Biography

In Cluj
You should see Matthias Corvinus' mounted statue and the old St. Michael's
Church in the Union Square -- right in the middle of the city. This gothic
architecture piece is one of the most valuable in Transylvania. Its murals date
from the 15th century, and the 50m neogothic tower was built in 1860. The
statue is always scaled by tourists, although officially this is not allowed.

The area around the Union Square is also a must see for the visitor, with the
Teleki and Banffy Palaces (the former now housing the National Art Museum),
the Franciscan Monastery, the first Unitarian Church in the world, the Piarist
Churches, the Mirror Street (Iuliu Maniu Street - a unique architectural
accomplishment dating back to the late 1800s) and Matthias Corvinus' place of
birth, a former 15th Century hotel now home to the Visual Arts Academy.

Smaller streets around the Square can take you into splendid inner courts, old
houses and isolated Churches. The Tailors' Bastion and the corresponding
section of the medieval wall is very well preserved, South-East of the Union
Square.

The Museum Square, a 2 minute walk from the Union Square, is home to the
Franciscan Monastery (a combination of baroque and gothic architecture dating
back to the 14th Century), the Transylvanian History Museum and the old
Obelisk of the City, offered to the City as acknowledgement of its statute by the
Austrian Emperor Franz Ferdinand in the 19th Century. You can have a nice
coffee right by the Obelisk, as during daytime the surrounding clubs and cafes
move out of their inside locations into cool, relaxing terraces.

The Botanical Garden [6] (Republicii no. 42) spreads over 14 hectares and
contains among others a small Japanese garden, greenhouses for ecuatorial
and tropical plants, a small water course through its middle, and a tower which
can be climbed to get a better view of the garden arrangements.

The Central Park is a welcome break from the rush of the city. The middle of the
park hosts a small lake and the Chios Casino, from the terrace of which you can
rent rowboats and hydrobicycles to circle the small island in the centre of the
lake.

The Cetatuia hill (Fortress Hill) used to hold a stronghold, as its name implies.
People were also jailed there. Not much of the old fortress remains, but the
Transylvania Hotel (also known to the locals as Belvedere) was built on top of
the hill, and besides the great view offers a good restaurant as well. The hill can
be climbed by stairs from the centre of the city. On the way you will also find a
large iron cross monument. A walkway circles the crown of the hill just below
the Hotel, offering a nice view to the city.

Other objectives include:
National Theater, Ştefan cel Mare Square nr. 24
Hungarian State Theater, Emil Isac nr. 26-28; [7]
Palace of Justice, Calea Dorobantilor nr. 2
Babeş-Bolyai University, Mihail Kogălniceanu nr. 1B; [8]
The Hazsongardi Cemetery,

Museums:
National Art Museum, Union Square nr. 30
National Museum of the History of Transylvania, Constantin Daicoviciu nr. 2
Emil Isac Memorial House, Emil Isac nr. 23
Etnography Museum of Transylvania, Memorandumului nr. 21;
National Etnography Park "Romulus Vuia", Tăietura Turcului
Zoology Museum, Clinicilor nr. 5-7

Around Cluj
Building in downtown Cluj
Somesu Rece fortress
Cuzdrioara fortress
Bologa fortress
Gherla fortress.
Liteni fortress
Gilau castle
Bocskai castle in Aghiresu
Banffy castles in Bontida, Rascruci and Borsa
Beldi castle in Geaca
Haller castle in Coplean
Kemeny Banffy castle in Luncani
Kornis caslte in Manastirea
Teleki fortress in Luna de jos
Ciucea, with the memorial house of Octavian Goga
Belis agrotouristic village with the Fantanele lake