Beginning with the 18th century, Transylvania came under the jurisdiction of the Habsburg Empire. In 1817, the imperial family, Francis I and Empress Carolina, visited the city situated on the banks of the SomeÈ™ Mic river. The obelisk bearing the queen’s name was built in the city’s main square – today Unirii Square – to commemorate this visit. On the obelisk with a height of 10 m we find bas-reliefs depicting the coat of arms of Medieval Cluj, the entrance of the imperial family on the main gate of the city, the visit to various institutions and a Latin inscription attesting the visit. These bas-reliefs were made by the Viennese sculptor Iosef Klieber.
In the upper part of the obelisk you can see the bas-relief with the portrait of the two family members, the angel wearing the effigies in a laurel wreath and the four stone eagles holding in their beaks the wrought iron laurels, the latter being made by Anton Csuros and Samuel Nagy from Cluj. The obelisk was completed with the financial support of prosecutor Imre Topler. The monument has been located since 1898 in the Museum Square, which was the main square of the town from the Roman Era until the 14th century.