Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Romanian: [ˈkluʒ naˈpoka] ⓘ), or simply Cluj (Hungarian: Kolozsvár [ˈkoloʒvaːr] ⓘ, German: Klausenburg), is the second-most populous city in Romania[5] and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (445 kilometres (277 miles)), Budapest (461 km (286 mi)) and Belgrade (483 km (300 mi)). Located in the Someșul Mic river valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital of the historical province of Transylvania. For some decades prior to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania. As of 2021[update], 286,598 inhabitants lived within the city limits (making it the country's second most populous at the time, after the national capital Bucharest).[5] The Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area had a population of 411,379 people,[4][6] while the population of the peri-urban area (Romanian: zona periurbană) exceeded 420,000 residents.[4][7] The new metropolitan government of Cluj-Napoca became operational in December 2008.[8] According to a 2007 estimate provided by the County Population Register Service, the city hosts a visible population of students and other non-residents—an average of over 20,000 people each year during 2004–2007.[9] The city spreads out from St. Michael's Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael, Cluj's patron saint.[10] The boundaries of the municipality contain an area of 179.52 square kilometres (69.31 sq mi).