Cidade Industrial A toWN betWEEN WORLDS: ClUJ betWEEN THE END OF THE NINeteeNTH CeNTURY AND THE END OF THE TWENTIetH CeNTURY Phd. Roxana Dorina Pop Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of History and Philosophy, Romania
[email protected] 53 I Congresso Histórico Internacional. As cidades na História: População 54 Cidade Industrial Abstract Cluj has been one of the most important centres of Transylvania, in all respects. Placed strategically at the crossroads of several trade routes, Cluj was able to expand along them, and the existence of numerous guilds in the medieval period boosted the development of commerce and craftsmanship. Consequently, the economy of Cluj experienced in time a positive upswing, which boosted the emergence of another important process: urbanisation. The culture and the society, the politics and the economy of this region are undeniably the elements that have influenced the good development of this important settlement. The architectural image of Cluj today dates from the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, when the urban settlement changed its appearance, discarding its prevalently medieval aspect and being transformed into a modern city. The development of the local economy and governmental investments assisted with the modernisation of the city, and Cluj gradually lost its provincial flavour and witnessed an improvement in the quality of life, housing, access to services, the creation of new jobs and leisure areas, so much so that during the contemporary-communist period, the city turned into an industrial city, adopting a new type of concrete-based architecture. Introduction Cluj has been and will remain one of the most beautiful and impressive cities in Transylvania1, as well as one of Romania’s most important provinces.