It is the second-most populous city in the country [ 5 ] and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest km; mi , Budapest km; mi and Belgrade km; mi. For some decades prior to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of , it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania. As of [update] , , inhabitants live in the city.
Michael's Church in Unirii Square , built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael , Cluj's patron saint. Cluj experienced a decade of decline during the s, its international reputation suffering from the policies of its mayor at the time, Gheorghe Funar.
On the site of the city was a pre-Roman settlement named Napoca. The first written mention of the city's current name β as a Royal Borough β was in under the Medieval Latin name Castrum Clus. It may represent a derivation from the Latin term clausa β clusa , meaning "closed place", "strait", "ravine". The nickname "treasure city" was acquired in the late 16th century, and refers to the wealth amassed by residents, including in the precious metals trade.
The Roman Empire conquered Dacia in AD and , during the rule of Trajan , and the Roman settlement Napoca, established about , is first recorded on a milestone discovered in in the vicinity of the city. Later, in the second century AD, [ 32 ] the city gained the status of a colonia as Colonia Aurelia Napoca. Napoca became a provincial capital of Dacia Porolissensis and thus the seat of a procurator. The colonia was evacuated in by the Romans.
The couple buried together and known as the Lovers of Cluj-Napoca are believed to have lived between and Many craft guilds were established in the second half of the 13th century, and a patrician stratum based in commerce and craft production displaced the older landed elite in the town's leadership.
