The Michael the Brave Statue (Statuia lui Mihai Viteazul) is located on Michael the Brave Square (Piața Mihai Viteazu) in Cluj-Napoca.
Mihai Pătrașcu (1558-1601) was Prince of Wallachia from 1593 to 1601, Prince of Moldavia in 1600, and de facto the ruler of Transylvania from 1559 to 1600. He is considered one of Romania’s greatest national heroes who not only fought against the Ottomans but was also considered a Romanian nationalist under whose reign all principalities inhabited by Romanians were under the same ruler. This has given him the nickname Michael the Brave, but he was however, assassinated by the order of the Habsburg Emperor on August 9, 1601.
The equestrian statue of Michael the Brave was created by the sculptor Marius Butunoiu and unveiled on December 17, 1976. The statue has a height of 7 meters and is placed on a platform with three ramps that are decorated with reliefs depicting the battles with the Ottomans and the union of Moldavia with Transylvania and Wallachia.
