Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTHERN TRANSYLVANIA
Stretching north towards Maramureş, Transylvania's treats don't stop. Cluj-Napoca is a
pulsing student town chock with cafes and culture, and is a popular gateway to the caves
and hikes of the Apuseni Mountains just southwest. Further north, the Bârgău Valley served
as the perfect setting for Bram Stoker's
Dracula
.
During WWII, northern Transylvania fell under pro-Nazi Hungarian rule. Under the
Diktat of Vienna of 30 August 1940, the Axis powers, Germany and Italy, forced Romania
to cede 43,493 sq km and a population of 2.6 million to Hungary. During the four years of
occupation, thousands of Romanians were imprisoned and tortured while entire villages
were massacred. Northern Transylvania was not recovered until 25 October 1944 when,
following the liberation of Satu Mare, the territory fell back into Romanian hands.
Cluj-Napoca
POP 294,800
It may not be flanked by epic mountains or be as instantly arresting as Braşov or Sibiu, but
Cluj is big on charm and in no time you'll be infected by it. Film capital of Romania, the
city is bursting with students and cineastes; in fact its
Transylvania International Film
Festival
(
www.tiff.ro
)
, held each year in the last week of May, attracts plenty of interna-
tional talent, while the
Transilvania Jazz Festival
(
www.transilvaniajazzfestival.ro
)
, held
in October, is another cultural highlight.
Romania's largest student population make this city their home, and with its boulevards,
baroque architecture, bohemian cafe society, and back streets animated with bon viveurs
and subterranean bars, you can see why. It's also a great base for renting a car, has several
good travel agencies, and serves as a common shooting-off point for the Apuseni Moun-
tains and further-flung Maramureş.
Thanks to one-way streets complicating Central Cluj, your best bet is to park up and see
the city by foot. The train station is 1km north of the town centre, where many of the sites
and hotels are within walking distance of one another. Head to the excellent tourist office
for a map of the city.
