Napoca – Cluj – Koloszvar – Klausenbrug – Claudiopolis … Romania’s treasure city. Legend has it that back in Constantinople, the Turkish sultan found out about a city in Transylvania, called Cluj, known as “the treasure city”. He immediately decided to send his best spies to gather information about this treasure and plan an attack to conquer it. The spies arrived in “the Heart of Transylvania” and began searching for the treasure. A couple of weeks into their search, they kidnapped an old man and asked him where the treasure was. He told them that they weren’t the first and they will certainly not be the last come here in search of the treasure, yet but nobody has ever found it. However, the old man said, the treasure was all around them: different confessions and different cultures living together in peace, thousands of years of history and culture, small streets, guarding hills, students coming here to uncover the secrets of the world and so much more. The Turkish spies returned to the sultan disappointed as they couldn’t bring any real treasure chest with them but happy for they had seen something more important than that: a place of tolerance and peace.
The old man was right: the city itself is the treasure, and that treasure not a single army in the world could take away. Ever since, many “modern spies” come here each year to witness and take a little bit of this treasure with them.
City Compass in collaboration with City Tours & Events is happy to invite you become such a “modern spy”, and share with you the treasure city for a weekend, discovering some of the sights and activities that make the people of Cluj very proud of their city.
Day 1: Bucharest – Săvădisla – Cluj:
After arriving in Cluj, you will be transferred to your hotel and after the check in, leave for Săvădisla/ Tordaszenlaszlo. Here, in an old traditional Hungarian village, we are invited for supper at a local family-owned restaurant http://www.tamasbistro.ro/. Homemade specialties, like wild boar sausage, Hungarian gulas or cranberry liquor are part of the menu. In the evening we will return to Cluj.
Day 2: Cluj – Turda – Feleac
After breakfast get ready to discover Cluj. The tour is going to start in front of your hote
l and is going to last for about two hours. Starting with the ruins of the old Roman camp, we’ll discover the old Benedictine monastery, the square of the history museum and we will meet one of the city’s famous sons, Matthias Corvinus. The Catholic Church “St. Michael”, a milestone in Cluj (the second largest Gothic church in Transylvania) is an absolute must on our program. The Bannfy Palace, Continental Hotel, “old Town Hall ” and the “mirror street” complete the city’s urban architecture. The headquarters of the « Babes Bolyai » University showcase the city’s student tradition, Cluj being the host of more than 100,000 students every year. Our tour ends with the visit of the Orthodox Cathedral and of the National Theater, built in the former lumberjack market.
At noon, we will get the chance to discover the traditional cuisine of the city and taste the famous “cabbage a la Cluj”.
In the afternoon we will depart from Cluj and drive to Turda. The city is extremely important in the history of Transylvania. It’s the place where the “religious freedom act” was signed, where five Catholic and Reformed denominations were welcomed, the princedom becoming thus one of the most tolerant states in Europe. In the Middle Ages the city was very rich due to the salt mines that were to be found here. Ever since Roman times, these mines were exploited, the salt produced here being taken to Rome. Later, the mines were to become prisons for the most feared bandits. Few people managed to come out alive from the “prison”, the majority being condemned to work here their whole lives. Recently, a massive investment transformed the salt mine into an interesting museum and multipurpose center. We invite you to discover the big galleries, the old extraction machines and feel the unique climate famous for its wellness properties. http://www.salinaturda.eu/.
Returning to Cluj, we’ll make one more stop in the small village of Feleacu, only a couple of kilometers away. Here we can visit one of Cluj’s most valuable architectural treasures: an orthodox medieval church. Built in the 16th century by the Moldavian prince Stefan the Great, it is one of the few orthodox churches in Transylvania built in gothic style. This church is a perpetual source for discoveries, as only last year archeologists discovered here the graves of Transylvania’s first Greek Orthodox bishops.
In the evening we will get a chance to discover the lively night atmosphere of Cluj and go out for dinner.
Day 3: Cluj – Bonţida:
After breakfast we invite you to discover Cluj’s atmosphere on a Sunday morning. Young and old gather in the morning and go side by side to church. Orthodox churches lie next to Catholic and Protestant, each confession having its own place in this colorful religion mosaic.
Before noon, we also invite you to visit one of Europe’s biggest botanical gardens. In a romantic, remote corner of Cluj, on a surface of 14 hectares and hosting over 10.000 different species of plants, lies Cluj’s biggest “green corner”. Both professionals, as amateurs will find a walk through the Japanese and Roman gardens an enchanting and relaxing experience.
Next on our list is one of Transylvania best hidden treasures: the Banffy Castle in Bontida. In the 18th century, Denes Banffy, one of the richest noblemen in Transylvania, decided to build a large castle here, similar to the ones he had seen in Western Europe. He brought architects from Vienna and ordered them to design it as similar as possible to the Versailles in Paris. When the building was finished it was a masterpiece… It had 25 rooms of different dimensions, huge chandeliers and a huge kitchen (which for security reasons was built outside the castle). Being passionate about horses, to the count ordered the building of massive stables that could house 25 horses. Moreover, his two favorite horses were given special treatment, being fed from special Carrera marble pots.
The castle hosted hundreds of balls and weddings until the Second World War when it was severely damaged by the German troops and then confiscated by the Communist authorities, who then abandoned it. It took over 50 years for the castle to be handed back to the Banffy family and restoration work to start in the year 2000. This process is very long and very expensive, but with the help of “Transylvania Trust” foundation and the restoration school that exists here, it has a good chance of being finished. We invite you to discover the secrets and legends behind one of Transylvania’s biggest castles, to learn its history and hear from the experts themselves about the unique process in which a monument of this magnitude can be restored and given back to the community.
In the afternoon you will head to the airport, leave your guide and check in for your flight back to Bucharest.
Our offer covers:
- accommodation in 3-star hotel Arena http://pensiuneaarena.ro/ (accommodation in 4 or 5 star hotels can be arranged as well, if requested)
- transport by car/mini-bus throughout the stay
- English-speaking guide for the entire duration
- dinner in Savadisla on the first evening
- lunch on Day 2 and picnic on Day 3
- museum fees
- guide and driver expenses (meals, fee)
Our offer does not include transport from Bucharest to Cluj and back. In this regard we recommend:
- Air – www.tarom.ro: Friday 23/09/2011 OTP-CLJ: 17.35-18.25 (a later flight is available, but we recommend this one, to experience the Hungarian dinner in Savadisla), Sunday 25/09/2011: CLJ-OTP: 18.55-19.55 – current price 147.41 EUR (might change according to booking date)
- Railway – there are several trains going from Bucharest to Cluj and return, please check www.mersultrenurilorcfr.ro
Reservation/Booking: tours@citycompass.ro
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