The Central Park in Cluj-Napoca is a green space for over 180 years, which was originally called the People's Park. Over time, the alleys, the lake and the Summer Theatre, which today is the seat of the Hungarian State Theatre, were landscaped. After 1989, the park was named "Simion Bărnutiu" Central Park.
The park offers a variety of recreational activities, including a night basketball court, fitness equipment, artesian fountain, children's park and restaurant. There are also statues of famous personalities in the park, such as Antonin Ciolan, George Coșbuc, Liviu Rebreanu, Octavian Goga and Sigismund Toduță.
The Casino building and the lake are the main attractions of the park. In summer, you can go boating on the lake, and next to the artesian fountain, symphonic music concerts and civil marriage ceremonies are organized.
The Central Park is an important place for the people of Cluj, being the preferred place for walks and for organizing the most important events in the city, such as Untold, Jazz in the Park, Sports Festival and Cluj Days.
In this park, the groups of conifers on the island are remarkable, bringing a nice perspective point on the many avenues, and the square with the fountain in front of the exhibition pavilion. The circular square is delimited by a compact plantation of deciduous trees, in front of which a group with a monumental character is outlined by the planting of some tuya pyramidalis. In the center of the square, a basin with an ornate cistern and stone statuary groups, from which the water gushes, attracts the eye. The beautiful sculptures representing a game of nymphs and fans blend nicely into the entire landscape of the park.
The main avenue, with a width of more than 30 m, is the most frequented place thanks to the wonderful secular chestnut trees that delimit it. In the present city park, in the years 1829-1830, the first sports facilities in Cluj were built, where various activities such as fencing, gymnastics, tourism, swimming, horse riding, shooting and skating were practiced. In the years 1874 and 1875, there was a double shooting meeting between teams from Cluj and Bucharest.
Source: City of Cluj-Napoca and surroundings (Ministry of Tourism, 1982)
