Cluj-Napoca and his cultural and touristic offer

The city in northern Transylvania with 350,000 residents actually has three names, as Hungarians, which represent one fifth of the population, call it Koloszvar. And the old Austrian/Habsburg name is Klausenburg. The center has the air of a university patriarchal town. Many young people spend their time in bars, coffee shops and taverns in Union Square, the central market area imbued with neo-classicism and late baroque. The University is one of the most liberal ones in Romania. Until the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Cluj was the imperial capital of Transylvania, and it is still considered to be an important spiritual centre of Hungarians.

Culture

The city has a long theatre tradition. The National Theatre and the Hungarian Theatre, and particularly The Puppet Theatre “Puck”, very successful with children, cannot be overlooked. Two wonderful opera houses - The Romanian National Opera and Hungarian State Opera – with fantastically diverse festivals and competitions, testify for the cultural heritage of this city. The ` Mozart` Festival has become a tradition as well as the festival honouring Lucian Blaga, a Romanian poet and philosopher, whose poems are read to enthralled audiences. Since 2002, The Transylvania International Film Festival takes place annually in Cluj (TIFF).

Major museums, such as the Art and Literature Museum and the National Transylvanian History Museum, tell the history of Transylvania. There is also an open-air museum in Grigorescu and Cluj boasts with an Art and Design University.

Toursit attractions

The Orthodox Cathedral

St. Michael's Church: This Gothic church is located in the main square (Union Square) of the city; on several occasions throughout history, it has been the meeting place for the Transylvanian imperial meetings.

The Statue of Matei Corvin, a great monument of King Matthias Corvinus

King Mathias’ Memorial House (Matthias Corvinus House)

Bánffy Palace, nowadays hosting the Art Museum. The palace, which was built between 1774-1775 and belonged to the aristocratic family of Bánffy, represents one of the most important baroque buildings in Transylvania.

The former Church of the Minorites (Franciscan order): nowadays the Greek-Catholic Cathedral

The Central Cemetery: Hasengartner Friedhof Cemetery / Házsongárder Cemetery belongs, due to the impressive number of hero tombs and to its scenery, to the Transylvanian pantheon.

The Tailors' Bastion - ruins of the medieval fortress

The Fortress

The Central Park

The Botanical Garden of the University: it also contains a botanical museum and a herbarium for research and teaching. The Garden was founded in 1923 by the Romanian researcher Alexandru Borza.

The National Theatre, a modern building, designed by the “Fellner & Helmer” Bureau of Architecture in Vienna.

The Statue Park in Vlaha (15 km away from Cluj): gigantic statues made of hay

Shopping

Cluj-Napoca has many shops and several shopping malls. Next to Authentic-Spirit headquarter is Polus Center (www.poluscentercluj.ro), which is the largest mall in Transylvania, located in the western part of the city. The mall entices you not only with many fashion stores, but also with a cinema complex, a great number of restaurants and snack - bars and many other stores.

Active Sports surroundings:

Just a few meters, respectively kilometers, away from the starting point, one can practice the following sports:

ATV driving - many rental places

Horseback riding - many rental places

Swimming - Public swimming-pool

Cycling, running, hiking - the forest is only a few hundred meters away.

Climbing – 25 km far away from Cluj, in Tureni Canyons and Turda Canyons

Bowling, tennis, football - modern infrastructure in the city

Dance – they dance in all nightclubs and bars! Entry often free.

Accommodation

The Muntele Băişorii area offers many pensions. We recommand Andreea Pension. Contact us to make an advantageous reservation here.

Many other pensions in the region can be booked very easily online.