C & C globetrotting around the world…

Cluj-Napoca is where Cecilia’s dad is born and where we have fond memories. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to spend there, but we saw Cecilia’s godmother with her family as well as some friends. We also went to the grandparents’ graves, an important part of every visit to Cluj.

The Roman Empire conquered Dacia in AD 101 and 106, during the rule of Trajan, and the Roman settlement Napoca, established thereafter, is recorded on a milestone discovered near the city. Like the rest of Transylvania, Cluj changed hands over the years between the Hungarians, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Romanians. The city is considered the unofficial capital to the historical province of Transylvania. Actually, in 1790–1848 and 1861–1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.

The city spreads out from St. Michael’s Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century in the Gothic style of that period and named after the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Cluj-Napoca. It was only in the 19th century that the neogothic tower of the church was erected; it remains the tallest church tower in Romania to this day. It is also the oldest and most representative gothic-style building in the country. In front of the church is the equestrian statue of Matthias Corvinus, erected in honour of the locally-born king of Hungary.

Today, the city is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centres in Romania. Among other institutions, it hosts the country’s largest university, Babeş-Bolyai University, where Cecilia’s dad studied. Approximately 50,000 Hungarians live in Cluj-Napoca. The city is home to the second-largest urban Hungarian community in Romania (after Targu Mures).

Cluj has lots of history and culture, as well as very beautiful Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo buildings everywhere.