urban cluj

Aug 30, 2009

Aug 29, 2009

Power Business Center

Power Business Center office building, on Dorobantilor street.

Aug 28, 2009

Bistro Viena

Two little twin girls running in front of Bistro Viena.

Aug 27, 2009

Biserica piariştilor

Piarists' Church (built in Baroque style by Jesuits in 1724 ), on Universitatii street.

Aug 26, 2009

Aug 25, 2009

Biciclişti în Parcul Caragiale

Young BMX riders in the Caragiale skate & bike park.

Aug 24, 2009

Steeple against the sky

Steeple against the summer sky on Donath street, in Grigorescu neighborhood.

Aug 23, 2009

Terasa de la Diesel

Street scene in Unirii square, near Diesel terrace.

Aug 22, 2009

Clădirea Prefecturii

The Prefecture Palace, built in Art Nouveau style at the turn of the 20th century, seen on a background of houses.

Aug 21, 2009

Parkingul de la Primărie

Multi-deck parking in Lucian Blaga square.

Aug 20, 2009

Che Guevara la Cărtureşti

The Che Guevara icon used in promoting an album of photos from Cuba, in a bookshop.

Aug 19, 2009

Houses on the hill

New houses on the hill, in Grigorescu residential area.

Aug 18, 2009

Fast food

Kiosk stuffed with junk food on the railway station platform.

Aug 17, 2009

Steeple above facades

St. Michael's Cathedral steeple seen above facades from Eroilor boulevard.

Aug 16, 2009

Facultatea de Ştiinţe Economice

The building of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FSEGA) of the Babes-Bolyai University.

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.