Romania has the honour and responsibility to lead the Historic Cafes Route – Hotel Transilvania, included in the route of the golden cafes
The oldest continuously operating hotel in this part of Europe, Hotel Transilvania in Cluj-Napoca, was admitted to the prestigious cultural route of the Council of Europe, Historic Cafes Route. The decoration of Hotel Transilvania with the plaque of the Council of Europe coincided with a historic moment: for the first time, a Romanian citizen took over the presidency of a European cultural route. It is the administrator of the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig, Arnold Klingeis, who has officially become the chairman of the Historic Cafes Route.
"I am grateful to those who supported my candidacy. The priority of my mandate will be the development of cultural tourism. In this field, Romania has a huge potential", says the president of Historic Cafes Route, Arnold Klingeis.
The event organized in Cluj was attended by public authorities, representatives of the consular environment from Transylvania, people of culture, as well as entrepreneurs from Romania, Moldova, Germany or Israel.
Among those who spoke, along with the new president of Historic Cafes Route, were the vice-president of the Cluj County Council, Vákár István. "I convey the congratulations of the County Council to President Arnold Klingeis. It is a great honor for Cluj to host such an event, which highlights the historical heritage of Transylvania", said Vákár István.
The representative of Cluj City Hall, Karin Hann, conveyed the message to the director of the Directorate of Public Events, Călin Forna. "The activity carried out by Mr. Arnold Klingeis is a reason for great celebration and recognition of the value of Romania's cultural heritage. Cluj-Napoca City Hall is fully open to future collaborations with Historic Cafes Route", the municipality's representatives said.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gabriel Bârtaș, said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes much success to the first Romanian who holds the presidency of the Historic Cafes Route and expresses his support for the initiatives aimed at promoting cooperation in the field of enhancing the historical heritage".
The event was attended by the honorary consul of Kazakhstan, Ștefan Gadola, who is also the administrator of another historic cafe decorated by the Council of Europe, Chios Social Lounge, the director of the Cluj Art Museum, Lucian Nastasă-Kovacs, the director of the UBB CORE Center, Leonard Horvath the administrator Adriana Sava of the Hotel Transilvania, who was the host of the event, as well as other representatives of the Transylvanian community, such as the event organizer Ștefan Farell or the regional director of Cramelor Cricova, Dorin Ștef.
The administrator of Hotel Transilvania, Adriana Sava, said: "It is a great honor for us to join the Historic Cafes Route. It is a great pleasure to be the host of the investiture of the new president of this route of golden cafes and I thank all the guests who participated in this celebration".
This event was also an interweaving of elements that come from all the historical provinces of Romania. Thus, Cricova wines from Bessarabia or Măgura Zamfirei gin, produced in Teleorman, were present in Hotel Transilvania, and the local business environment was represented by entrepreneurs such as Mircea Crăciun, the founder of EcoGarden Construct.
The event in Cluj also included a fashion presentation signed by the creator Diana Gabor, a documentary about cinema inspired by the novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, a presentation of the history of coffee, but also a debate about cultural tourism and economic diplomacy. The participants emphasized the need to preserve and promote the historical, cultural and gastronomic heritage, in the context of Transylvania becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. According to Professor Paul Bloomfield from Oxford Brookes University, Transylvania has, in the field of gastronomic tourism, a potential similar to that of Tuscany or Antalya
Hotel Transilvania is known throughout the world due to the fact that it, under the name "Hotel Royal", is mentioned in the novel "Dracula" as the place where the British lawyer Jonathan Harker would have spent the night in Cluj.
The Historic Cafes Route event also featured a specialty coffee, Kafune, an Italian soft drink, fiGA, as well as some Pepsi products.
