urban cluj: March 2010

Mar 31, 2010

Mar 30, 2010

Mar 29, 2010

Sky and steeple

Sky and steeple from an inner court in a blue night.

Mar 28, 2010

Mar 27, 2010

Crow

Hooded crow walking by a student dorm in Iuliu Hatieganu park.

Mar 26, 2010

Mar 25, 2010

Office building

Office building on Calea Turzii. The last spots of snow are melting under the trees...

Mar 24, 2010

Mar 23, 2010

Mar 22, 2010

Autostrada Transilvania

Portion of Transylvania Motorway running west of the city.

Mar 21, 2010

Suburban

Suburban development in the Southern part of the city.

Mar 20, 2010

Mar 19, 2010

Block

Apartment block in Plopilor residential area.

Mar 18, 2010

Planting trees

Planting trees in front of the newly built Japanese Cultural Center.

Mar 17, 2010

Mar 16, 2010

Disco inferno

Run-down urban corner: former Atlantic discotheque.

Mar 15, 2010

Mar 14, 2010

Mar 13, 2010

Mar 12, 2010

Mar 11, 2010

Church detail

Detail of the Dormition of the Theotokos Orthodox Cathedral.

Mar 10, 2010

Mar 9, 2010

Mar 8, 2010

Mar 7, 2010

Mar 6, 2010

Mar 5, 2010

Animals

While every living creature was waiting for the sun,
an unexpected snow fell down.

Mar 4, 2010

Exhibition

Unconventional drawing exhibition in Carturesti bookstore.

Mar 3, 2010

Mar 2, 2010

Mar 1, 2010

Billboard effect

Cluj is the third big city in Romania considering its population, with a general number of residents & commuters in its metro area of about 400,000.

It is largely known as the capital-city of the historical province of Transylvania - land of medieval citadels, wild crags, caves and forests, and the famous figure of Dracula.

Historically speaking Cluj was settled as a colony by the Romans (Colonia Aurelia Napoca) by the 2nd century CE, from where came the name of Napoca, and thereafter developed as fortress and city by the Hungarians, Saxons and Austrians - which conferred it the cultural, architectural, and urban influences of the multicultural Central Europe. Romanians, who constantly were the dominant rural population around the city, became the city rulers in 1918, when Transylvania became part of Romania, and developed it, especially within the Communist regime, after the 1947, by constructing large industries and working-class neighborhoods.

Along its history, Cluj acknowledged periods of progress and illuminism - sustained by a notable university and the medical and legal centers developed here already since the 16th century - together with warfare, nationalistic and religious troubles and stagnation - due to medieval invasions, far-right politics encouraging hostilities between Magyars and Romanians, and religious tensions between Greek-Catholics and Greek-Orthodoxs.

Today it is considered among the major hotbeds of development regarding the human capital in the region - due to its large number of university students, vibrant culture, safe social and economic environment, and perspectives for further development.