Sunday, July 13, 2014

Cluj - Napoca 克卢日-纳波卡


Cluj-Napoca commonly known as Cluj, is the second most populous city in Romania,[5] after the national capital Bucharest, and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (324 kilometres ), Budapest (351 km) and Belgrade (322 km ). Located in the Someșul Mic River valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital to the historical province of Transylvania. Between 1790-1848 and 1861-1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.

Matei Corvin statue at Union Square
As of 2011, 324,576 inhabitants live within the city limits, marking a slight increase from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. The Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area has a population of 411,379 people, while the population of the peri-urban area exceeds 420,000 residents. The new metropolitan government of Cluj-Napoca became operational in December 2008. 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.


克卢日-纳波卡, 1974年前名为克卢日(Cluj),罗马尼亚西北部的一座城市,克卢日县首府,是该国的一个学术、文化和工业中心。克卢日-纳波卡位于布加勒斯特之西北约440千米,曾是特兰西瓦尼亚的首府。













Sighisoara - Birthplace of Vlad 吸血殭尸出生地


Vlad the Impaler has always been known for being a cruel but fair ruler. It is said that he despised liars, thieves and even beggars. His thirst for blood was mixed with his sense of fairness, so he was famous for killing in the most gruesome way the people who disrespected the law.


Vlad the Impaler was born under the name of Valdislaus I Basarab-Luxemburg. He got the nickname “The Impaler” after he was throned and started killing wealthy boyars and common criminals by Impalement. The name of Dracula could have come from his father Vlad Dracul. He had that nickname from being a member of the Order of Dragons. The dragon is a mythological figure that wasn’t recognized by Romanian people. So, not knowing what a dragon is, the people nicknamed the ruler as Dracul (The devil).


传说中的吸血殭尸德古拉伯爵出生地,它就是位于特兰西瓦尼亚省(Transylvania)内的12世纪古城斯基莎拉(Sighisoara)。


据记载,斯基莎拉是12世纪时由迁移至此的撒克逊人所建立,其后不断发展,成为了重要的贸易城镇。过了千百年,虽然贸易重镇之名早已销声匿,它的地位却依然崇高,一句「德古拉伯爵出生地」,便令其成为最受欢迎的城市之一。


步入古城,由石块铺砌的路面、古老的房屋、窄小的横街……眼前每个画面,都与电影中的中世纪古城如出一辙,唯一不同的,是所有都是真实的,而非盖搭而成的布景。由于古城面积不大,要畅游古城,最佳兼唯一的方法,就是步行。整个古城大致分为上城及下城,上城建在城牆内,是当年古城中心;下城则是现时主要的商业地带及民居所在,论古朴论味道,虽然都不及上城,却是遥望上城景色的最近位置。


坐落上城东面的钟楼,除了是古城最高的建筑物,亦是这况的标志。整座钟楼高64米,牆身厚度达2.35米,据讲当年的钟楼,除了担任报时角色外,还肩负起保护主要城门及作为政务大楼的任务。

无独有偶,今日的钟楼同样有双重作用,除顶层观景台外,其他层数则是历史博物馆所在,展品除有昔日居民的生活用品外,更有不少手工精美的文艺复兴时代家具,甚至当年的医疗用具等。


When he was 5 years old he moved with his father in Targoviste city that had become the capital of Wallachia. The ruins of fortifications can be visited today.


Vlad the Impaler was born in a house in Sighisoara, a medieval town in the heart of Romania. The house where he spent the first four years of his life is located near the clock tower, on Cositarilor Street no. 5. On the spot of the old building, there is now a restaurant named Vlad Dracul House.










钟楼前方,有间名为Casa Dracula的餐厅,据讲餐厅所在的大屋,正是德古拉伯爵小时候居住过的地方。分两层的餐厅,下层为酒吧,上楼则是餐厅;前者建于圆拱形屋顶的地窖内,配合牆上的壁画及实验室般的装饰物,明显希望带给大家诡秘感觉。至于上层的餐厅,则主打华丽高雅格调,门前还放置了德古拉伯爵的壁画肖像及凋像。












Sighisoara - Roses