Europe 2019 - Day 35 (Part 1)

10 June 2019, Monday

Today we explore Cluj-Napoca, the biggest town in Transylvania, Romania.

Most of the tourist attractions can be reached by foot. As soon as we exited our hostel we were already in a place called Unirii Square, which had many attractions within it. First, the Matthias Corvinus House. Matthias Corvinus was the King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and adopted the title Duke of Austria in 1487. This was the house in which he grew up in, built in the 15th century. 

Then to the St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the iconic structures here in Cluj, with the tallest tower in Transylvania. It was built between 1350-1487 with Renaissance motifs. Near the Church was the Matthias Corvinus Statuary Ensemble. It is the work of sculptor Fadrusz János, the winner of the Big Prize of the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. The assembly presents King Matthias Corvinus with an imposing attitude on a horse and surrounded by (according to tradition) 4 of his dignitaries. 

Then we passed the City Hall building of Cluj, the Memorandists Monument which is a monument to commemorate the Memorandists lawsuit filed in May 1894 against the Romanians denationalization measures, and lastly, the statue of the Capitoline Wolf, with Romulus and Remus beneath her. After WW I, the Italian state made a gift to Romania of five copies of this statue; one to the city of Cluj. They symbolised the unity of Romanians from all parts of the country and their Latinity. It had an inscription which said  “Alla citta di Cluj, Roma Madre, MCMXXI” which means "To the City of Cluj, Mother Rome, 1921".

Then we stopped at a coffee kiosk for coffee to go, changed some money to lei, Ihad a slice of pizza for breakfast, then on again. 

Next, the Reformed Church. This is the largest single-nave Gothic church in Transylvania, built with the support of King Matthias Corvinus at the end of the 15th century to early 16th century, and renowned for its acoustics. It is a very big church. It was first erected as a church of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. It has belonged to the Reformed community since the 17th century. In front of the Church was the Statue of St George Slaying the Dragon. It is a bronze copy of one of the first and most famous equestrian statues of the 14th century. The original was made by the masters of Cluj, Martin and George, in 1373 at the order of Emperor Charles IV (remember him from the Czech Republic?) and is kept in the collections of the National Gallery in the Royal Palace in Prague.

Then the Tailors’ Tower. It was built into the city’s defensive wall after 1405, as a result of the privileges granted by the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg to the inhabitants of Cluj. Like most medieval towns, the city of Cluj was fortified with strong stone walls, with towers at the corners and access gates. In medieval times, its maintenance was entrusted to the tailors’ guild; hence its name. The Tower suffered many destructions over the centuries, but has been restored. In front of the Tower was a statue of Baba Novac. He was a ‘timok hadjuk’ which means brigand and rebel, who distinguished himself in many battles against the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. He is considered a national hero by both the Serbs and the Romanians.

Next, to the Central cemetery which shelters the elite of the town for more than 4 centuries - writers, academician / scientists, doctors, politicians, sportsmen, creators, clergymen, aristocrats and monuments. Its story began after the plague epidemic in 1585, when it was decided to bury all those who were killed by this illness outside the city walls. The cemetery covers an area of 14 hectares, making it one of the biggest in South-Eastern Europe. Its oldest funeral stone dates back to 1599 but I couldn’t find it, it was such a big area!