Cluj and Turda – Salt and Stone
In the northern reaches of the province of Transylvania, you will find an economically wealthy region that is powering a resurgence in the Romanian economy outside of Bucharest. The large urban centers of this region are the cities of Cluj and Turda, cities that are rich in culture and steeped in history.
When I approached first approached Turda, it was to grab a snack after a long morning of driving. The temperature had crept up to over a blistering 45 degrees Celsius and when I got out of my vehicle I could almost fell the heat radiating from the asphalt. Unfortunately it also heat washed most of my pictures!
Table of Contents
- History
- What to do in Turda?
- What to do in Cluj? (Ex-Cluj me but what is there to do here)
- Conclusion
History
Dacio-Roman Period
Small clusters of civilization have existed in this part of Transylvania since the Stone Age, yet these would not reach a certain level of importance until antiquity. During Dacian times, the Daciens being the original inhabitants of Romania, small settlement existed at both modern Cluj and Turda. By 106A.D Emperor Trajan had completed his conquest of Dacia and Napoca (Cluj) became an important settlement, a castrum (fortified camp) was built at Turda on the road to Cluj. The latter settlement was called Potaissa and it too would grow to become a municipum (city). Under the reign of Aurelian, the Romans withdrew from Dacia in by 275A.D. Salt mines in Potaissa have been in operation since prehistoric times.
After the Roman withdrawal these settlement were completely overrun and destroyed by migrating barbarian tribes, including the Magyars ancestors to the Hungarians in the 9th century. There is little known about this period.
Medieval Period
Under Steven I, the Magyars converted to Christianity and became a recognized kingdom within Europe (1003 A.D). The salt mine at Turda resumed operation in 1075, while settlements at Cluj and Turda were re-established in the 12th century by “Transylvanian Saxons”. These were Germans invited by Géza II of Hungary to help with the defense of this vast territory. Both Cluj and Turda, along with most of Hungary were destroyed by the Mongol Tartars in 1241. This prompted the building of citadel towns along with fortified churches. The Saxons were given special privileges and controlled Transylvania through a council called the Universitas Saxorum. Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus as born in Klausenburg (German for Cluj) in 1440. Both Cluj and Turda were important center for the Hungarian and later Transylvanian administrations.
Transylvania was called Siebenbürgen, German for the “The Seven Citadels”. These were: Bistriţa (Bistritz), Braşov (Kronstadt), Cluj (Klausenburg), Mediaş (Mediasch), Sebes (Mühlbach), Sibiu (Hermannstadt) and Sighişoara (Schassburg).
Principality of Transylvania, Austria and Romania
After Hungary was defeated by the Ottomans at the battle of Mohacs in 1526, the Kingdom of Hungary was dissolved. Transylvania limped on as part of a breakaway eastern Hungarian Kingdom, the Principality of Transylvania but was eventually reduced to a subservient vassalage by the Ottoman Empire. The protestant reformation took place in the 16th century and most of the Hungarians converted to Calvinism. The Saxons in Cluj deserted due to religious differences over the new Unitarian doctrine. The demographic change made the Hungarians the largest denomination in Cluj, along with the rest of northern Transylvania. Hence why important Hungarian families such as the Báthorys feature so prominently as governors. In 1601, Romanian (Wallachian) national hero Michael the Brave was assassinated by the Austro-Italian general Giorgio Basta (see Targu Mures) near Turda. The 16th and 17th centuries were a turbulent time where Hungarians, Austrians, Wallachians and Turks all vied for control of Transylvania, pillaging much of the countryside.
After the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, Transylvania was incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During Austrian rule the city of Cluj was twice the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. In the revolutions of 1848 the city joined the Hungarian side against the Austrian Crown. This revolution was crushed by Russia, called to help by the Austrian Emperor.
During the First World War, Romania joined the Triple Entente (Russia, UK and France). Early in the war, the Battle of Transylvania, a Romanian offensive in Transylvania took place. Although the battle resulted in a loss for the Romanian side it paved the way for their acquisition of Transylvania at the treaty of Versailles. In 1934, the famous salt mine at Turda was closed. The Second World War saw an occupation of western Transylvania by both Hungarian and German Forces but they were eventually dispatched by both Royalist Romanian along with Communist Russian troops during the Battle of Turda in 1944. This was the largest battle of the war fought on Transylvanian soil. By the 1960’s the Romanians were the ethnic majority in Cluj and the city renamed Cluj-Napoca by the communist authorities. During this time Turda became an important industrial center. Discrimination against ethnic Hungarians continued in the post communist years but seems to be settling down.
What to do in Turda?
Your trip to Turda should start on Piața Republicii, the main street in the city. Although some of the traditional architecture was taken down during the industrialization of the city, much of the multicolored facades still remains. Along the street, a pedestrian boulevard stretches out towards the catholic church Sfânta Maria, a 15th century Gothic construction. At the other hand you will find the reformed church of Turda, with its Germanic spire rising high above the city. This is another 15th century Gothic construction. The former church is important historically due to its role in the development of the religious history of Europe. In 1568 the church played host to the First Edict of Religious Tolerance and the Unitarian Church was declared. On this street you will also find a tourism office and a block away and just to the west of it, you will find the surprisingly useful Turda history museum located in a pretty rectangular stone building.
In a field just a few kilometer west of the city you will find the ruins of the roman Potaissa. This is not a must-see, as only a few stone foundations remain of the city.
The reason most people visit Turda is to access it’s famous salt mines. Outside of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, near city of Krakow (Poland), there are few places that exist like this. As mentioned earlier in the history section, salt has been excavated here since Antiquity, but most extraction took place primarily during the Medieval Era. The site was reopened in 1992 and received a massive makeover in 2010, reopening as a kind of underground theme park. This new fun based approach to the heritage site has seen much success and the mines are amongst Romania’s most spectacular attractions. The site entrance is located just north-east of the city via an underground access tunnel leading down to the mining shafts. An interesting fact about the mine is that the workers at this facility were free men and payed a salary of 12 florins a year for their work, this was a good gig for the medieval ages. Although the technology for mining was primitive, with pickaxes being used to carve the shafts, during your visit you will see the evolution of the technology used in the mine.
Due to the extreme heat overland, the cool temperatures of the mine were a welcome and frankly a much needed relief.
The further you go into the mine, the more salt you will see formed on the cavern walls. The first sections of the mine include a series of tunnels leading to larger rooms called galleries, such as the popular Franz Josef Gallery. These rooms include items and explanation relating to the mining process used at this facility. One mine shaft worth checking out is the Iosif mine, carved in the salt, it is known for its pristine echoes.
Another point of interest is the Crivac. This wooden machine dates from 1881 and is one of the few original machines left of its kind. The machines was powered by animals and used to transport salt blocks up the shaft to the top of the mine. The Rudolf mine explores the different eras of salt exploration that you will encounter as you go further down into the bowels of the earth (the shallow shafts tend to be the youngest and the lower leveled one tend to be the most recent).
Eventually, you should make your way to the main hall of the mine. This deep gallery is simply stunning. A long elevator shaft takes you over 112 meters down into the belly of the operation. You will find the amusement park in this area. This includes a large Ferris wheel, a miniput as well as table games such as ping pong and billiards. In the conically shaped Terezia mine next to the main hall you will find a salt lake with an island. A pathway leads to paddle-boats that you can rent. This island was formed by a large cluster of residual salts after the shaft ceased operation in 1880.
What to do in Cluj? (Ex-Cluj me but what is there to do here)
Approaching the city from the roadway built on the towering heights to the south, you can see a messy tangle of houses radiating from the old town core, spreading though the valley below. At the center of all this is the St. Michael’s Church, possibly the most imposing church in Romania. You should start your visit to Cluj here in the public plaza built in front of the church.
The massive religious structure was built in the 15th century, in Gothic style. The nave is a solid 24 meters in height and the tower is a staggering eighty meters! The building has been host to many important events in Hungarian history. In 1551, Queen Isabella of Hungary gave the Hungarian Crown to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria in this building, ceding Hungary and Transylvania to the Habsburg dynasty. Furthermore in 1944 Áron Márton, the Bishop of Cluj spoke out against the deportation of Jews, the official policy of the Romanian government of the time. For his brave and unselfish actions he was honoured at Vad Vashem as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations”. Several Princes of Transylvania were elected at the cathedral while the city was Cluj capital of the Principality (early 17th century). These include Sigismund Báthory, Sigismund Rákóczi, Gabriel Báthory and Gabriel Bethlen (see Deva).
Just to the east of the church you will find Bánffy Palace, a baroque building designed for a Hungarian duke. It is now an art museum. In front of the church you will find the Matthias Corvinus Monument. Constructed in 1902, it portrays the great King of Hungary on a horseback, surrounded by the administrators of Transylvania. Covinus is the son of John Huyadi, a Transylvanian-Hungarian Hero who mentored Vlad Tepes (see Hunedoara). Corvinus would grow the kingdom of Hungary to its greatest extent. He was renowned for his strong sense of justice and to a lesser extent his crushing taxation, a result of the many wars fought. Lamenting his death, the peasantry referred to their lost king as “Matthias the Just”.
When you leave the confines of cathedral, you will get a sense from the city blocks that you are in one of the great cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The buildings all have intricate facades and trams intersect the busy streets. You will find the cobblestone old town a reflection of some of the best towns in Europe yet you will be dragged right back in the the busy asphalt roads at a moments notice. This is still an active city!
To the south you will find the house of Mattias Corvinus, along with a 12th century Franciscan church and the Museum of Transylvania, a history institution detailing life in the region since the stone age along with other periods of history (including some Egyptian sarcophagus). Furthermore just outside the cathedral you can find the Pharmacology museum (Casa Hintz), it is the oldest pharmacy in Cluj, operating since 1574.
To the north, just outside the old town you will find the pretty central cemetery along with the botanical gardens. The 14 hectare site contains 11000 different kinds of species and was built in the 1920’s. You will also get the chance to see the Piarist church a brightly painted 18th century baroque church attached to Babes-Bolyai University.
The the east you will find Tailors’ Tower, the remnant of a 15th century wall. It is at the edge of a linear park that contains some of the most striking buildings in the city. This includes the orange National Theater Lucian Blaga, my favorite building in Cluj, along with the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, a byzantine-renaissance style beauty.
Finally outside the immediate city, to the west you will find Hoia, the “Haunted Forest” know for its oddly shaped trees and ghastly stories. Closer to the city you will find the Parcul Central – one of the oldest public spaces in Eastern Europe and the home of the old Cluj Casino.
Conclusion
From Cluj it is possible to explore the very north of Romania but this is an adventure for another day. Enjoy your time in Turda and Cluj, although time has passed them by both are making bids at a revival. Cluj is funneling its student town might and Turda, harnessing its post industrial creativity.
