urban cluj: Lost on the roofs

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.

urban cluj

Mar 31, 2010

Lost on the roofs

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Explorations into the urban character and life of the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

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