The Natural Potential as a Premise for the Development of Tourism in Sălaj County, Romania

"The tourism resources integrate the totality of attractive elements within a territory. The natural attractions of Sălaj County have been approached in this paper by analysing the four categories that are long-established in the scientific literature: morphological, climatic, hydrological and biogeographical tourist attractions. The geographical location of Sălaj County provides a privileged situation and a relative geographical unity, marked by a complex and complementary natural environment derived from the presence of a varied morphology. The karst morphology includes caves (Cuciulat, Măgurici), gorges (Babei Gorges), karst springs (Barcău Springs), and other attractions. The alternation of hard rocks and softer rocks, more friable and less resistant to erosion, led to the emergence of interesting forms, the result of differential erosion, such as the Dragons’ Garden (Grădina Zmeilor), the Devil’s Rock (Stânca Dracului), ”The Old Man and the Old Woman” (”Moșu și Baba”). Mineral and thermal waters are used for curative purposes at Băile Boghiș, Băile Bizușa, Jibou and Șimleu Silvaniei. The biogeographical potential is represented mainly by the vegetation cover, which is very diverse, including both forests and valuable flowering plants. Sălaj County has a significant natural potential, which is yet to be capitalized from the perspective of tourism, because natural attractions in Sălaj County are still little known to tourists, even in Romania. Keywords: Sălaj County, tourism potential, natural attractions, Romania. "

Înființarea secției de geografie și a institutului său din cadrul Facultății de Științe de la Universitatea Daciei Superioare din Cluj

"The setting up of the Geography Department and its Institute within the Faculty of Sciences at the Upper Dacia University of Cluj. On 16 August 1919, the University Board, the organ created for the organization and employment of teaching staff for the Upper Dacia University of Cluj after its transition to Romanian administration (12 May 1919), presented and proposed the organisational chart by departments, seminars, laboratories and institutes of the future Faculty of Sciences, by means of the Board rapporteurs, scientists Gheorghe Țițeica, Ludovic Mrazec and Alexandru Borza. At the express request of professor George Vâlsan, the tertiary geographical education was also included in this Faculty, as an independent department, the Department of Geography, consisting of two sections and an Institute of Geography. This was a new situation, different from the study of Geography at the universities in Iași and Bucharest. The organisational chart of Cluj University, made according to the ”German model”, was kept until the Stalinist reform of the Romanian education on 3 August 1948. By means of suggestive examples, the main Romanian university institutions newly-created at Cluj University are illustrated and described, some of them under the auspices of the Royal Foundations, such as the Astronomic Observatory and the Institute of Chemistry and Physics, as well as others, like the Sports Park, the new Botanical Garden with the Botanic Museum, the Palace of University Clinics, the Academic College and the Ethnographic Park and Museum. The materialization of George Vâlsan’s concept regarding the study of Geography and its relations to the other departments of Cluj University, as well as the their scientific and logical foundation within the double specialization, are extensively presented, as a proof of the scientist’s determination to lay solid grounds to the Romanian tertiary geographical education at Cluj University. Keywords: Upper Dacia University of Cluj, Geography Department, Faculty of Sciences. "

Fire on the Mountain. Disturbance and Regeneration in Deciduous and Conifer Forests. 20 Years of Experience

"Fire on the Mountain. Disturbance and Regeneration in Deciduous and Conifer Forests. 20 Years of Experience. Two test and monitoring sites in SW Germany (Forchtenberg) and Leghia (NW Romania) furnish insights to the regeneration modes after fire, clearing, burning, and cultivation -slash and burn - in a deciduous forest or after wildfire in a conifer stand. Forest maps and archivalia helped to reconstruct the forest history of the last 250 years of the Forchtenberg site, which as a heritage still influences the present situation. We could document the autonomous co- evolution of vegetation and soil over two decades. It was done by transects and mapping as well as by soil analysis and micromorphology. The role of soil animals for the weathering of charcoals became evident. The evolution of vegetation and soil after a wildfire could be studied on the Leghia site and compared with the Forchtenberg results. As the Leghia site was not cleared after the fire, it enabled us to follow the stages of decay and of regeneration, where conifers do not play a role. Moreover, one could investigate the effects of grass- and pasture fire, still active in the region. It also evidenced the necessary differentiation of charred material into wood- and grass coal. The indicator values of topsoil/soil surfaces are presented as well as those of charred material for the regeneration stages. Finally, we will discuss the fire risk in deciduous forests under a changing climate. Keywords: Forest disturbance, succession types, forest history, slash and burn, wild fire, charcoal taphonomy, fire risk. "

Particularities of the Cultural Tourism in Zalău in the Context of the European Heritage: The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum

"Particularities of the Cultural Tourism in Zalău in the Context of the European Heritage: the Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum. Covering an area of 3,850 square kms, the county of Sălaj lies in the north-western part of Romania, as a passage between the Western and Eastern Carpathians. The main settlement of Sălaj is the city of Zalău, lying at the heart of the county, along Zalău valley, near the Northern Meseş Mountains. Evidence of the Dacian culture and civilization can be found all over the county. The stronghold was well known in antiquity as Dacidava, a central place for the gatherings of Dacian tribes living in the region, known today as Sălaj. Here 14 treasures of Dacian silver coins and jewels were found, which may explain the fact that Sălaj was one of the towns that laid on the ancient road of salt whereon salt used to be traded from Transylvania to Central Europe. Another important Dacian settlement would be Moigrad (Porolissum), on the heights of Măgura Moigradului, mentioned by Ptolemeu in his „Geographia”. After the Roman conquest and the colonization of Dacia as a Roman province, Roman experts in military strategy transfomed the Meseş Mountains into the north-eastern border of the Roman Empire. This „limes” separated the territories of the Roman province Dacia from the unoccupied area which belonged to the free Dacians. The military structure of Porolissum, the capital of the province „Dacia Porolissensis”, acquired the rank of „municipium”, by an order of the Emperor Septimius Severus. Ruins of the Porolissum town, together with Roman fortifications near the passage Poarta Meseşului stretch to an area of about 200 hectares. In Porolissum, archaeological discoveries brought to light two large stone-built Roman „castrum”, one amphitheatre, several temples, civilian constructions and Roman roads. Within the study there were both open-response questionnaires, when the subject was free to answer as he saw fit, and closed-response questionnaires, in which the subject had several possible answers from which he could choose the response considered convenient. The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum recovers a part of the shared historical past within a geographical space where the European community now functions. Through impeccable organization and administration, this part made possibile the development of the greatest empire in ancient times. Through The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum, the Zalău City Hall proposes to its inhabitants and tourists a vast event with an educative-cultural dimension. We believe that this sort of manifestation may counteract the promotion tendencies of the underground culture. We wish for The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum to pleasantly provide to the public history moments, traditions, culture and specific costumes. The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum is an event of our identity that reconfirms our values and space in Europe. At the European Union’s construction a few fundamental facts contributed: shared geography and history, the Greek culture, the Christianity and the Roman legacy. The Roman culture and civilization are marks of the European identity, which define the present European citizen’s consciousness. Keywords: The Roman Festival Zalău Porolissum, Cultural tourism, Global values, European Heritage."

The Administrative Organisation of Present Cluj County between 1541 and 1848

"The Administrative Organisation of Present Cluj County between 1541 and 1848. The administrative organisation is one of the most important spatial planning actions, because it directly determines spatial configurations and polarizing relations, while concentrating local government institutions into cities and towns which are becoming more prominent as a result of them being designated as administrative centres. This paper attempts to reconstruct the administrative divisions and the ranking of settlements of present Cluj County between 1541 and 1848. Included almost entirely in the Principality of Transylvania, the area of present Cluj County was mainly covered, from North to South, by the counties of Solnocu Interior (Inner Solnoc), Dăbâca, Cluj and Turda. The Szekler seat of Arieș covered a small part in the South and Bihor County (in the Kingdom of Hungary) covered a very small part in the West of present Cluj County. Their limits remained largely the same over a very long period of time. The counties of Solnocu Interior, Dăbâca, Cluj and Turda extended a lot to the West and East of present Cluj County, but their seats were all located here: Dej (Solnocu Interior County), Bonțida (Dăbâca County), Cluj and Turda, to which one may add Gherla, that had the highest status, just like Cluj, that of free royal city, and had an administration of its own. All counties were divided into two districts, an Upper District and a Lower District, and the districts, in their turn, were further divided into circles (smaller districts). Cluj, Gherla, Turda and Dej have retained their importance throughout several centuries up until today, and their historical heritage and prominence still plays an important part in the present regional framework. Keywords: Cluj County, administrative organisation, historical counties, districts, Principality of Transylvania."

Main Characteristics of Incoming Travel Packages in Romania. Study Case: Tours Including Cluj-Napoca

"Main Characteristics of Incoming Travel Packages in Romania. Study Case: Tours Including Cluj-Napoca. The main purpose of this study is analyzing the features of tourist packages (tours) created and marketed by tour operators to foreign tourists visiting one of the main cities in Romania, Cluj-Napoca. The secondary objectives are identifying the characteristics of the travel packages, the features of tourists’ stay in Cluj-Napoca and the presence of this travel destination in tourist products. Thus, the focused territory is the city of Cluj-Napoca. Nevertheless, we analyzed the whole tourist package, in order to place the stay in this travel destination in the general context. An analysis grid was designed, choosing the proper variables. Data was collected by content analysis of the description of tourist packages existing on the websites of the incoming travel agencies in Romania. 394 tours of at least 2 overnights, 8 tours with one overnight and 45 one day trips could be found and analysed. Information was found regarding aspects such as: length of stay, access and chosen means of transportation, accommodation type and meals included, the extent to which tour guiding services are included and other services, facilities and activities provided. Collected data was processed, graphs were created and analysis and interpretation of results was performed. We opted to use Microsoft Excel to create the table of the analysis grid where data regarding the chosen variable was introduced and the graphs were created in the same program. For tours with at least 2 overnights, there are tours including 7 overnights in Romania and only one night or without overnight in Cluj-Napoca, plane to arrive in Romania and road access to Cluj-Napoca, preference for hotels, half-board for meals, tour guiding services for the whole circuit and few activities, facilities and other services included. Also, there are few one-day trips or trips with one overnight and they provide especially transportation, accommodation, meals and tour-guiding, being provided few and poor diversity of other activities, services or facilities. Keywords: incoming tourism, tourist packages characteristics, travel destination, Romania, Cluj-Napoca. "

The Five-Minute-Walk Distance Concept, Case Study: City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

"The Five-Minute-Walk Distance Concept, Case Study: City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This term, also known as the “pedestrian shed”, refers to the distance that would make a person’s option of walking or driving to a destination differ. The distance is visualized as a 400-meter radius area most commonly found in some major cities or capitals’ downtown areas/main areas. To further highlight the characteristics of this concept I applied it on a case study of the city of Cluj-Napoca, checking the adherence of many areas against the concept’s principles. This will display the percentage of studied areas that meet the definition criteria and the results will indicate the proposed collection of measures to be adopted by the local authorities to increase the area definition validity score and to improve the citizens quality of life. This concept could be easily replicated in any city or capital and its metrics could be used to assess citizens. Keywords: neighborhood, 5-minute walking distance, urban development, city driving, pedestrian shed."

Gentrification and Place Identity Change in Gheorgheni, City of Cluj-Napoca

"Gentrification and Place Identity Change in Gheorgheni, City of Cluj-Napoca. The scientific study at hand takes a considerable and representative area of the massive socialist housing estates from the City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as a case study area and intends to ascertain, through a series of interviews with members of the local community, the phenomenon of gentrification and its impact on neighbourhood identity change in the last quarter century. The results suggest significant changes at microterritorial level in terms of place identity correlated with substantial gentrification phenomena that took place after the collapse of the communist regime in 1989. Keywords: gentrification, place identity, change, socialist housing estates"