Cluj is one of very few cities to have two state operas — the Romanian one near Piața Avram Iancu and the Hungarian one at the western end of the Central Park. Founded in 1948, the Hungarian Opera continues to perform a full Hungarian-language repertoire and is one of the most important Magyar cultural institutions outside Hungary.
The connected Hungarian Theatre is internationally respected, with productions that regularly tour Europe. Even without Hungarian, the standard of performance is high enough to be worth a ticket. The lobby has a small bookshop with Hungarian editions, and the cafe spills onto the park in summer.