Easy hikes and walks in Cluj

For many years, an imposing religious building has been under construction in the city center, which will belong to the Greek Catholic Church of Romania. The cathedral on Cipariu Square (Catedrala Greco-Catolică a Martirilor și Mărturisitorilor Secolului 20) is dedicated to the martyrs and confessors of the faith of the 20th century, in memory of those who sacrificed themselves for their faith, including the great hierarchs Iuliu Hossu, Alexandru Russu, Valeriu Traian Frențiu, and Ioan Bălan. Construction of the cathedral began in 1993 and was interrupted in 2000 due to a lack of funds and project changes. Regarding the dimensions and architectural details, the residents of Cluj must still wait for the construction to be completed. The plans approved in the building permit are impressive, even though they have been revised downwards: 72 meters high (originally 98) and with 1,500 seats (originally 2,500). The building is designed to have five floors, and the three towers to eight. It is unknown when construction will resume.

The Palace of Justice was built between 1898 and 1902 in the eclectic style. It is a representative building of Belle Époque architecture, designed by the architect Gyula Wagner. The building houses several courts, including the Cluj Court of Appeal. The Palace of Justice is shaped like an irregular quadrangle and has thirteen courtyards that provide ventilation and lighting. There are two entrances: one on the north façade and a second on the west façade. Both façades are richly decorated.

The statue of Avram Iancu in front of the Orthodox Cathedral replaced the monument to Soviet heroes on this site. The Iancu Monument was created in 1993 by the Swiss-based sculptor Ilie Berindei at the initiative of former mayor Gheorghe Funar. It sparked fierce aesthetic controversy in Cluj. The statue's base rises from the center of an artesian well. It is made of stone blocks symbolizing the rocks of the Apuseni Mountains, Iancu's birthplace. Above it, Avram Iancu, the hero of the Romanian Revolution of 1848, is immortalized in bronze. With his back to the Orthodox Cathedral, he faces the Romanian Opera House, whose access staircase is flanked by statues of the poets Lucian Blaga and Mihai Eminescu.

The Romanian National Opera (Opera Națională Română) was founded in 1919, one year after the city was annexed by Romania following World War I. The Hungarian operatic scene, which had flourished since 1822, was preserved as part of the Hungarian-language theater on Emil Isac Street. The building on Bulevardul Eroilor, built in 1906 in the Rococo style for the Hungarian Theater, has also housed the Romanian National Theater since 1919.

St. Michael's Church in Cluj (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Mihail, Hungarian: Szent Mihály-templom) is the most important example of a Gothic hall church in Transylvania. The choir was built in the first construction phase around the middle of the 14th century. The building was originally intended to have two towers, but one remained unfinished. The church is currently used by the Roman Catholic congregation of Cluj. From 1566 until the Counter-Reformation in 1716, St. Michael's Church served as the parish church of the Unitarian congregation.

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral on Avram Iancu Square was built between 1923 and 1933, immediately after the unification of Transylvania with Romania. It is one of the city's most important religious buildings. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1973, when the eparchial see of Cluj was elevated to the rank of an archdiocese, the church became the archiepiscopal cathedral. Since 2006, the building has served as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac, and Cluj, which is also the seat of the Metropolitans of Cluj, Maramureș, and Sălaj. It is currently the third-highest cathedral in Romania after the Evangelical Cathedral of Sibiu and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timișoara.

Interestingly enormous church set to be finished soon.

Beautiful path through Borzești Gorge! Such a quiet and lovely place