Arcalia Centre

Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Arcalia village, Şieu Măgheruş village district,
Phone no:0264-405300, int 5227,
tel/fax: 0264-591906.

Contact person:
Mihuţ Elisabeta Maria
Phone no: 0263-277073/074

Babes-Bolyai University Arcalia Centre is situated at approximately 15 km west from Bistrita and approx. 110 km north-east from Cluj-Napoca, where the Transilvanian Plateau and the hill region that makes the transition towards the Eastern Carpathians mountain range meet. The Sieu river passes nearby. The Arcalia Centre and the village that surrounds it are situated on this riverside. Towards south one will encounter hills covered by pastures and hornbeam, common oak and oak forests, as well as a small beech forest, considerably away of its normal habitat. The climate, which is characterized by medium annual temperatures of 8ºC and quite abundant precipitation, together with the variety of the relief favour extremely lush and varied vegetation.  The medium altitude is 300 m, with over 450-500 m for the hills top. The slopes, which are both mild and steep, reveal on numerous occasions a special charm. A few kilometres away salt ridges have contorted and penetrated the covering sediments, reaching the surface and causing the development of a continental type of halophile vegetation.

Reaching Arcalia is facilitated by the Cluj-Napoca – Dej – Bistrita Road and also by the Arcalia train stop.
It formerly belonged to a rich Hungarian family, but in 1947 the domain was taken over by the state and turned into a village store, agricultural utilities terminal, then in a campsite for pioneers, and since 1963 it was taken over by the Babes-Bolyai University.

For three decades the Biological and Geological Research Centre functioned here, providing at the same time the students’ summer practice.

The total surface of the property covers 16,5 hectares and consists of a dendrological park (with approx. 150 indigenous and exotic species) and three building complexes:

  1. The Castle proper built approx. 150 years ago in Moorish-Byzantine style, being the only castle of the sort in Transylvania.
    It houses:

Two of the rooms can simultaneously use the projection devices: overhead projector and diapositive projector.

  1. The bedrooms, which are located on the area of the former library and dependencies, are meant to accomodate students mainly and are equipped with new furniture. They can accommodate 70 persons in bunk beds or in 40 single beds (depending on the option of the group).
  2. The canteen and dependencies provide the possibility to prepare and serve a complete breakfast as well as to organize a typically rustic picnic in the recently built pavilion.

Possible activities:

  1. organizing scientific symposia, conferences, seminars, summer courses
  2. accomodating students and didactic staff in order for them to comply with their practice;
  3. instructive-educative activities for students and schoolchildren;
  4. exhibitions and creation camps activities;
  5. spending a weekend break or "retreating” here to work on scientific papers, etc


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