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Capitoline Wolf Statue in Cluj-Napoca

The Capitoline Wolf Statue in Cluj-Napoca is a monument in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, located in the city center by the Someșul Mic River. It was installed on 28 September 1921 as a gift from the city of Rome in memory of the union of Transylvania and Bukovina with Romania in 1918. The statue was later moved for safety during the Second Vienna Award period, returned after World War II, and restored to public display in 1967 near Babes-Bolyai University. It was moved again in 1973, restored in 1994 and 2007, and is now set about 30 meters from its former position.

Capitoline Wolf sculpture of a she-wolf suckling two infants on a tall stone pedestal.
The Capitoline Wolf statue stands on a tall stone pedestal with a round relief and inscription.
· Public domain
The Capitoline Wolf statue on a tall stone pedestal in a pedestrian plaza, with a circular relief and golden inscription on the base.
The Capitoline Wolf in Cluj-Napoca, shown on its pedestal in a city plaza.
August 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Capitoline Wolf sculpture on a stone pedestal with a bronze medallion and Latin inscription below.
The Capitoline Wolf monument stands on a tall stone pedestal with a bronze medallion and Latin inscription below.
May 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0 ro
The Capitoline Wolf statue on a tall stone plinth in a European town square, with pedestrians, a circular fountain, and historic buildings nearby.
The Capitoline Wolf rises above a town square, framed by a fountain in the foreground and historic buildings behind it.
© · Public domain
The Capitoline Wolf sculpture on a tall stone pedestal along a wet street at twilight, with historic buildings and lit lampposts nearby.
The Capitoline Wolf monument stands on a stone pedestal along a wet street at twilight.
January 2009 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleCapitoline Wolf Statue
Alternative titleStatue of the She-Wolf
TypeMonument
TypeCopy of the Capitoline Wolf monument

Historical context

Gift date1921
Gift giverThe city of Rome; also described as the Italian state / government of Italy
Reason for giftAs a tribute to the Latin origin of the Romanian people
CommemoratesThe union of Transylvania and Bukovina with Romania in 1918
Related copies in RomaniaBucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Chișinău, and Timișoara received the four original Romanian copies in the first decades of the 20th century

Creator

Bas-relief added byEttore Ferrari

Discovery and provenance

Transported byA delegation of 200 Italians, mostly students

Physical characteristics

Subjects depictedThe she-wolf with Romulus and Remus beneath her; a bas-relief of Emperor Trajan was also added

Materials

MaterialNot specified in the text; described as a faithful copy

Iconography and meaning

SubjectThe Capitoline Wolf (Lupa Capitolina), symbolically connected with the Latin origin of the Romanian people
SymbolismSymbolised the unity of Romanians from all parts of the country and their Latinity

Location and ownership

Current locationOn Eroilor Boulevard, in the city centre, on the banks of the Someșul Mic River, opposite the National Museum of Transylvanian History
Initial unveiling locationOn the main square in Cluj, opposite an unspecified landmark or building
Original planned locationUnirii Square, in front of the Statue of Matthias Corvinus
LocationCluj-Napoca, Romania

History and restoration

Post-restoration installationAfter restoration in 2007, installed about 30 meters from its previous location
Restoration locationNational Museum of Transylvanian History
Restored byLiviu Mocan in 1994; Tiberiu Colozsi in 2007
Removed for restoration1994
Moved within Cluj1973, to the intersection of two unspecified streets
Reinstalled at university area1967, on Mihail Kogălniceanu Street in front of Babeș-Bolyai University; initiative by Professor Constantin Daicoviciu
Returned to Cluj1945, after the end of World War II
Moved during World War IIAfter the Second Vienna Award in 1940, the statue was taken to Sibiu for safekeeping
Unveiling attendanceMore than 25,000 residents
Unveiled byIulian Pop, the first Romanian mayor of Cluj
Date installed28 September 1921

Significance

Replacement monumentThe Memorandum Signers' Monument / a monument to the Transylvanian Memorandum
Transylvanian Memorandum monument meaningCommemorates the 1892 petition of the leaders of the Romanians in Transylvania to the Austro-Hungarian authorities, demanding equal rights with Hungarians, an end to Magyarization and persecution, and political rights for Romanians

Other

Associated inscriptionAlla citta di Cluj, Roma Madre, MCMXXI ("To the City of Cluj, Mother Rome, 1921")
Reproductions made in RomaniaAdditional copies were made from the four statues and installed in several towns and villages in Romania, including Alba Iulia, Blaj, Brad, Brașov, Constanța, Dej, Galați, Eruț, Luduș, Năsăud, Săcele, Satu Mare, Sighișoara, Târgu Mureș, Târnăveni, Toplița, Turda, Zalău, Reghin, and Gherla