The first church built in Huedin on the current Avram Iancu Street, is supposed to be dated around 1200, and its important extensions take place in the XIV-XVI centuries. From the second half of the 16th century, it remained under the jurisdiction of the Reformed-Calvinist denomination. It is a church surrounded by a wall, the pulpit is made in Gothic style, and the ceiling is coffered and has an astrological calendar painted.
Beliş – Fântânele lake goes into the category of artificial accumulation lakes, being located at the confluence between Gilău Mountains (East), Vlădeasa Mountains (West) and Muntele Mare (South), Cluj County. It has an area of 9.8 square km and a length of 13 km, being located at an altitude of 990 m. The main purpose of the lake structure is the electricity production, this dam providing the necessary flow to the hydroelectric power station in Marisel.
Between 1970 – 1974, the villages located on the Someşul Cald valley were displaced, people being forced to leave their households. During dry summers, when the flow of the lake is very low, you can see the ruins of the Giurcuţa de Jos church.
Currently, on the shore of the lake is the tourist resort Beliș-Fântânele.
Matthias Corvinus House is an important attraction point of the city because the greatest king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, was born here. The building located on the street that bears his name was built before 1443, the year in which Matthias, son of Iancu de Hunedoara, who was the voivode of Transylvania at that time, was born.
It is a Gothic building, the oldest in the city, which was built by merging three houses, undergoing several changes over time. The ogival gate being the defining architectural element that frames it in this style.
In gratitude for the fact that this house provided shelter for his mother and for being his birthplace, Matthias Corvinus issued a decree, respected by all the kings of Hungary who succeeded him, by which this house was exempted forever from taxes payment.
In the 18th century, the house became part of the city’s patrimony, taking shape in turn as a military hospital and as a prison.
Starting with the 20th century, it enters the patrimony of the Transylvanian Carpathian Society, which opens here a beautiful museum, in the same time with the unveiling of the statue of Matthias Corvinus. With over 8,000 objects and 5,000 books, dedicated to tourism, balneology and ethnography, the museum was at that time one of the largest in Transylvania.
After World War II, the building served as a college for students, and later became the headquarters of the Art and Design University.
Iclod Rural Museum is located in the commune with the same name from Cluj County and houses archaeological collections that date from prehistory. Initially organized in only one room, the museum was extended, having in total over 8.000 exhibits in the present, among which are: ceramics, weapons, tools, ornaments, etc.
In the present the museum houses over 18.000 pieces included in 5 collections. The permanent exhibition (arranged in three rooms) presents through the archaeological and documentary materials the evolution of human society from Palaeolithic until the 18th century. In the glass cabinets are inserted exhibits discovered in Gherla and in the limitrophe areas belonging to Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Dacian and Roman period, as well as those belonging to the Middle Ages. In the summer of 2006, the Roman and medieval lapidarium was varnished (arranged in the yard of the museum), which includes many stone monuments (columns, funerary stars, frames, bricks with inscriptions, etc). Two of the floor rooms bear the name of Francophone Room and Germanophile Room and they were decorated through the financial and material support from the cities Yzeure from France and Forchheim from Germany, cities associated with Gherla municipality. In these rooms are found traditional costumes from the two countries, besides a rich bibliographic material.
The History Museum from Gherla has a rich patrimony, the vestiges discovered in the area of the Roman camp being noticeable (coins, weapons, sculptures, a military diploma dated from 123 A.D.) and a series of documents that certify the settling of Armenians in this city.
The museum building was built in 1860 by the architect Grigore Pongracz, and the owner of the building was the baron Naláczi Carol. Located in the central square – Bobâlna Square, the initial function of the building was that of restaurant and hotel.
Dej Municipal Museum was built in 1925. The collection is formed from pieces representing Roman inscriptions, ethnography and folklore objects, architectonic fragments, ceramic tubs for water supply, rushlights, weapons, coins. A special category is the fossil remains of mammoths: incisors, molars and bones. An interesting discovery from the museum is the monetary treasure discovered at Nireş (near Dej), formed from 30 silver coins. The existence of a salt mine (Dej salt mine) in Deja locality contributed to the development of the science and technique collection with tools specific to exploitation, such as: an old scale for weighing salt, a wooden wheelbarrow for salt transportation, a pulley for mounting the salt to the surface, oil lamps of miners, models of modern machinery.
The History Museum from Turda was built in 1943, the patrimony of the museum integrating approximately 30.000 objects representative for all historical periods. The first exhibits date from middle Palaeolithic (cave bear skulls, rhinoceros and mammoth teeth), continuing with Neolithic (polished stone axes, weavers), but also with the Bronze era which is very well represented by domestic utensils, tools, weapons, ornaments. The collection of the Roman era is best represented by epigraphic and sculptural monuments, as well as architectonic elements – such as capitals, column trunks, column bases.
An attraction object is the big-sized painting (3/4 m), painted in 1898, by the Hungarian painter Kōrōssfōy Krisch Aladar which has in the centre the figure of the reformer David Francisc. The painting illustrates the scene of freedom proclamation for religious cults in Transylvania within the Diet from Turda from 1568 held in the Roman-Catholic Church.
Intended for Vama Sării from Turda, the building served also as temporary residence of Transylvanian princes during the visits in the area, from where comes the name of Royal House or Voivodal Palace.
”Octavian Goga” Memorial Museum was built in 1967, following the donation made to the Romanian state by Veturia Goga, the widow of the poet. The patrimony of the institution includes over 14.000 pieces organized in collections, exhibited or stored in the rooms of the museum complex.
The museum evokes the life and activity of the big poet by means of documents, books and photographs but especially through the exhibition of a big number of objects who belonged to him, such as: a German chest from the 18th century, a Florentine case made in Transylvania in the 16th century, 2 armchairs covered with Cordoba leather from the 17th century, as well as the Bidermazer armchairs and sofas. Between 1938 and 1958, through the efforts of the poet’s widow, Veturia Goga, the ”Mausoleum” was built, funerary monument erected according to the plans of the architect G.M. Cantacuzino, where the human remains of the national poet and of his wife are found.
Closed for restoration. Temporary exhibitions: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 10.00-16.00, Wednesday – 12.00-18.00.
The National History Museum of Transylvania from Cluj-Napoca is the continuer of the first museum association from Transylvania, the Association of Transylvanian Museum, founded in 1859.
The initial patrimony of the Transylvanian Museum could be classified in more collections according to the nature of the objects: geology-mineralogy, natural sciences and antiquities, a numismatic cabinet, a library and a historical archive with 1083 manuscripts.
The Transylvanian Museum also has an impressive collection of paintings from initial donations, as well as an important collection of Transylvanian plates, engraving and postcards. Within the Dacian-Roman section were also exhibited the collection of Egyptian and Greek objects as well as the most valuable collection of Romanian art from Transylvania, “Cioflec” art gallery. The museum is momentarily closed but temporary exhibitions are still organized within it.
DN1 FN, Floreşti commune, Floreşti, Cluj Water Plant (on the right side of E 60 highway in the direction Cluj-Napoca – Oradea at the entrance to Floreşti Commune).
The entrance and visit of the Water Museum is free but it can be made only after an appointment.
Cluj Water Museum was inaugurated in 1992 by the County Autonomous Public Entity for Water – Sewerage from Cluj (the current Someş Water Company). The section in open air of the museum includes tubular materials which suggest the path of the drinking water from the source to the consumer and then the return of used water in nature. In the museum are found different documents, papers, photographs and technical plans, which certify the history of water and sewerage supply of Cluj city. The museum functions under the motto “Water is Life” and in the museum room is found an artesian well which supports this truth. This museum is the first and only Water Museum from Romania, one of the few of this type from the world.
