o n e by sculptor Anton
S c h u c h b a u e r in 1744.
T h e H o l y Trinity church or the 'Orthodox C h u r c h o n
the Hill,' Bisericii O r t o d o x e Street
T h e O r t h o d o x c h u r c h was built in 1795-1796 outside
the city walls, as r e q u i r e d b y t h e law o f that t i m e . It was
t h e first place o f w o r s h i p b e l o n g i n g to t h e R o m a n i a n
c o m m u n i t y o f C l u j . T h e m o n e y r e q u i r e d for its c o n ­
s t r u c t i o n c a m e f r o m the R o m a n i a n O r t h o d o x c o m m u ­
nity, also helped by t h e A r o m a n i a n or G r e e k m e r c h a n t s
in the city, as well as by the merchants from Braşov. Shortly
after its c o m p l e t i o n , t h e c h u r c h received an iconostasis,
icons, and holy b o o k s , b e c o m i n g t h e spiritual c e n t e r of
the O r t h o d o x Romanians of Cluj.
ch
B o b church, Prahova Street
T h e c h u r c h was built b e t w e e n 1800 and 1S03 t h r o u g h
the efforts and w i t h the financial assistance of R o m a n i a n
Uniate Bishop loan Bob of Blaj. T h e structure of the church
is very similar to that of the O r t h o d o x C h u r c h o n the Hill,
the t w o small r o o m s p r e s e n t l y flanking the t o w e r b e i n g
added in 1906. This is where the marriage between Professor
Ştefan Miele and Veronica Miele was celebrated.
Fortress Hill (Cetăţuia)
After c o n q u e r i n g Transylvania t o w a r d s the e n d of t h e
dl
17 century, the H a b s b u r g s built several Vauban fortress­
es in their n e w province. O n Fortress Hill, b e t w e e n 1700
and 1735, they built massive e a r t h w o r k s w i t h stone b a s ­
tions and gates, o c c u p i e d by t h e i m p e r i a l t r o o p s finan­
cially s u p p o r t e d b y the local p o p u l a t i o n .
The H o u s e at N o . 5 Unirii Square
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T h i s 15 c e n t u r y b u i l d i n g initially had only a g r o u n d
th
floor and a first floor. In the 16 century, it u n d e r w e n t a
series of transformations, the current entrance portal being
one of t h e m . T h e p r e s e n t shape o f the façade dates from
the year 1802.
The H o u s e at N o . 15 Unirii Square
T h e c u r r e n t b u i l d i n g is a B a r o q u e creation from t h e
th
middle of the 18 century. K n o w n as the " R o m a n - C a t h o l i c
Parochial H o u s e , " the edifice preserves the 1477 portal with
crossed baguettes that o n c e belonged to the G o t h i c c o n ­
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struction c o m p l e t e d t o w a r d s t h e e n d of the 1 5 century.
T h e façade features a c o m m e m o r a t i v e p l a q u e c e l e b r a t ­
ing the visit m a d e by Austrian E m p e r o r J o s e p h II in 1773.
T h e H o u s e at N o . 31 Unirii Square
T h e W o l p h a r d - K a k a s h o u s e is o n e of the m o s t b e a u ­
tiful Renaissance buildings in Cluj. Parish priest A d r i a n u s
W o l p h a r d (episcopal vicar a n d adviser t o t h e C o u r t in
Buda, w h o traveled and studied in Italy) was a great a d ­
mirer of Italian Renaissance art, w h o s e elements h e incor­
porated in the h o u s e h e built in C l u j . T h e b u i l d i n g was
partially demolished in 1894. O n l y the g r o u n d floor façade
facing towards the courtyard remains o f the original b u i l d ­
ing. T h e W o l p h a r d coat of a r m s and a collection o f a r c h i ­
tectural pieces f r o m t h e o l d b u i l d i n g are c u r r e n t l y in
the s t o n e c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e N a t i o n a l M u s e u m of T r a n ­
sylvanian History.
T h e H o u s e at N o s . 2 - 4 Bolyai Street
This is t h e h o u s e in w h i c h mathematician J á n o s Bolyai
was b o r n , o n 15 D e c e m b e r 1802. T h e h o u s e w a s b u i l t
in the 15* century, b u t later t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s altered t h e
original s h a p e , t u r n i n g it i n t o a n 18* c e n t u r y B a r o q u e
m o n u m e n t , c o m p l e t e d w i t h an a d d i t i o n a l floor in t h e
19* century.
T h e M i n t H o u s e , E m i l e Z o l a Street 4
T h e b u i l d i n g was erected in the early 17* century. It
once h o s t e d t h e m i n t and t h e E x c h a n g e H o u s e o f C l u j ,
as indicated by t h e inscription of the façade, w h i c h reads
Domus cementaria et auricusoria Í608.
T h e H o u s e at N o . 7 Universităţii Square
Built between 1734 and 1735, with a g r o u n d floor and
t w o additional stories, the b u i l d i n g is k n o w n as the C o n -
v i c t u s N o b i l i u m . It o n c e b e l o n g e d t o t h e Piarist H i g h
School, also attended by y o u n g R o m a n i a n s such as Avram
I a n c u , G e o r g e Barifiu, A l e x a n d r u P a p i u P a r i a n , t h e
B u t e a n u b r o t h e r s , w h o played a m a j o r r o l e in t h e R e ­
v o l u t i o n of 1848-1849.
T h e Building at N o . 7 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street
T h i s building, a palace b e l o n g i n g to the Teleki fami­
ly, was b u i l t a c c o r d i n g to the plans d r a w n u p b y a r c h i ­
tect J o s e p h Leder b e t w e e n 1790 and 1795, in a Late Ba­
r o q u e style c o m b i n e d w i t h s o m e Classical e l e m e n t s .
T h e Building at N o . 14 I o n C . Brătianu Street
T h e building, k n o w n as t h e T h o l d a l a g i - K o r d a Palace,
was built between 1801 and 1807 after plans m a d e by archi­
tect C a r l o J u s t i . T h e b u i l d i n g is o n e o f the m o s t signifi­
cant examples of the transition from Baroque to Classicism
in Cluj architecture.
Evangelical Church, 21 D e c e m b r i e 1989 Boulevard
Built between 1816 and 1829 after plans m a d e by archi­
tect G e o r g Winkler, the b u i l d i n g c o m b i n e s B a r o q u e ele­
m e n t s w i t h Neoclassical ones.
Reformed Church, 21 D e c e m b r i e 1989 Boulevard
T h e w o r k of t h e s a m e architect, G e o r g Winkler, t h e
c h u r c h was built b e t w e e n 1821 and 1859.
Reformed College, M i h a i l Kogălniceanu Street 16
T h e b u i l d i n g , e r e c t e d i n 1 8 0 1 , b e l o n g e d to t h e R e ­
f o r m e d (Calvinist) C o l l e g e . T h e design is Neoclassical,
w i t h s o m e B a r o q u e e l e m e n t s , s u c h as the courtyard w i t h
a gazebo.
Stephen Báthory H i g h School, Mihail Kogălniceanu
Street 2
Built b e t w e e n 1817 and 1821, in the Neoclassical style,
the building once hosted the Piarist Academic H i g h School.
Building at N o . 4 Avram Iancu Square
T h e façade o f this h o u s e built in the sculptural n e o ­
classical style features t h r e e r e c t a n g u l a r f r a m e s a b o v e
t h e w i n d o w s , w i t h bas-reliefs r e p r e s e n t i n g t h r e e c h a r ­
acters o f ancient G r e e k - R o m a n m y t h o l o g y : Mercury, the
M e d u s a , and Pan.
Barracks i n Stephen the Great Square
St. George Barracks, built b e t w e e n 1834 a n d 1837, d e ­
lights v i e w e r s w i t h t h e s i m p l i c i t y a n d t h e h a r m o n y o f
its façade.
Bánfíy Palace, Unirii Square 3 0
T h e m o s t representative building of the Transylvanian
B a r o q u e was designed b y architect J o h a n n E. B l a u m a n n
and built b e t w e e n 1774 and 1785.
Building at N o . 10 Unirii Square
T h e building, k n o w n as Jósika H o u s e , has a façade w i t h
a sober portico, w i t h D o r i c c o l u m n s d o u b l e d b y pilasters
s u p p o r t i n g a w r o u g h t iron balcony. T h e first floor o n c e
h o s t e d t h e H u n g a r i a n C a s i n o of Cluj and, b e t w e e n 1880
and 1902, t h e Royal C o u r t of Appeals. T h e second floor
was built in 1828.
Building at N o . 11 Unirii Square
T h e h o u s e , a c o m b i n a t i o n of Renaissance, Classical,
and R o c o c o elements, was o n c e the property of C o u n t e s s
O t t i l i a Wass a n d h o s t e d t h e T r a n s y l v a n i a n M u s e u m
Association.
Building at N o . 1 Unirii Square
T h e old t o w n hall w a s d e s i g n e d b y a r c h i t e c t A n t o n
Kagelbauer and built between 1843 and 1846, w i t h a façade
designed by J o h a n n B ö h m . T h e architectural style c o m ­
bines Neoclassical and R o m a n t i c e l e m e n t s , as seen in t h e
shape of t h e façade, w h i c h imitates the Florentine Renais­
sance. O n the u p p e r part of the façade w e can see the old
e s c u t c h e o n of t h e city, framed by a w r e a t h of laurels.
T o w n Hall, M o ţ i l o r Street 3
T h e building once hosted the c o u n t y prefecture. It was
d e s i g n e d b y I g n a t i u s Alpár, w i t h a façade t h a t uses t h e
forms of the Baroque, w i t h an asymmetric tower, and w i t h
rich eclectic traceries a r o u n d all o p e n i n g s .
Babeş-Bolyai University, M i h a i l Kogălniceanu Street 1
T h e N e o - R e n a i s s a n c e building was designed by archi­
tect Karl M e i x n e r and built b e t w e e n 1893 and 1903.
T h e Courthouse, Dorobanţilor Street 2, Stephen the Great
Square 1
T h e building, erected in 1902 o n a street corner, is cov­
ered in eclectic decorations, including terracotta elements.
T h e National Theater, A v r a m Iancu Square
Built in the Secession style b e t w e e n 1904 and 1906 b y
the Austrian c o m p a n y of Fellner a n d H e l m e r .
Buildings C o m p l e x at N o s . 17 and 19 Avram Iancu Square
T h e t w o buildings, o n e belonging to the Railway C o m ­
p a n y a n d t h e o t h e r to the Financial A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , w e r e
,h
erected t o w a r d s the e n d of the 19 century. T h e façades
are decorated w i t h artistic frames of exposed bricks.
Cluj County Prefecture, 21 D e c e m b r i e 1989 Boulevard 58
T h e b u i l d i n g erected in 1910 by J ó z s e f H u b e r t host­
ed t h e first offices o f t h e C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e and
I n d u s t r y . Set o n a street c o r n e r , t h e b u i l d i n g has t h r e e
façades, a socle covered in mosaics, and three levels. T h e
architectural style b l e n d s traditional local e l e m e n t s with
G o t h i c and F r e n c h Secession ones.
Samuel Brassai H i g h School and J o h n Sigismund High
School, 21 D e c e m b r i e 1989 Boulevard 9
D e s i g n e d b y architect Lajos Pákei, t h e b u i l d i n g was
c o m p l e t e d in 1901. T h i s c o m m a n d i n g t h r e e - s t o r y build­
ing c o m b i n e s the N e o - R e n a i s s a n c e style w i t h N e o - C l a s -
sical e l e m e n t s .
Buildings C o m p l e x at N o . 1 N a p o c a Street, N o . 1 U n i ­
versităţii Street, N o s . 1 and 2 Iuliu M a n i u Street
A m o n g t h e b u i l d i n g s e r e c t e d d u r i n g t h e massive
r e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f U n i r i i Square, at the b e g i n n i n g of the
2 0 * century, w e find the f o r m e r H o t e l N e w York (later
also k n o w n as H o t e l C o n t i n e n t a l ) , the building of the R o ­
m a n - C a t h o l i c Status (Iuliu M a n i u Street 1 and 2) and the
b u i l d i n g o f the first I n s u r a n c e C o m p a n y (Universităţii
Street 1).
Central University Library, Lucian Blaga Square
Built in the V i e n n e s e Secession style ( 1 9 0 6 - 1 9 0 8 ) .
Buildings C o m p l e x at N o . 1 Michael the Brave Square,
N o s . 1 and 2 Horea Street, N o . 37 Regele Ferdinand Street
T h e b u i l d i n g s erected at t h e e n d o n t h e 19''' c e n t u r y
n e a r t h e e n d s o f t h e b r i d g e o v e r t h e S o m e ş R i v e r are
k n o w n as B a b o s Palace ( M i c h a e l t h e Brave S q u a r e 1),
Széki Palace (Regele F e r d i n a n d Street 3 7 ) , Elian Palace
(Horea Street 2) and Berde Palace ( H o r e a Street 1). T h e i r
c h a r m i n g l y eclectic a r c h i t e c t u r e c o m b i n e s B a r o q u e ,
Renaissance, and G o t h i c e l e m e n t s .
T h e Building at N o . 4 Horea Street
U r a n i a Palace was built in t h e year 1910, after plans
d r a w n u p by t h e architect Kapeter. T h e a r c h i t e c t u r e of
this c o m m a n d i n g corner building was strongly influenced
by the Austrian Secession style.
T h e N e o l o g u e Synagogue at N o . 21 H o r e a Street
T h e b u i l d i n g i n a u g u r a t e d o n 4 S e p t e m b e r 1887 was
designed by engineer Isidor H e g n e r . Its architecture c o m ­
bines traditional and O r i e n t a l e l e m e n t s .
T h e Railway Station
T h e city railway s t a t i o n w a s i n a u g u r a t e d in 1870.
T h e architecture of t h e c u r r e n t b u i l d i n g (1902) is eclec­
tic, w i t h decorations m a d e o u t of bricks of various shapes.
 Orthodox Cathedral, Avram Iancu Square
T h e O r t h o d o x M e t r o p o l i t a n C a t h e d r a l was designed
bv architects C o n s t a n t i n P o m p o n i u and George Cristinel,
between 1923 and 1933. D o m i n a t e d by long vertical lines,
the exterior of t h e b u i l d i n g is m a d e o u t o f h e w e d a n d
carved blocks of stone, inspired by the m o d e l of the old
Romanian m o n u m e n t s .
Pharmacy M u s e u m , Regele F e r d i n a n d Street 1
T h e m u s e u m operates in a historical b u i l d i n g k n o w n
as H m t z H o u s e , w h i c h h o s t e d the first p h a r m a c y in Cluj.
lh
Erected in t h e 15 century, t h e b u i l d i n g suffered m a s ­
th
sive alterations in the second half of the 18 century, w h e n
it turned into a Baroque construction, itself modified later
with the creation of a p e d e s t r i a n passage o n the corner.
T h e collections that p r e s e n t t h e history of p h a r m a c y are
displayed in t h r e e r o o m s , o n e of w h i c h h o s t e d the first
pharmacy of Cluj city. T h i s r o o m features an original fres­
th
co from the second half of the 1 8 century. T h e s e c o n d
r o o m is the old p h a r m a c y lab, probably built in the same
,h
18 century, a n d t h e t h i r d r o o m w a s used for t h e s t o r ­
age of pharmaceutical supplies.
T h e m u s e u m collection i n c l u d e s old p h a r m a c y fur­
niture, vessels for the storage of m e d i c i n a l d r u g s , p h a r ­
maceutical tools, medical drugs n o longer in use, old p h a r ­
macy books, pharmacy inventory pieces made out of w o o d ,
tiles, porcelain, tin, and glass in various centers in E u r o p e .
T h e N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f Transylvanian H i s t o r y ,
C o n s t a n t i n Daicoviciu Street 2
T h e National M u s e u m of Transylvanian H i s t o r y o p e r ­
th
ates in a historical 19 c e n t u r y building, the Petrichevich-
H o r v á t h H o u s e , a m o d e l o f local adaptation of the N e o ­
classical style to t h e p a l m e t t o d e c o r a t i o n s o f t h e frieze
located b e t w e e n the floors a n d to the floral and g e o m e t ­
ric motifs o f the frames.
T h e history of the m u s e u m begins w i t h the creation
of the Transylvanian M u s e u m Association, o n 23 N o v e m ­
ber 1859. At first, t h e m u s e u m displayed collections o f
Art Monuments in the City of Cluj-Napoca
The equestrian statue o f St. George slaying the dragon (sculp-
tors M a r t i n and G e o r g e of Cluj); the statue o f St. Mary the
Protector, unveiled in 1744 after a plague epidemics (sculp-
tor A n t o n S c h u c h b a u e r ) ; the m o n u m e n t o f Matthias C o r -
vinus, the son of J o h n H u n y a d i and Elisabeth Szilágyi, b o r n
in Cluj, king of H u n g a i y b e t w e e n 1458 and 1490 (sculptor
J- F a d r u s z ) ; the obelisk c o m m e m o r a t i n g the visit to Cluj
made in 1817 by Emperor Francis I and Empress Carolina,
c o m p l e t e d in 1831 b y C . A n t a l , S á m u e l Nagy, a n d J o s e f
Klieber; the statue o f the Lupa Capitolinawith R o m u l u s and
Remus, a s y m b o l of the c o m m o n Latin origin, given by the
a n t i q u e s , coins, botanical a n d animal species, m i n e r a l o g y
a n d geology. T h e H u n g a r i a n U n i v e r s i t y of C l u j , estab­
lished in 1872, t o o k charge of t h e m u s e u m collections
w h i c h , t h r o u g h donations and purchases, came to include
i t e m s of great historical-archaeological and artistic value.
T h e archaeology collections were kept and p u t o n display
in t h e old w i n g of t h e c u r r e n t m u s e u m b u i l d i n g . After
1 D e c e m b e r 1918, the history and archaeology collections
w e r e transferred to the Institute of Archaeology and N u ­
mismatics belonging to the R o m a n i a n U n i v e r s i t y of Cluj.
After t h e creation, in 1929, o f the Institute for Classical
Studies, the collections w e r e transferred to the n e w insti­
t u t i o n and w e r e constantly e n r i c h e d w i t h valuable items
d i s c o v e r e d b y archaeologists at C o s t e ş t i , U l p i a Traiana
etc., w h i c h w e r e all k e p t in the p r e s e n t - d a y b u i l d i n g of
the m u s e u m . In 1937, the m u s e u m w a s o p e n e d to t h e
public, p u t t i n g o n display o n e of the largest and best o r ­
ganized ancient history collections in t h e country, a valu­
able painting gallery, a collection o f medieval and m o d e r n
pottery, a medieval stone collection and an e t h n o g r a p h i c
collection.
T h e c u r r e n t collections o f the N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f
T r a n s y l v a n i a n H i s t o r y are displayed in t h e p e r m a n e n t
exhibition, w h i c h illustrates the historical d e v e l o p m e n t
o f Transylvania from prehistoric times until 1 D e c e m b e r
1918. T h e exhibition features pieces found by archaeol­
ogists, medieval and m o d e r n collections of potteiy, metal
pieces, glassware, w e a p o n s , d o c u m e n t s and p h o t o g r a p h s ,
b o o k s a n d n e w s p a p e r s , etc.
T h e R o m a n s t o n e collection includes s t o n e i n s c r i p ­
tions and sculptures in m a r b l e and in o t h e r types of stone,
all discovered in the province of Dacia. T h e medieval stone
collection, e x t r e m e l y u n i t a r y and highly representative,
features creations of the s t o n e m a s o n s w h o , over the c e n ­
turies, toiled in the w o r k s h o p s of C l u j .
T h e m u s e u m treasury includes m o r e t h a n 4,600 gold
and silver items, Aeneolithic idols, gold and silver coins,
jewels, medals and decorations, as well as h o u s e h o l d items
m a d e o u t of precious metals.
city of R o m e to the city o f Cluj a n d initially placed (1921) in
U n i r i i Square, can b e seen today o n E r o i l o r Boulevard; the
equestrian statue o f Michael t h e Brave, r u l e r o f Wallachia
( 1 5 9 3 - 1 6 0 1 ) , the first to unite, in 1600, the R o m a n i a n c o u n -
tries ofWallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania (sculptor Marius
B u t u n o i u ) ; the statue o f Baba N o v a c , a captam in the a r m y
of Michael the Brave, b u r n e d at the stake in the central square
of C l u j at t h e o r d e r of H u n g a r i a n n o b l e s ( s c u l p t o r Virgil
Fulicea); the statues o f Horea, Cloşca, and Crişan, leaders of
t h e T r a n s y l v a n i a n p e a s a n t u p r i s i n g o f 1784 ( s c u l p t o r I o n
Vlasiu); the m o n u m e n t o f the M e m o r a n d u m militants, erec-
ted in h o n o r of t h e national struggle of the T r a n s y l v a n i a n
R o m a n i a n s a n d of their leaders, tried and sentenced in Cluj
in 1894 (sculptor E u g e n Paul) ; the m o n u m e n t o f Avram Iancu
(1824-1872), the leader of the R o m a n i a n Transylvanian
R e v o l u t i o n of 1 8 4 8 - 1 8 4 9 (sculptor Hie B e r i n d e i ) ; the stat­
ues o f the representatives o f the Transylvanian School, h o n ­
oring t h r e e o f the leaders of t h e cultural and national m o v e ­
th
m e n t from t h e t u r n of the 19 century: the E n l i g h t e n m e n t
historians and linguists Samuil M i c u (1745-1806), G h e o r g h e
Şmcai ( 1 7 5 4 - 1 8 1 6 ) , a n d Petru M a i o r ( 1 7 6 1 - 1 8 1 2 ) ( s c u l p ­
tor R o m u l u s Ladea); the statue o f Mihai Eminescu (1850—
1889), the greatest R o m a n i a n poet (sculptor O v i d i u Maitec);
the statue o f Lucian Blaga ( 1 8 9 5 - 1 9 6 1 ) , p h i l o s o p h e r , p o e t
and p l a y w r i g h t (sculptor R o m u l u s Ladea); the m o n u m e n t
o f the Romanian Soldier, h o n o r i n g those w h o gave their lives
to defend t h e c o u n t r y and safeguard national unity and i n d e ­
p e n d e n c e ( s c u l p t o r R a d u A f t e n e ) ; t h e m o n u m e n t o f the
heroes o f the D e c e m b e r 1989 Revolution, dedicated to the
courage and the dignity of those w h o rose against Ceauşescu's
d i c t a t o r s h i p , for f r e e d o m a n d d e m o c r a c y ( s c u l p t o r A u r e l
Terec); the Cross o n Fortress Hill, h o n o r i n g all national heroes
and a symbol o f their determination and faith (architect Virgil
Salvanu).
I n m a n y p u b l i c places, p a r k s , or i n s t i t u t i o n s , t h e b u s t s
belonging to o u t s t a n d i n g personalities of o u r history and c u l ­
t u r e have b e e n set in h o n o r of their m e m o r y :
Decebalus, king o f the Dacians ( A . D . 8 7 - 1 0 6 ) ; N i c o l a u s
Olahus (1493-1568), Romanian humanist; Dimitrie Cantemir
( 1 6 7 3 - 1 7 2 3 ) , prince of Moldavia (1710-1711), encyclopedic
scholar; Horea, leader of the peasant uprising o f 1784—1785;
loan Bob (1739-1830), Greek-Catholic bishop, founder of
the h o m o n y m o u s Cluj church; Gheorghe Lazăr (1779-1823),
E n l i g h t e n m e n t scholar; N i c o l a e Bălcescu ( 1 8 1 9 - 1 8 5 2 ) , h i s ­
t o r i a n a n d p o l i t i c i a n , o n e o f t h e leaders o f t h e R o m a n i a n
R e v o l u t i o n o f 1848-1849; George Bariţiu ( 1 8 1 2 - 1 8 9 3 ) , h i s ­
torian, j o u r n a l i s t a n d a revolutionist of 1848; Alexandru loan
Cuza (1820-1873), ruler of the U n i t e d Principalities and the
first ruler of R o m a n i a ( 1 8 5 9 - 1 8 6 6 ) ; Florian Porcius (1816—
1906), botanist; George Coşbuc (1866-1918), poet; Ion Crean­
gă (1839-1889), writer; Iacob Mureşianu (1857-1917), c o m ­
poser; I. L. Caragiale ( 1 8 5 2 - 1 9 1 2 ) , t h e greatest R o m a n i a n
playwright; Octavian Goga ( 1 8 8 1 - 1 9 3 8 ) , w r i t e r and politi­
cian; Alexandra Vlahuţă ( 1 8 5 8 - 1 9 1 9 ) , writer; Victor Babes
( 1 8 5 4 - 1 9 2 6 ) , physician; János Bolyai ( 1 8 0 2 - 1 8 6 0 ) , m a t h e ­
matician; EmilRacoviţă ( 1 8 6 8 - 1 9 4 7 ) , biologist, the f o u n d e r
o f bio-speleology; Sextil Puşcariu ( 1 8 7 7 - 1 9 4 8 ) , philologist
and literary historian; Liviu Rebreanu ( 1 8 8 5 - 1 9 4 4 ) . writer;
IonAgârbiceanu (1882-1963), writer; Onisifor Ghibu ( 1 8 8 3 -
1972), pedagogue, professor; Alexandra Borza ( 1 8 8 7 - 1 9 7 1 ) ,
botanist, the founder of the Botanical Garden; Iuliu Haţieganu
(1885-1959), physician; R o m u l u s Vuia ( 1 8 8 7 - 1 9 6 3 ) , e t h u o -
folklorist, the f o u n d e r of the E t h n o g r a p h i c M u s e u m of Tran­
sylvania; Alexandra Vaida-Voievod ( 1 8 7 2 - 1 9 5 0 ) , physician
and politician, p r i m e minister o f R o m a n i a ; Iacob Iacobovici
( 1 8 7 9 - 1 9 5 0 ) , physician; R e n é j a n n e l ( 1 8 7 9 - 1 9 6 5 ) , F r e n c h
biologist, a professor at Cluj University; Constantin Daicoviciu
(1898-1973), historian, rector of Cluj U n i v e r s i t y and direc­
tor of the National M u s e u m of Transylvanian History; Alexan­
dra Lapedatu (1876-1950), historian; Antonin Ciolan ( 1 8 8 3 -
1970), c o n d u c t o r , t h e first d i r e c t o r of t h e C l u j State P h i l ­
h a r m o n i c s ; David Prodan ( 1 9 0 2 - 1 9 9 2 ) , historian; Nicolae
Stăncioiu (1939-1995), physician, f o u n d e r of the Cardiology
Institute; General Gheorghe Avramescu (1884-1945); General
Nicolae Dăscălescu ( 1 8 8 4 - 1969).
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