THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

Conceived to highlight the tremendously rich history of the university teaching in Cluj along centuries, the activities pursued by the teachers and students who attended the various faculties of this University, but especially the excellent contributions brought by Romanian intellectuals from Transylvania to the patrimony of culture and world science, the University Museum in Cluj was established in April 2001. Since January 2002 it expanded, having acquired in time a much richer form.

Its collections comprise at present over 750 original items and facsimiles (student marks books, yearbooks, university coursebooks, documents, diplomas, postal cards, photos, various scientific devices, medals, etc). These made it possible to trace back the history and activity of all the colleges, faculties and universities that functioned successively in Cluj-Napoca starting with 16th century (when in 1581 the Jesuit College was established under the authority of the monk-rector Antonio Possevino) to the present day.

Special attention is drawn by the old photographs collection – which comprises around 500 cliches – displaying in expressive images key moments of the university life, especially during the interwar period.

The museum is structured on two main sides, as follows:

• the permanent exhibition
• the museum reserve – accessible only to specialists for research and documentation purposes.

A mini-library containing works dealing with the history of the Romanian universities is currently being prepared.

Within the basic exhibition the displays are grouped in several sections, respecting the chronological and thematic criteria.

The first panels exhibited by the University Museum display information related to the students and teachers belonging to the colleges established and run by the various Catholic and Protestant religious orders in Cluj between 16th and 19th century. Further on follows the display of the most significant aspects of the activity in the Franz Iosif Hungarian University that functioned in Cluj between 1872-1918 when Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The display of the evolution of the King Ferdinand Romanian University (1919-1945) covers the greatest part of the museum’s permanent exhibition. The section is brought into prominence by the items and photos exhibited. These provide the visitor with information not only on the scientific activity of the University, but also on the patrimony of buildings and facilities intended for both teachers and students, and which has continuously been enriched due to the rectors' effective administration, with a notable contribution from professor Florian Ştefănescu Goangă. We therefore mention the show windows dedicated to the Academic College (at present the University Home) that contain an accurate reconstitution of the building when it was inaugurated in 1937. There are also mentioned aspects of the Cluj University teachers’ political activities and also the activities of the students’ societies in faculties as well as the Petru Maior General Students’ Centre.  Special consideration was given to the period of the Second World War when the Romanian University from Cluj was compelled to take refuge in Sibiu and Timisoara and to completely reorganize the educational instructive process in order to adapt it according to the new conditions.

After the establishment of Communism, between 1945 and 1959 Cluj housed two distinct universities, respectively the Romanian one, called Victor Babes, and the Hungarian University Bolyai, whose activities are also displayed within the museum. A few documentary confessions dwell on the repression many of the teachers and researchers of these institutions were submitted to by the communist regime.

Also as a part of the permanent exhibition, the visitor is offered information related to the creation of the Babes-Bolyai University by uniting the Romanian and Hungarian Universities in 1959, as well as a historical guideline of the evolution and transformations suffered by this new institution before and after 1989, when Babes-Bolyai turned into a multicultural university of European standards with numerous and varied specializations that students are nowadays offered together with a high level scientific research.

A special section is dedicated to the great personalities of the Cluj University who, in the course of time, contributed essentially both to the development of this institution and to the progress of world culture and science: Emil Racoviţă, Constantin Daicoviciu, Hermann Oberth, Lucian Blaga, Petre Sergescu, Eugen Speranţia and many others.

The Museum is located on No. 4 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, 400084, Cluj, Romania.
Visiting hours: Monday to Friday, between 9:30-13:30
It is recommended to schedule visits in advance.

Tickets:
for students, pupils, groups – 0.5 RON
for other categories – 1 RON

Contact person:
Dr. Ana-Maria Stan
Phone number: 00-40-264-591471
ana.stan@ubbcluj.ro