Monuments, Romania

The Arch of Triumph in Bucharest was a modest monument, in the beginning, made of wood and built in 1878 after the Independence War to mark the victory parade on October 8 the same year. Two inscriptions were written in front of it: The defenders of Independence and Bucharest City. A statue representing The Victory was placed on the Arch. There were also written the names of the places were Romanians fought for freedom to remain on this symbol of triumph in the War of Independence against the Turkish Empire and of its domination which lasted for more than 300 years. Made of pink marble from Ruschita and stone brought from 5 important Romanian quarries, the Arch of Triumph is 27 meters high and 25 meters wide and is considered a modern new Romanian architectural masterpiece. It is also one of the symbols and highlights of Bucharest. Now, the Arch of Triumph is part of the tour the authorities thought might help foreign tourists and not only to discover the Romanian capital. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-arch-of-triumph/

The Cenad Palace (Palatul Cenad) is a three-story, 19th century, eclectic, neo-classical, architectural style palace located in the city of Arad, Romania. The palace was constructed with the sole purpose of functioning as the headquarters for Arad’s Railway Company. Funding for the palace was provided by the very wealthy and aristocratic Count Želenski Robert. The Cenad Palace has an imposing presence in the Arad center. It is surrounded by many other eclectic and neo-classical style buildings which were Arad’s predominant architectural styles in the era of the late 19th century. The palace is considered and listed as one of Romania’s Historical Monuments. The palace is shaped like an L and contains two spectacular towers on the front left and front right corners. There are four separate entrance gates which lead inside the building. The palace’s courtyard contains two dazzling 19th-century gas chandeliers which have been well preserved for many decades. https://roamingromania.com/cenad-palace-arad/

House of the People in Bucharest, also known as the Palace of the Romanian Parliament is the second-largest administrative building for civilian use in the world, after the US Pentagon. It is the heaviest building on Earth, made from 1.5 billion lb of steel and bronze for doors, capitals and windows, all of them monumental, 7,7 million lb of crystal glass for 480 chandeliers and more than 1,400 ceiling lights and mirrors and 35,3 million ft of marble. In the House of People in Bucharest, the parquet and wainscoting were made from 900,000 cubic meters of wood. There are also in the Romanian Parliament building, velvet and brocade curtains with embroideries in silver and gold. Only the floor area is 360,000 square meter and the underground parking is large enough for 20,000 cars. The House of the People was part of a gigantic project, called The Civic Center, a copy of Pyongyang city in North Korea. Nicolae Ceausescu decided to build this state within a state in 1978, after the 7.2 earthquakes that devastated Bucharest on March 4, 1977. The capital had to be rebuilt and the Civic Center was part of the plan. Ceausescu wanted The House of the People, or The House of the Republic, a new Minister of Defense, a new Museum of the Communist Party, a Guests House( now Marriott Hotel), a huge park near the House of the People( Izvor Park) and a boulevard called The Victory of Socialism Bd. ( actual The Unification Bd). A very young architect won the national contest with her plan for the Civic Center and House of People: Anca Petrescu, 28 years old. In 1982, soldiers and ordinary workers began to put down all the buildings in the area. https://bucharest-travel.com/house-of-the-people/

Bram Stoker’s character, Dracula, is a Transylvanian Count with a castle located high above a valley perched on a rock with a flowing river below in the Principality of Transylvania. Because Bran Castle is the only castle in all of Transylvania that actually fits Bram Stoker’s description of Dracula’s Castle, it is known throughout the world as Dracula’s Castle. Due to its lovely landscape and charming people, Bran-Moeciu is one of the most popular touristic areas in Brasov County and the ideal place to spend a great week-end or your holidaysEvery historical episode is characterized by certain factors that function as a constant, such as time and space. These factors define its place in the evolution of the human community.The region between Bucegi and Piatra Craiului has sparked a series of historical episodes, from prehistoric days until current times, all due to one major geographical and historical factor: the Bran Gorge.The Bran Gorge, one of the most important trans-Carpathian passages, has had a dynamic history. Its story has been characterized by two major components: the trade routes of its crossroads, and the recurring military invasions that utilized them.A natural amphitheater, guarded from the East by the Bucegi Mountains and from the West by the Piatra Craiului Massive, the Bran Gorge offered, due to its concave space, a wide panorama both to Burzenland (Ţara Bârsei), and to the hills and valley of Moeciu. http://www.bran-castle.com/index.html

The House of the Free Press (Casa Presei Libere), formerly called Casa Scânteii, is one of the landmarks of Bucharest reminiscent of the communist regime. The edifice was built during the regime (between 1952 and 1957) and served as headquarters of the party’s publication (Scânteia) being, thus, by design, an institution completely subject to the communist authorities. In reaction to this juncture, subsequently to the 1989 Revolution, the name of the building was changed into the House of the Free Press. The building combines elements promoted by the Russian Soviet architecture with details typical of the religious architecture cultivated in Wallachia and Moldavia. Just like most of the megastructures erected during the communist regime, the building strikes by its dimensions. The horizontal coordinate of the edifice exceeds its vertical line, and the difference is so considerable, that the aesthetic impact can hardly be overlooked. http://www.tourism-bucharest.com/bucharest-attractions/other-landmarks-in-bucharest/house-of-the-free-press.html

The Botanical Garden in Bucharest is a cultural institution, part of Bucharest University. It was founded by Alexandru Ioan Cuza in 1860, near COTROCENI PALACE. The great exhibition, where tropical plants, huge palm or banana trees, awesome members of the orchids family, gigantic decorative trees or wild ferns can be seen. There are thematic greenhouses, very well organized in the order you to need only one hour, or one hour and a half to see all plants and trees and make free amazing pictures. The Decorative Sector is at the entrance in the Botanical Garden and here you can find more than 500 plants that assure all over the year a great view. The flowers,Tullipa collection, Paeonia and not only, are cultivated in large groups. It was arranged in 1956. Rare Plants Sector is the home of rare, special plants that need protection in Europe. They found it here and many of them would have been gone for a long time now if this area of the Botanical Garden hadn’t been arranged in 1962. There are plants from Dobrogea or southern Muntenia but no only. So, while you travel to Bucharest, you can visit the rare plants sector although it is an area where scientists have a lot of work to do, taking care of plants in Paeonia family, Salvia Transilvania or Fritillaria Orientalis. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-botanical-garden/

Bucharest National Opera House needed headquarters since the beginning of the 19th century. The nowadays building housing the National Opera in Bucharest was designed in 1946. The first Italian theater was opened in Bucharest in 1843 and it has to do with the National Opera, for it was opened with the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, followed by the Barber of Seville by Rossini. In 1870, the composer and conductor George Stefanescu tried to persuade the authorities to build a headquarters for the Opera. Thus he launches the Opera Company in 1885 with the performance of Linda di Chamonix by Donizetti, sung in Romanian. Only in 1921, the Opera Company receives the necessary funds in order to organize itself in the new institutional order, becoming the Romanian Opera. The premiere of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, with George Enescu conducting, was the opening performance that year. The theater was built in classical style. The main hall ha 2200 seats, surrounded by lodges and amazing acoustics. There are four caryatids, four statues, Drama and Poetry statues, a bas-relief called Music and another one called The Dance. George Enescu’s monument is in front of the building. https://bucharest-travel.com/opera-in-bucharest/

The Contemporary Art Museum in Bucharest houses a great collection called Seeing the history from 1947 to 2007, which is an exhibition about the communist period, the progress of the Eastern European civilization, about the life of people in this period, including the Romanian Revolution in 1989 and the process of modernization of the country after the communists and the integration in the Euro-Atlantic civilization. Of course, the most important pieces of the collection are the art masterpieces exhibited, but the social, political and economical contexts are also explained on the first floor of the museum. There are also events organized here, like the recent one called The art condition in Russia and Eastern Europe in postmodern society, by an art historian Yunnia Yang from Taiwan. An impressive collection of photos made after masterpieces signed by great artists is also housed by the Museum. We are talking about 3 millions of copies in a digital archive. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-contemporary-art-museum/

Village Museum in Bucharest is an open-air exhibit for tourists who want to learn more about rural life in Romania. It is so fine that you might want to move into it. That was a joke. You wouldn’t want to leave in underground houses or in the same house with your parents, like people in Romania used to do and still do, do you? The Village Museum in Bucharest is a great history lesson for all the people all around the world about the life in South-Eastern Europe, under the Russian influence, Turkish influence and also, ancient and medieval influences. The first try to create a museum dedicated to the country life in Romania was attempted in 1867 at the Paris Universal Exhibition. Romanian rural constructions were exhibited there. Then, a sociologist, Dimitrie Gusti sent students and volunteers to target and rebuild old houses from all Romanian provinces and villages. In 1936, King Carol II opened the new museum which housed 33 authentic houses from Maramures, Moldavia, Transylvania and Muntenia and also churches. The Village Museum became in 1940 after Bucovina was taken by the Soviet Union, house for refugees and many of the buildings were damaged. In 1948, the Museum opened its gates again. 233 constructions could be visited. Nowadays in Village Museum Bucharest, the tourists can visit 338 monuments brought from Transylvania, Banat, Muntenia, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia and also popular art artefacts. https://bucharest-travel.com/village-museum/

Romanian Athenaeum is one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest and cultural center and also host for GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL. In 1886, authorities bought the land where the future Athenaeum was to be built. This is how the history of the Romanian Athenaeum begins. The French architect Albert Galleron and the Romanian architects Grigore Cerchez, Alexandru Orascu, Ion Mincu and I.N. Socolescu started the project. Works began in 1886 and were finished in 1889. It was built in neoclassical style, it has Greek temple elements but also French decorations from the end of the 19th century. A circus was on the land of the nowadays Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. The entrance has 6 Greek columns, the dome is Baroque style, 41 meters high. The interior of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest includes exhibits rooms, concert halls and conferences halls. 12 Greek columns sustain one of the main halls, the Rotonda. 4 monumental stairs start from here, imitating Carrara marble, made by the famous architect, Carol Stork. The honour stairs also start from here. The great circular hall is 16 meters high, 28,50 meters in diameter and 784 seat capacity. There is also an ensemble of 75 meters long and 3 meters high of paintings, made in alfresco style, representing 25 scenes from Romania’s history. In 1944, during the war, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest was devastated by German and American bombs but it was rebuilt in 1945. https://bucharest-travel.com/romanian-athenaeum/

Bucharest Zoo Garden is a great place to spend an afternoon when you visit the Romanian Capital. The Zoo is outside Bucharest, near Baneasa Forest and also near Baneasa Shopping Center. So, if you have time and need some fresh air and also a shopping tour in an elegant mall, you might like the area. The Zoo in Bucharest total surface is estimated at about 6 ha. It was founded in 1955. A ticket for children is 6,5 RON. Children always find the Zoo Garden very interesting. The ZOO in Bucharest can be visited every day from 9 to 17. You are not allowed to feed the animals. The Romanian capital had no Zoo before 1955. Yet there were special corners in CISMIGIU GARDEN, CAROL PARK or HERASTRAU PARK where you could admire beautiful birds and mammals. Don’t forget, if you visit the ZOO in Bucharest, from 12 to 2 PM, keep quiet…some lions are sleeping. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-zoo/

The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is the most important Roman Catholic Church in Bucharest serving, at the same time, as cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archbishopric in Bucharest and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Romania. The crucial role of this place of worship in the religious life of the community of Roman Catholic believers in Bucharest and nationwide alike is, thus, understandable. Built between 1873 and 1884 (the construction works took so long because of the War of Independence in 1877), the cathedral is an architectural monument erected by following the design of Friedrich Schmidt, combining elements typical of the Roman style with discreet Gothic touches. The inner highlights of the cathedral refer to the main white Carrara marble altar (built in Rome by following the designs of the same Friedrich Schmidt), to an impressive organ (the present organ was built in 1930 in order to replace the original 1892 Parisian organ) said to be one of the best in the country, to the Parisian chandelier, to the decorative pictorial works by Georg Roder and Fr. Elsner, as well as to the decorative plasterwork on the walls, columns and pillars. http://www.tourism-bucharest.com/bucharest-attractions/places-of-worship-in-bucharest/cathedral-of-saint-joseph.html

Theodor Pallady Museum is an interesting landmark for two reasons: it is housed by one of the oldest dwelling buildings in Bucharest, Malic House and here you can see the collection of more than 1700 items, valuable paintings but not only. Theodor Pallady, one of the greatest Romanian painters, was born in 1871. He will study the Polytechnics in Dresda but soon will realize he was made for painting. In 1892 Theodor Pallady enters Gustave Moreau’s workroom in Paris where he will also meet Henri Matisse. It is in Paris where Pallady will become the friend of Gheorghe Raut whose guest will be a few years and who will also donate his collection, including Pallady’s works to the Romanian State. This happened in 1970. https://bucharest-travel.com/pallady-museum-bucharest/

If you are an art lover you should not miss this place. They have a permanent collection exhibiting historical artefacts and they always have a temporary exhibition bringing new items. Housed in the neoclassical Sutu Palace(1834), the museum features some 300,000 artefacts, from coins, books, maps, engravings, paintings, arms and furniture to old traditional costumes. Among the most valuable exhibits are the document attesting for the first time the name of the city of Bucharest, issued by Vlad Tepes in 1459. https://www.likealocalguide.com/bucharest/bucharest-history-art-museum

Designed in 1845 by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, the garden opened to the public in 1860. The name, Cismigiu, comes from the Turkish cismea, meaning "public fountain." More than 30,000 trees and plants were brought from the Romanian mountains, while exotic plants were imported from the botanical gardens in Vienna. http://romaniatourism.com/bucharest.html#parks

The salt mining is located about 2 km from the city, in the salt massif of Valcele – Slatinele, at 240 m depth and represents, by the microclimate of salt, an important natural factor of cure used to treat respiratory diseases. The main feature of the microclimate of the mine is the constancy of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters (without daily or seasonal variations), unlike outside air. The climatic parameters of Romanian's salt mining are temperature( approx. 12 ° - 13 °), relative humidity (approx. 60-80%), airflow speed reduced (almost imperceptible), air pressure is similar to the outside pressure or with little difference. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/salt-mine-of-targu-ocna-id573

Nemira nature reserve is a protected area of national interest located within the district of Bacau (90%) and Covasna (10%). The nature reserve has an area of 3.490 ha, with rich flora and beech pine forests and with protected species of flowers (Edelweiss, is a well-known mountain flower). Lake Valea Uzului is a natural dam lake situated at an altitude of 532 m, 4 km from Salatruc, and is declared a natural monument by its membership to Nemira Mountains Nature Reserve, included in the European ecological network. It has an area of 4.5 ha and a depth of 3m. The highest peak from the reserve is Nemira Peak, with 1.649 m. Nemira nature reserve houses a rich population of carnivores: brown bear, wolf, fox, otter, lynx, wild cat, but also Carpathian deer, bats, rabbit, deer, wild pigs, predatory birds: golden eagle, greater spotted eagle, forest eagle, pigeon hawk, long-eared owl, boots buzzard, hornets, tawny owl, large owl, little owl, sparrow hawk, common buzzard, kestrel red, swallows falcon, the peregrine falcon. The development of agro-tourism hotels and chalets makes the Mountains Nemira Nature Reserve be a recreational place, as they say, "green" tourism. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/nemira-mountains-nature-reserve-id579

Borzesti is the village (currently, is a neighbourhood of the city Onesti) from Bacau, where Stephen the Great was born and raised. He founded together with his eldest son Alexandru (1464-1496), the church "Assumption". It was built between July 9, 1493, of October 12, 1494. Legend says that the church was dedicated to a child killed during the invasions of the Tatars. The church is designed in a Moldavian style, just like the Razboieni Church and the Piatra Neamt Church (1497–1498). http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/borzesti-church-id575

Bucias waterfall is situated between Nemira and Vrancea Mountains, at an altitude of 500 m. It is the biggest waterfall of county Bacau and the most beautiful. Waterfall has a fall of 20 m. From Manasitrea Casin go to village Scutaru and then Bucias forest district. From the Bucias forest district, upstream on the river valley, after 3 km we reach the waterfall Bucias. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/bucias-waterfall-id576

Precista church is one of the most famous churches of Bacau. Having patron Assumption, the church is part of the architectural complex of the Princely Court of Bacau. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/precista-church-id574

Known as a spa resort, Slanic-Moldova is situated on the eastern of the Carpathians (in massive Nemira) at an altitude of 530 m, on Slanic valley. Slanic-Moldova is an all-season resort, with an intra-lowland temperate climate, with clean air, free of dust and particles that can cause allergies, and rich in resinous aerosols and negative ions. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/bacau/spa-resort---slanic-moldova-id581

The Botanical Garden, founded in 1856, bears the name of its founder, physician and naturalist Anastasie Fătu. It is the first Romanian botanical garden and, at the same time, the largest in the country, unique from the large number of plant species and special conservation measures applied. http://www.uaic.ro/gradina-botanica-anastasie-fatu/

Neamt Monastery was first mentioned in the XIV century and it’s the oldest religious settlement in this area – it’s also known as “The Jerusalem of the Romanian Orthodoxy”. We don’t know for sure who was the main founder of Neamt monastery and at what date but among the rulers that contributed to the rising of this church there are Petru Musat (1375-1391), Alexandru cel Bun (1400-1432) and Stefan cel Mare (1457-1504). http://www.visitneamt.com/2009/09/monastery-neamt-neamt-county/

This remarkable construction (1906-1925), built in flamboyant neogothic style, stands partly on the ruins of a medieval royal court mentioned in documents dating from 1434. Today, the 365-room palace houses the Gheorghe Asachi Library and four of the city's museums: the Moldavian History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Art and the Museum of Science and Technology http://romaniatourism.com/iasi.html#museums

Alexandru Borza” Botanical Garden (42 Republicii Street) – Being a national museum, the garden was founded in 1872, having an initial surface of 4.3 ha. Thanks to prof. A. Richter, the surface has reached 9.6 ha. In 1920, professor Alexandru Borza elaborated the re-organization plan of a new botanical garden, whose arrangement was carried out from 1920 to 1930. Nowadays, the garden has a surface of 14 ha, a level difference of 20 m and is divided into various sectors, sheltering 11.000 exhibits: the ornamental sector ( The Mediterranean Garden, Rosarium, The Japanese Garden), the phytogeographic sector (the plants are arranged according to their natural associations – The Roman Garden), the systematic sector (the plants are organized by phylogenetic principles), the economic and medical sector, the sector of rare and endemic plants of Romania`s flora. The two groups of greenhouses, having a surface of 3500 m2, with tropical plants of great scientific and utilitarian interest, are remarkable. In the precincts of the Botanical Garden functions the Botanical Institute, with its two components: the Botanical Museum (6 910 botanical pieces, representing exotic and indigenous plant exhibits) and the Herbarium (660 000 herbarium sheets of dried plants – arranged in special lockers). http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/alexandru-borza-botanical-garden.html

The National Ethnographic Vuia, established in 1929, bears the name of its founder and first museum manager, Professor Romulus Vuia. The exhibited pieces are in fact old traditional buildings, grouped according to their regional establishments, folk architecture monuments, folk installations, craftsman workshops, wells, gateways, big wooden crosses and indoor textiles. Interesting facts: •The Ethnographic Museum is the oldest from Romania; •The oldest exhibit pieces date back from 1678; •The church from Cizer-Salaj, at the construction of which contributed Nicola Ursu (Horea), just before the 1784 uprising, is one of the most beautiful wooden churches in Transylvania; weddings are still being officiated in this architectural monument; •It hosts annual fairs and traditional cultural manifestations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-romulus-vuia-national-ethnographic-park.html

The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca is a public institution of a culture whose mission is to preserve, research and put forward the real and virtual patrimony of Romanian and universal art. With a collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and decorative pieces, it is considered one of the most important museums in Romania. Founded as an institution in 1951, the museum has been operating since 1956 in the Banffy Palace – a baroque building which was built based on the plans of the architect J.E. Blaumann during the years 1774-1785, its destination being that of residence for the governor of Transylvania. It is the most important baroque edifice in Cluj-Napoca and one of reference for the 18th-century Romanian architecture. A series of sculptures with remarkable artistic value made by Anton Schuchbauer were added to the building in order to complete its stone architectural decorations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-art-museum-of-clujnapoca.html

Creating Central Park had been one of the first initiatives of urban remodelling of the city at the end of the 19th century. Its purpose had been the creation of a leisure spot in the close proximity of the city center. The initial name of the area field was ants’ grove situated on the bank of the river Somes. At the beginning of the 19th century, this spot was visited by all citizens of Cluj, the furrier János Meleg provided the public with refreshments. In 1827, the Women’s Charity Organization will rent the grove with the intention to create a “place suitable for longer strolls” and a beer garden based on a contract of 12 months. This contract would also determine the municipality to initiate and sponsor some of the works necessary to drain and consolidate the land that had been a swampy area frequently flooded by the river. In the year 1833, together with the return of the Gubernium a decision will be made on how to spend the gathered money on the development of the park. On this occasion they will establish and name the members of the Promenade comity, a council made up of important members of the urban community; they will also employ the gardener József Schütz to plant, clean and maintain the park. The park itself had been originally founded on the 22nd April 1838 and after two years the engineer Sámuel Hermann was entrusted with the design of the park. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/simion-barnutiu-central-park.html

The building was constructed at the end of 19th century, according to the plans of the architect Alpár Ignác, having a baroque facade of Viennese style and a corner tower with a clock that impresses by strength and sobriety. On the tower was applied the Prefecture's coat of arms (Cluj County) because the initial destination of the building was that of a County headquarter. The building was included in the systematization plan of the city in 1798 which stated that any new construction had to have the city council’s approval. The initial destination of the building as the headquarter of the County was multiple – political, administrative, fiscal headquarter etc., where the County officials were deciding the wellbeing of the area; in the big chambers, besides the usual meetings, exhibitions of famous and of young artists as well as the city balls from the beginning of the 20th century took place. Nowadays it is the headquarter of the Cluj-Napoca City Hall, an institution that follows the principles of local administrative and financial autonomy, decentralization of public services, lawfulness and eligibility of the local public administration authorities, the consultation of the citizens on community issues. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/monumente-si-complexe-arhitectonice/clujnapoca-city-hall.html

The Tailors' Tower (Baba Novac Street / Stefan cel Mare Square) is part of the second fortified precinct of the walls system and of the fortifications of the city, built in the first half of 15th century and continued until the 17th century. It was built on the South-Eastern corner of the city defence wall, after 1405, following the privileges keyed by King Sigismund of Luxemburg. The first confirmed documents date 1457, from the time of King Matia Corvin. The administration of the Tower was entrusted to the most powerful guilds of the town – the tailors' guild. Over time, the Tower was devastated several times (1551-1553, 1601, 1627, and 1707). The actual shape is given by the last big reconstruction from 1709-1711, made by the Austrians, out of over 150 stone wagons. The Tower has renewed again in 1956-1957 when they attempted the opening of a history museum of the city of Cluj, a project forbidden by the communist authorities in 1959. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/monumente-si-complexe-arhitectonice/page/4/the-tailors-tower.html

Founded in 1922 by professor Romulus Voia, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania entered the elite of the Romanian ethnographic museums, due to the exceptional quality of its patrimony. It is currently composed of over 41.000 traditional peasant objects from 17th-20th centuries and a documentary fund of over 80.000 items. The museum has two sections: the Pavilion Section and „Romulus Vuia” ethnographic Park (the open-air section). The Pavilion Section functions in „Reduta” Palace – a historical monument that dates since the 16th century. The current pavilion exhibition, vernished on 16th of December and called „Traditional folk culture from Transylvania in the 18th-20th centuries”, rebuilds, with talent, the way in which the Transylvanian peasantry lived two centuries ago. As testimonies remained simple tools or ingenious equipment used in domestic activities, culminating with rich folk suits, which showed not only the stage of the life but also the social position of the one who wore them. There are also presented traditional costumes of the life cycle, the calendar ones and the peasant costumes, with an essential role in highlighting the regional and ethnic identity. Curiosities: With a history of more than 80 years, the museum is the greatest of this kind in Romania and among the most prestigious in Europe (the sixth). The museum functions in „Reduta” building, which housed during 1848-1865 the Transylvanian Diet. The famous trial of the authors of the Transylvanian Memorandum took place in this building in 1894-1895. It has 50.000 photos, 5.000 diapositives, 12.000 specialised magazines. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-ethnographic-museum-of-transylvania.html

The Matthias Corvinus House (or Mehffy House) is a stylish building in gothic style from the 15th century (today, Art and Design University of Cluj Napoca). In this house, which was the city’s inn in past, was born on 23rd of February 1443 Matia Corvin, the son of the vaivode of Transylvania, John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara). Matia Corvin was the greatest king of Hungary (1458-1490), he was learned, patron of arts, wise and just, being mentioned in songs and legends even today. In 1467, he acquited the owners of the house in which he was born from paying taxes and fees to the city. This privilege was enforced by the next kings and princes. The house served as different institutions. It was a college but was also home for the ethnographic collections of the Transylvanian Carpathian Society. Over time, the building has suffered various changes, adapted to the new architectural styles. The basement and some platband of windows and doors that have lintels in the oblique section are characteristic of the gothic style. During the first half of the 16th century appeared the first elements of the Renaissance: some platbands from Renaissance on the facade, with denticles, together with gothic elements, as well as the portal in a broken arch. The original arches were chiefly replaced. During the 18th century, the building was made a hospital and the yard had suffered a few baroque changes. At the end of the 19th century, the building was in an advanced state of degradation and it was restored. Many elements of Art Nouveau, Secession were introduced, being in fashion at that time. In the ’50s of the last century, the modifications of Art Nouveau were removed, being incompatible with the architecture of the building, which gained the present appearance. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-matthias-corvinus-house.html

The two cultural institutions were founded in 18th September 1919, as an expression of spiritual rebirth after the Great Union in 1918. The building which houses the „Lucian Blaga” National Theatre and the Romanian Opera was built between 1904 and 1906, as a seat for the Hungarian National Theatre, by the famous Viennese firm „ Fellner und Helmer”, combining stylistic elements of new-baroque and Secession. The hall has 928 setas and it is built in New-Baroque style. For decorating the lobby were used stylistic modulations inspired by Secession. The National Theatre and the Romanian Opera have been functioning there since 1919. The opening show of the National Theatre of Cluj took place on 1st and 2nd December 1919, with the plays „Se face ziua” by Zaharia Barsan and „Ovidiu” by Vasile Alecsandri. The „Eupharion” Studio of the National Theatre is specially designed for the young artists and their creative experiments. The Romanian National Opera from Cluj Napoca is the first lyrical dramatic state institution from Romania. The inaugural show took place on 25 May 1820, with the play “Aida” by G.Verdi. More than 200 titles of operas, operettas and ballets from the world repertoire have been put on scene at the Romanian Opera so far. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-lucian-blaga-national-theatre-and-romanian-opera.html

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral (Avram Iancu Square) – Romanian Orthodox Mitropoly of Cluj, Alba, Crisana, Maramures. Archiepiscopate of Vad, Feleac and Cluj (18 Avram Iancu Square). It was built between 1923-1933, according to the plans of the architects Constantin Pompoiu and George Cristinel, representing the Romanian stylistic current. It is one of the most important religious buildings from Cluj Napoca municipality. The church is dedicated to the Assumption – the date in which the Romanian Army entered Transylvania (15th of August 1916). In 1973, when the Diocesan See of Cluj was made Archiepiscopate, the church became an archepiscopal cathedral. Since 1996, the cathedral had been in a great process of outside restoration, a process which came to an end in 1999. Inside, a new Byzantine painting was made, in the famous mosaic of Murano. Since 2006, the building has served as the cathedral of the Archiepiscopate of Vad, Feleac and Cluj, which is also metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crisana and Maramures. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-orthodox-metropolitan-cathedral.html

The Roman Catholic "Saint Michael" Church (Unirii Square), a great historical and religious architecture monument are one of the most imposing gothic edifices from our country. It was built approximately between 1350 and 1480, being the first hall church from Transylvania. The main portal, carved in 1444 in gothic style, ends with a high accolade, showing in the central part the carved image of archangel Michael. The tower from the north facade was built between 1834 and 1863 in neo-gothic style and it is 80 meter high, including the cross. The inside and outside decorations and the baroque carved pulpit are also remarkable. An extraordinary execution is the portal of the sacristy, from the Renaissance (1528) with Italian motifs and a strong south-German influence. The body of the pulpit, in baroque style, was carved by Johannes Nachtigall and Anton Schuhbauer. The mural picture, fragmentary kept, shows stylistic influences from northern Italy and reveals the first signs of the Renaissance in the painting from Cluj-Napoca. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/page/2/the-roman-catholic-saint-michael-church.html