Cluj Napoca

Unfortunately, due to the weather, I don't have many pictures of Cluj, but it was quite a beautiful city and I think I gained the most from our meetings here. Some of its major landmarks include Union Square, St. Michael's Church, the Calvinist Reformed Church, St. Peter and Paul Church and Fortress Hill. I'm really glad that we got to see the city from Fortress Hill, because not only did I capture the wonderful image above, but it was fun to look at a 3D map while Ursula pointed out the important areas.

With a population of 310,243, Cluj remains an extremely important city both culturally and economically. Because of its size and heritage, it experienced rapid industrialization relative to the rest of the country in the 1960s. It became home to many businesses including factories, hospitals and financial institutions, some of which have become nationally known brands. Its economic development can also be seen in other ways, such as the presence of the countries largest mall and the presence of international outlets. Its cultural heritage it notable in many ways. Cluj-Napoca is home to many extravagant churches and cathedrals in order to fulfill the needs of the many minority groups present. They also have wonderful establishments to support the arts.  In 1919, the National Theater and Romanian Opera opened with its first Romanina production to commemorate the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918. These have allowed access to cultural events for Romanians and foreigners alike. I, for one, was very impressed by the Cluj Orchestra during out visit to the opera and always find it a privilege to enjoy the culture aspects of other countries.

Another fascinating aspect about Cluj Napoca is the prevalence of students and universities. The city itself has six state universities and seven private universities with about 100,000 students living and studying in the city at any given time. The most prominent university, Babes-Boylai University, was officially established in 1872 and currently has about 50,000 students enrolled. What I found amazing about the University is that students can take a variety of majors in either Hungarian, Romanian, and to a lesser extent German. Once again, I was astounded at how well the Romanian government and people handle their multi-ethnicity. Though the Romania currently struggles to be competitive in the international domain, its hard for me to believe that raising this generation with ethnic tolerance and multilingual will benefit Romania in the future.

Another thing that was more apparent in Cluj than it had been in Sibiu, or any of the other cities that we visited briefly was the communist influence. On December 21st, 1989, in accordance with Ceausescu's speech, a violent revolution burst out in Piata Unirii and twenty two people died throughout the city. This history with communism was more apparent in the occasional dilapidated building. Though major efforts have been made to modernize Cluj, given the severity of the communist regime, it has been a long slow process. Certainly, a visit in 20 years would be a much different experience.

Although the city itself was interesting, my favorite part about Cluj was the visits with the Hungarian party and political advisor of the Roma King. It is these sort of interactions that make travel so special and make you realize the value of Franklin. Both men opened my eyes to the difficulty of not only procuring minority rights, but maintaining them. The Hungarian representative was so charismatic and intelligible that it was difficult to believe he was a politician. He outlined several of the difficulties that Hungarians will face in coming years including mixed marriages and party divisions. This undermines the purity of Hungarian culture and creates greater challenges for passing minority legislations if there is disagreement within the group. I think that the maintenance of education in their mother tongue will be one of the most important aspects of maintaining Hungarian Romanian culture and citizenship. 

The meeting with Mr. Lefters was equally enchanting with a touch more fascination. I had heard folklore about the Roma and am accustomed to Western European opinion of the gypsies, but it engaging to hear about the culture from a knowledgable source. After listening to someone as intelligent and Mr. Lefters discuss the Roma culture, it appears as though ignorance is the fundamental cause of discrimination, as with many forms of racism. He predicts that only 10-15% of the Roma people are characterized as thieves and mooches and they've been exiled from their own communities. Mr. Lefters said that he was off to a meeting the next day in Bucharest to discuss the King's opinion that such thieves should be imprisoned and that their actions are not condoned by the Roma people. I would like for this sentiment to resonate with as many as possible, because many Roma have suffered at the hands of 10% of a population that they don't even associate with. Despite and because of  their distinct cultural practices, the Roma culture should be preserved and respected.