The Memorandists Monument of Cluj-Napoca (Monumentul Memorandiştilor din Cluj-Napoca) is a monument commemorating the signers of the Transylvanian Memorandum, located on the Boulevard of Heroes (Bulevardul Eroilor) in Cluj-Napoca.
Although the ethnic Romanians formed a majority in Transylvania during the Middle Ages, they didn’t enjoy suitable and equal rights. In 1892 a delegation of representatives of the Romanian community wrote a memorandum addressed to the imperial court in Vienna, requesting fundamental rights. They tried to present the memorandum to Emperor Franz Joseph but were unsuccessful.
In 1894 the authorities filed a lawsuit against the memorandists. The trial took place in Reduta Palace, which is now the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania, after which the memorandists were sent to prison. After the intervention of Carol I, King of Romania, the convicts were later exonerated.
On the 100th anniversary of the trial, the memorandists were honored with the Memorandists Monument of Cluj-Napoca, that was placed close to the old City Hall on the corner of Piața Unirii and Bulevardul Eroilor. The monument was created by the sculptor Eugene Paul and inaugurated on June 9, 1994. The monument is 18.8 meters high consists of two pillars with a a bell in between.
The names of the memorandists are inscribed on the monument, as well as a quote from Ioan Rațiu, one of the writers of the memorandum: “People’s existence is not discussed, it is proclaimed!”
