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Old Aug 2, 2019, 10:57 pm
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Romanianflyer
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
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Part 2: A day in Cluj-Napoca

It has already been six years or so ago when I lived in Cluj for a full year – and in this six years since the city has made a remarkable transformation. I fondly remember living in a nice, big flat in the city centre for 250 EUR a month – a price which would now be at least double this amount. A lot of big foreign companies have descended upon Cluj in the last few years creating new jobs and the city has seen a big increase in population as well as in tourist numbers. Thanks to its university, relatively young and highly skilled workforce and the fact that Cluj has always been an outward-looking city, industries like IT and finance have burgeoned. It's also popular with tourists nowadays due to the increase in low-cost flights to Cluj Napoca's small airport, mostly with Wizzair (although a few legacy carriers such as RO, LH, LO and TK also fly into CLJ). Some relatively new music festivals – one which are held in the city's stadium (Untold) and one just outside of Cluj in the town of Bontida the grounds of Banffy Castle (Electric Castle) – have become so popular that they are nowadays a firm fixture on the European summer festival season.

There is however much more to Cluj than this. Although it is not Romania's most gorgeous city (Sibiu, Sighisoara and Brasov are prettier in my opinion) the city does have some beautiful parts and sights to see. Most of all, it is however the vibe in this city which I love. It is quaint, laid back – yet still abuzz with people and culture. The cafe and pub scene is excellent and there are some great restaurants in the city as well. Being an university city, obviously the students are a big driving factor in these scenes, but the city is much more than just a place for students or young professionals to have fun. It is an ideal city to stay for a few days and take it easy, just enjoying the vibe, food and drinks.

Like many cities in Transylvania, Cluj has Germanic origins. The city was founded as the settlement of Napoca by the ancient Romans, but became a fully fledged city and really known to the wider world under its German name Klausenburg after the Saxon Germans moved in after being invited by one of the Transylvanian kings. The city has always been multicultural. Even though there aren't really any Transylvanian Saxons living in the city anymore, there is still a big Hungarian minority (the Hungarians call the city Kolozsvár). Interesting fact: the suffix -Napoca was only added to the name of Cluj by the communists in 1974 to emphasise the city's Roman roots (and to p*ss off the Hungarians).

Even though the architecture of the city centre of Cluj is not as unified as Sibiu or Brasov, you can easily see all these past influences. Some parts might feel a bit more Germanic, while most of the centre has distinct eclectic and baroque elements from the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Of course, this is all mixed with some more modern and the odd ugly communist structure. These influences make Cluj (and entire Transylvania) so different from the rest of the country – which never had these Germanic and Habsburg influences being instead a vassal of the Ottoman Empire until Romanian independence.

Enough history for now - and back to reality. I started off my day on Piata Unirii – the central square of Cluj – sitting down at one of the many outdoor cafes. My pick for today was Cafe Toulouse, which did a very decent cooked breakfast of shakshuka. Sure – not the real Middle Eastern deal – but it was filling and tasty.




Buildings around Unirii square


Shakshuka at Cafe Toulouse – picture from an earlier visit

The oldest part of Cluj is found to the south-west of Unirii square, where you can find some lovely cobblestoned streets and the only remaining bit of the old city wall.







Another beautiful part of the old city is found directly to the north of Unirii square, where among others you can find the old birth house of Matthias Corvinus (an important Transylvanian-Hungarian king of the 15th Century) and lovely museum square (Piata Muzeului) full of more outdoor cafes.







From this part of town it is a short walk to the city's Central Park (Parcul Central) with its old casino and big pond where locals take rides on paddle swan boats. On the way there, I made my first beer stop of the day at Euphoria Biergarten's lovely outdoor terrace to drink a pint of Ursus weizen beer. Ursus is one of the main Romanian beer brands and was originally brewed in Cluj. After acquisation by a foreign conglomerate, production has been moved to Bucharest, although the old brewery has remained open as a brewpub and is still worth a visit for a pint.




At Euphoria Biergarten drinking a pint of Ursus weizen (Ursus nefiltrata, meaning Usus unfiltered, being the official name in Romanian)




Parcul Central and the old casino

After the park, I headed back into the city centre for an early lunch at Bulgakov, an Hungarian-owned restaurant in the old town. Needless to say, they do some good goulash and other Hungarian comfort food. They also have a really pleasant inner courtyard to sit down for a while and drink another pint – which is what I did as well.





After the lunch I took a walk towards the east of the city centre. Of course, you cannot call yourself a town in Romania if you don't have a Romulus and Remus statue. Cluj has one too, of course. Romanians are proud of their Latin heritage – and it is indeed a very intriguing aspect of the country. Romanians are a Latin people who speak a Latin language – in a sea of mostly Slavic people in the surrounding Eastern European countries (OK, Hungarian is another odd one out!). Historians and linguists are still unsure how this happened exactly, also because little is known from the centuries directly after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Historically, the area was populated by the ancient Dacians until Roman Emperor Trajan finally managed to defeat them. Yet the Romans never really settled the area what is nowadays Romania – for most they remained along the other side of the Danube except for the odd expedition into the interior and the odd trading post and settlement, as it was much easier to defend. Yet somehow they still had some influence over the areas that the locals went on to develop a Latin language. Compare that for example to the UK – where the Romans did have a firm foothold – but where such a language was not developed!



Close by is also the lovely city theatre. If you travel to Cluj do check the schedule if some play or opera might be on – as it is absolutely stunning from inside.



Opposite the theatre is the big Orthodox cathedral on a lovely square with a big fountain and surrounded by lovely baroque buildings.



As I was getting thirsty again, I walked towards the Centrul Comercial Central, an ugly shopping centre just north of Unirii square which has one interesting feature: it has a lovely rooftop pub and restaurant (called Klausenburger, take the lift on the outside of the building to the top floor). I spent some time sampling some craft beers (OKish – there are much better ones in the country) and admiring the view.









A relatively short walk away is another one of my local favourites called Samsara Teahouse (don't confuse it with Samsara Foodhouse, which does great vegetarian food). It is perhaps the most laid-back place in town. It is an old villa with a huge garden in the back. The three rooms in the villa (it's obligatory to take off your shoes in the hallway) are decorated each in their own unique style, while the garden has some comfy seating and even hammocks. There is a huge tea menu, although if you prefer there is also booze, as well as nargilah for those who like a smoke. The only downside to the place is that it is so chilled out that it does have an effect on the serving staff (service can be really slow here).





From Samsara it is a short walk to Parcul Cetățuia, a deconstructed Habsburg hilltop citadel which is nowadays a park. Needless to say, there are some superb views over the city here.








Cetățuia hill – all pics above taken during an earlier trip

Before I knew it, it was time already to head back to the airport for my flight to Istanbul. If you really want to visit a place off the beaten track with a great cafe scene and unique vibe – then go to Cluj, and do it soon – as word is already out! To me, whatever the future will hold for Cluj, it will always have a special place in my heart.
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