Monuments in Luncani, Cluj County, Transylvania

The village of Luncani (Hungarian Aranyosgerend), in Cluj County, Transylvania, holds two special monuments of medieval and early modern architecture: the church, attested in 1290, and the Kemény-Bánffy castle of the seventeenth century. The church is well preserved, with Romanesque and early Gothic elements, inclusions of ancient Roman sculptural reliefs, and traces of medieval wall painting inside. The castle, located nearby, is unfortunately almost a ruin. Visited March 2016.

 

Eviction threat for the History of Pharmacy Collection

The History of Pharmacy Collection of Cluj is located in the oldest pharmacy of the city and one of the oldest ones in Transylvania. The building is known as the Hintz House, after the last owners who kept the pharmacy until 1949 when the Communist Regime nationalized it. Soon afterwards the pharmacy museum was opened on the first floor and part of the basement of the monument building. It was one of the first specialized museums of its kind in Europe and it has always held a special place in the hearts of the people of Cluj. Now, after a series of lawsuits, the heirs of the Kintz pharmacists have recovered the building and want to sell it, but the State (Ministry of Culture, Town Hall) have trouble negotiating and thus the museum risks eviction. I am among among those supporting the preservation of the collection in its current location, therefore:

 Read more on the importance of this collection on their blog and feel free to join the fight!