Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca (Romanian: [ˈkluʒ naˈpoka] ⓘ), or simply Cluj (Hungarian: Kolozsvár [ˈkoloʒvaːr] ⓘ, German: Klausenburg), is the second-most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (445 kilometres (277 miles)), Budapest (461 km (286 mi)) and Belgrade (483 km (300 mi)). Located in the Someșul Mic river valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital of the historical province of Transylvania. For some decades prior to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.
Cluj-Napoca | |
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From top and left: Cluj-Napoca panorama • St. Michael's Church • Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral • Medieval house of Matthias Corvinus • Romanian National Opera • Babeș-Bolyai University | |
| Nickname(s): | |
Location in Cluj County | |
Cluj-Napoca Location within Romania | |
| Coordinates: 46°46′N 23°35′E | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Cluj County |
| Status | County seat |
| Founded | 1213 (first official record as Clus) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2024) | Emil Boc (PNL) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Dan Tarcea (PNL) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Emese Oláh (UDMR) |
| • City Manager | Gheorghe Șurubaru (PNL) |
| Area | |
| • City | 179.5 km2 (69.3 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,537.5 km2 (593.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 340 m (1,120 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • City | 286,598 |
| • Density | 1,597/km2 (4,140/sq mi) |
| • Metro (2011) | 411,379 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal Code | 400xyz1 |
| Area code | +40 x642 |
| Car Plates | CJ3 |
| Website | primariaclujnapoca |
| 1x, y, and z are digits that indicate the street, part of the street, or even the building of the address 2x is a digit indicating the operator: 2 for the former national operator, Romtelecom, and 3 for the other ground telephone networks 3used just on the plates of vehicles that operate only within the city limits (such as trolley buses, trams, utility vehicles, ATVs, etc.) | |
As of 2021, 286,598 inhabitants lived within the city limits (making it the country's second most populous at the time, after the national capital Bucharest). The Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area had a population of 411,379 people, while the population of the peri-urban area (Romanian: zona periurbană) exceeded 420,000 residents. The new metropolitan government of Cluj-Napoca became operational in December 2008. According to a 2007 estimate provided by the County Population Register Service, the city hosts a visible population of students and other non-residents—an average of over 20,000 people each year during 2004–2007. The city spreads out from St. Michael's Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael, Cluj's patron saint. The boundaries of the municipality contain an area of 179.52 square kilometres (69.31 sq mi).
Cluj experienced a decade of decline during the 1990s, its international reputation suffering from the policies of its mayor at the time, Gheorghe Funar. Today, the city is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centres in Romania. Among other institutions, it hosts the country's largest university, Babeș-Bolyai University, with its botanical garden; nationally renowned cultural institutions; as well as the largest Romanian-owned commercial bank. Cluj-Napoca held the titles of European Youth Capital in 2015, and European City of Sport in 2018.