Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS International Conference on Economy and Management Transformation (Volume II) The Local Public Administration Initiates the Branding Process of Cluj-Napoca Professor, PhD LIVIU ILIEŞ Department of Management Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca Teodor Mihali Street No 58-60, 400591 Cluj-Napoca ROMÂNIA [email protected] http://www.econ.ubbcluj.ro Lecturer PhD ALEXANDRA VIORICA DULĂU Department of Modern Languages and Business Communication Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca Teodor Mihali Street No 58-60, 400591 Cluj-Napoca ROMÂNIA [email protected] http://www.econ.ubbcluj.ro Teaching Assistant, PhD Candidate MONICA MARIA COROŞ Business Department Faculty of Business, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca Horea Street No 6, 400174 Cluj-Napoca ROMÂNIA [email protected] http://www.tbs.ubbcluj.ro Master Student MARIUS EMIL COROŞ Public Administration Department Faculty of Political, Administration and Communication Sciences, Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai Cluj-Napoca General Traian Moşoiu Street No 71, 400132 Cluj-Napoca ROMÂNIA [email protected] http://www.apubb.ro Abstract: Starting from Simon Anholt’s city branding hexagon, we intend to identify those elements that are relevant for the branding project of the city initiated by the local public administration. We attempt to find an answer to the following two questions: How do first year students enrolled at Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai perceive the city in relation with Transylvania? And How is Cluj-Napoca’s tourist potential appreciated by other Romanian’s? The results of our paper rely on the finding of two different survey-based researches that we have undertaken in 2009. Key-Words: Tourism, Cluj-Napoca, City brand index, Image, Heritage, Public administration 1 Introduction garden, quickly developing business and economic The city of Cluj-Napoca has always attempted to take center, lively entertainment, proficient medical services, seriously its geographic, historic, cultural and economic competitive sports teams, etc. position that grants it the title of Transylvania’s Capital. Throughout centuries, the life of the city has Nevertheless, figures concerning the city’s tourist revolved around the Church and, of course, around the activity have not yet confirmed this position. University, too. Everything changed after the Cluj-Napoca cannot be regarded otherwise than as instauration of the communist ruling in Romania. The the sum of everything it means: multicultural assets, a former dictator, Nicolae Ceauşescu, had the dream of centuries-long tradition of higher education, remarkable transforming Romania and all of its cultural poles into personalities (from science to history, from medicine to industrial production centers. Obviously, the literature), valuable pieces of architecture, interesting communists’ greatest problems were related to getting tourist and cultural attractions, an outstanding botanical rid of the intellectuals and clerics, who – by means of knowledge and Christian values – represented a genuine ISSN: 1792-5983 520 ISBN: 978-960-474-241-7 Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS International Conference on Economy and Management Transformation (Volume II) threat for the “new man” project. Despite having (Memorandumului street, Mănăştur populated the cities with peasants who overnight became neighborhood), belong to the Neolithic culture socialist workers (thus, loosing their roots and values), (Starčevo-Criş, Early Neolithic) and are 6,000- after the events of December 1989, which lead to the fall 5,500 years old – these are in fact the oldest of communism and of the dictatorship, Romania has remainings of the Neolithic culture ever slightly begun to change its face and so did its major discovered in Transylvania, not only in Cluj; cities. Today, more that twenty years after 1989, neither vestiges belonging to Late Neolithic (Vinca- Romania, nor its major regions and cities do not yet Turdaş culture) were discovered on the Northern have a clear image within the eyes of foreigners; not side of Unirii Square; even Romanians know for sure how to identify their archaeological vestiges from the transition from country and its regions and cities. Neolithic to Bronze Age were discovered in Destinations, be they tourist destinations – countries, several places from Cluj-Napoca (Hoia forest, on regions and cities – or any kind of places, fiercely the Citadel Hill, in the Central Cemetery, in the compete against each other on the international market yard of the History Museum, on Feleacu hill, in order to attract tourists and investors, respectively, to etc.), thus proving the intensive inhabitation of reduce the brain drain phenomenon and to determine Cluj during those times; their residents not to leave but to stay and develop their Bronze Age artifacts were discovered in the area activities on site. While the first part is valid for all of the Central Station, on Corneliu Coposu cases, the second part determines us to split places and boulevard, in Hoia forest, etc.; destinations into two categories: attractive ones (which traces belonging to the first stage of the Iron Age belong to or are themselves environments that are were identified near the University Central perceived as offering high living standards, good job Library, on Pietroasa street, in Mănăştur opportunities, high quality education centers, proficient neighborhood; medical services etc.); these manage to constitute the second period of the Iron Age (corresponding genuine magnets for people and enterprises who opt to to the Dacian epoch) is less represented in Cluj move there (national residents and immigrants), and compared to other Transylvanian towns; two unattractive ones, which belong to the category of Celtic-Dacian cemeteries were discovered at “abandoned” places, wherefrom people and enterprises, Apahida and Dezmir, proving the joint-living of too decide to move away, mainly because of the the two people; a Dacian settlement was shortcomings of the place (poor infrastructure, high discovered near Someşeni baths; unemployment, high cost of living combined with low incomes, unstable economic environment, unskilled workforce, etc.). 1.1 A Brief Overview of Cluj-Napoca’s Image throughout Time Today’s city of Cluj-Napoca is situated in the Western part of Transylvania’s Depression, along the river Someş, in an area where the hills turn into mountains. Such places where the two geographic spaces intersect constitute the meeting place of two different categories of persons: those ones who live in the plains with those ones from the mountains with the purpose of exchanging goods. In places like this one – of fairs and markets – there have been established almost all Transylvanian towns: Braşov, Făgăraş, Sibiu, Orăştie, Sebeş, Deva, Blaj, Alba-Iulia, Turda, Dej, Jibou, Bistriţa, Tîrgu Mureş, Reghin, Odorheiu Secuiesc. [1; 3] Because of the fact that the purpose of this paper is not to present the history of the development of the city, Fig. 1. The Roman City of Cluj [6] we are going to resume to a brief illustration of the during the Roman conquest here there was major points in the city’s history: established Napoca, initially as a village and later the oldest human settlement discovered in Gura on it became a Colonia being than raised to the Baciului and in other areas from Cluj-Napoca state of municipium (city); the Roman city was most probably situated in the old town of today’s ISSN: 1792-5983 521 ISBN: 978-960-474-241-7 Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS International Conference on Economy and Management Transformation (Volume II) central area (between the streets: Samuil Micu in 1869 the Great Principality of Transylvania and Emil Isaac (in the West), Octavian Petrovici lost its independence; the dual Austro-Hungarian and Andrei Şaguna (in the North), Bolyai János Empire meant more oppression of the Romanians, and Dávid Ferenc (in the East) and Napoca street which lead to new movements against the and Eroilor boulevard (in the South); (see Fig. 1) dominants; the end of the First World War unfortunately, most of the Antique vestiges are brought the long-expected unification of covered by the Mediaeval town, which makes it Transylvania with Romania, which put an end to rather difficult if not impossible to uncover them; the Hungarian domination; after the Romans’ Retreat the city continued to be between the two world wars the city’s life inhabited but, like other Transylvanian towns flourished until its development was stopped by between the 5th and the 9th Centuries, Cluj found the ceasing of North-Western Transylvania to itself in the way of various migratory peoples Hungary during the Second World-War, when (Ostrogoths, Gepidaes and Slavs); Romanians were once again oppressed and Mediaeval Cluj is linked to two very important pauperized; historic sites, the earth fortification Calvaria unfortunately, the end of the war was followed by Monastery (9th Century) and the civil settlement the instauration of communism which meant on developed close to today’s Museum Square; the one hand heavy industrialization, nationalization environment was a multicultural one, bringing of private enterprises, destruction of agriculture, together three different populations: Romanians, and on the other hand the oppression of Hungarians, and Germans; intellectuals and clerics and the building of the “working class”. [1; 3] Despite