XIth European Bat Research Symposium

18-22 August 2008, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Cluj-Napoca - Beating heart of Transylvania

Located in the central part of Transylvania, in county Cluj, with a population of over 300.000, Cluj-Napoca is one of the major cities in Romania. From the Middle Ages onward, Cluj has been a multicultural city with diverse cultural and religious life, having Romanian, Hungarian, Roma, German and Jewish ethnic groups. First mentioned already in 1213 as Castrum Clus (Latin), with its ancient buildings and long, tumultuous history, Cluj has now a beating heart of its own. This heart, powered also by the momentum of more than 60.000 university students, beats for culture and intellect, but also for business and opportunity. Cluj offers the visitor ancient streets and buildings, museums and theatres, but also modern skyscrapers and glass buildings.

Walking the streets of the town center, Cluj will reveal its old values, hidden beneath the busy life of a modern day city. Wandering the Avram Iancu Square, seeing the Orthodox Church as well as the National Theatre, the oldest lyrics and dramatics institution from Romania, is just the beginning. The Tailor’s Tower and the Reformed Church remind of old days, and are in contrast with the sharp intellectual aspect of the nearby Babeş-Bolyai University. Walking towards Unirii Square, one can admire St. Michael’s Church, build in 1316 and the statue of Mathias Corvinus, famous King of Hungary. One of the oldest cemeteries from Europe, Házsongárd, dating from 1585, is also worth visiting. If however the traveler is more interested in knowing Cluj from a scientific point of view, visiting the Botanical Garden (with more than 10.000 taxa), the Zoological Museum or the Emil Racoviţă Speological Institute (the world’s first institute of this kind) is a must. The sightseeing tour should always end at the Cetăţuia, high above the city, offering a panoramic view of Cluj.

At the end of the day, if you are looking for a busy night life, Cluj will not be disappointing. Plenty of night café’s, pubs, cinemas and clubs await the tired, but still vivid visitor. There is no better way to end a fine day, than in the simple rooms of Bulgakov Café, the underground halls of the Music Pub, or the luxurious sofa’s of the Diesel.

Hereby we invite you to feel good in our Cluj, and explore all it has to offer.

City Council: www.primariaclujnapoca.ro
Additional information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca, www.lonelyplanet.com

designed by ejakab