Modern architecture in Cluj-Napoca
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Since 1989, modern skyscrapers and glass-fronted hotels have altered the skyline of Cluj-Napoca, a city in the Transylvanian region of Romania.
The Cluj-Napoca regional headquarters of the Banca Româna pentru Dezvoltare (Romanian Bank for Development) was completed in 1997 after 4 years of work. It is the tallest building in Cluj-Napoca, 50 m or 164 feet. Its 12 stories house offices for the bank and for divisions of several other companies, including insurance and reinsurance companies.
Another architecturally interesting building is the unfinished headquarters of the Banca Agricole (Agricultural Bank), held in the custody of the city due to the failure of that bank and its subsequent purchase by the Reiffeisen Bank. Work ceased in 2000; all that was finished was the exterior, built by the Abatech firm. The city government has proposed that the building be completed and transformed into the Casa Europei ("House of Europe"), but funds have not yet been obtained to complete work. Another building in similar straits is the more recently started Palatul Telefoanelor (Telephone Palace), whose exterior is almost finished, but whose interior still has a long way to go.
Other banks that have constructed modern buildings in Cluj-Napoca include Banca Transilvania, Banca Comerciala Româna, Banc Post, Banca Tiriac, ABN Amro Bank, and UniCredit.
Besides banks, Cluj-Napoca features several modern buildings constructed under the aegis of the local government. The most recent is the Octavian Goga Library Building, which also houses information centers for the European Union and NATO. This building was started in 2000 and completed in 2003. Other post-Communist-era government buildings include the Avram Iancu Firehouse, Cluj-Napoca International Airport, and the Cluj-Napoca branch of DistriGaz.
Being an academic center, home of six government universities (Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Academia de Arte Vizuale "Ion Andreescu" (http://www.dntcj.ro/edu/aav), Universitatea de Stiinte Agronomice si Medicina Veterinara, Universitatea Tehnica (http://www.utcluj.ro), Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie (http://www.umfcluj.ro), Academia de Muzica "Gheorghe Dima" (http://www.edu.ro/amcjn.htm)) and several private ones as well (Universitatea Bogdan Voda (http://www.ubv.ro), Universitatea Crestina Dimitrie Cantemir (http://www.ucdc.ro)), Cluj-Napoca also features several modern university buildings such as the Department of Political Science at UBB, the Department of Management at UBV, and the Law Department of UCDC.
