The centre represents the main cultural, financial, administrative and commercial area of Cluj-Napoca. It is structured on three large squares that form a triangle, Unirii Square, Mihai Viteazul Square and Avram Iancu Square, the old square called in the Middle Ages “Gastelor Square”, where today is the Orthodox Cathedral and the Romanian Opera. Other squares are Piata Muzeului and Piata Lucian Blaga.
The centre is distinguished from the rest of the city by a series of architectural and historical monuments, buildings from the 17th and 20th centuries. On the sides of the streets such as Regele Ferdinand, Eroilor, Iuliu Maniu, Napoca, Memorandumului and 21 December, there are impressive Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic buildings. In recent years the centre has been embellished with modern buildings such as banks and public institutions.The description of the centre is not complete without the dozens of bars, clubs and restaurants. Considered to be a place where the fun never ends, it has managed in a few years of democracy to impose its own style of nightlife.
Among the important historical monuments are the “Monument of the Memorandists”, the “Statue of Lupoaicei”, the “Statue of Matei Corvin” and the “Statue of Mihai Viteazu”. Other tourist attractions are museums and galleries. In the centre are the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Ethnography Museum and several galleries, including the UAP Gallery. Culture is also represented at the level of cultural centres, through the German Cultural Centre, the French Cultural Centre, the British Cultural Centre and the Sindan Cultural Centre.
