Entrance to “Leonida Truta” Water Museum premises – view from Cluj-Napoca – Oradea DN1 European Road, SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

The rotating earth globe with all nations flags above located in the main indoor section, SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

The largest machine in the Museum – Schiel water pump build 1934, still in use at the time of Museum establishment in 1992. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2014

Cherry, ceramic and lead pipes from the Roman Empire period. Cluj-Napoca was at that time a Roman colony. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2014

Kindergarten children visiting the Museum. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2015

Children and their educators visiting one of the two outdoor sections. SOMES Water Company copyright , 2012

School pupils studying a stone manhole lid on “Manhole lids alley” – the other outdoor sections of the Museum. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2015

Huge drinking water intake main valve located in the outdoor section. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2014

Manhole lid alley. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

School pupils asphalt drawing contest on Manhole lid alley. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2015

Horse pulled manually operated fire extinguishing carriage exhibited in front of the Museum building. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

Bust of Leonida Truta, initiator of the Water Museum, placed within the indoor section in 2012. The Museum was given his name after his death in 2012. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

The Museum’s book of honor and children educational booklets on water related issues. The Book was signed by people from more than 35 countries. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2015

18th century water works artifacts. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2014

Desert camel back water carrying rack. Item donated to the Museum from Africa. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

Muslim water pouring vessel donated by Yazd water museum, Iran. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

The outdoor section – the circuit of the water: on the left various size and age water pipes leading to a 18th century street faucet, on the right various size sewage pipes. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2012

The inside of the pumping house from Cluj-Napoca first water source plant. The water source was established in 1892. Image taken in 1932 with members of staff. Today this room is the Water Museums main indoor section. SOMES Water Company copyright, 1932, enhanced in 2004

Document on display in the Museum - Punishment warrant issued to a coachman in 1922 for washing his coach within the 5 meters legal limit to a public faucet. If the fine cannot be paid, the coachman will spend 1 day in the prison. SOMES Water Company copyright, 2004

“Leonida Truta” Water Museum, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

“Leonida Truta” Water Museum – SOMES Water Company, Floresti, Romania

The Water Museum was established in 1992 by SOMES Water Company at the celebration of it’s centennial anniversary. It is among the few in the world dedicated solely to drinking water supply, as a tribute for the tradition of public water suply and as an educational tool for future generations. It was initially established in order to bring homage to all those working in the public water supply who along the centuries worked and made sacrifices so that the live giving droplet of water to reach the houses of their fellow citizens, and to raise awareness whitin the community about this tradition.
Since 2003 the Museum is mainly the “headquarter” for SOMES Water Company’s educational program for children and youth on issues of water sources protection and protection of the environment as a whole.
Yearly about 3,500 children, school pupils and students participate to the educational program at the Water Museum and other water/sewage infrastructure facilities (Water Purification Plant, Waste Water Treatment Plant etc) within the extra-curricula school periods called „Different school” as well as all year round.
The Museum also contributes to raising awareness among the adult population of Romania on environment related issues. It is one of the most visited local cultural objectives during events such as “The European Night of the Museums” (each May).
Private persons, adults and children, official delegations or tourists from 35 countries around the world already visited the Water Museum. Some, impressed with it’s goals, sent donations in items related to the water supply activity from as far as Norway, Iran or South Koreea.
The Museum has an indoor section displaying old artefacts related to the drinking water suply as far back as the Roman Empire, 18th and 19th century artefacts, documents, tools and machines used by the Water works employees within their daily activities, artefacts from other parts of the world such as drinking water transportation devices on camel back etc. The Museum has also two outdoor sections, one dedicated solely to manhole lids from many countries around the world.
Since 2012 the Water Museum was given the name „Leonida Truta” in honor of a veteran of SOMES Water Company who contributed essentially to its establishment.

Museum website: www.casomes.ro

Itineraries

Tarnita-Gilau water catchment basin itinerary

Somes Water Company first established it’s educational program for children in order to educate and raise awareness about the need to protect the natural catchment area in the so called Tarnita – Gilau basin upstream Cluj-Napoca municipality.

Upstream Cluj-Napoca, in a hilly – mountainous area of breathtaking beauty are located a series of man made reservoirs forming the so called Tarnita – Gilau catchment basin stretching up to Apuseni Mountains Natural Parc, the farthest (from Cluj-Napoca) reservoir being Belis-Fantanele.

Tarnita reservoir became in 2010 the main raw water source to be used for purification in order to produce drinking water by SOMES Water Company. The establishment of Tarnita intake tower in 2010 had to be accompanied by a basin catchment environment protection plan, in order to ensure the preservation of the water sources as well of the environment as a whole.
The Company’s educational program includes environment protection trips and actions whitin the catchment area, including cleaning actions and tree planting campaigns.

Visit Itinerary

SERs

Water and Sanitation

Since the Water Museum is owned in our case by a Water&Sewage Public Utility (SOMES Water Company), the SDG’s no.6 goals are carried out within the Company’s strategies to continuously extend and modernize the infrastructure so that more and more people to have access to good quality water and sewage. The Museum acts mainly as support for the educational program.

Educational program for children and youth

Currently the main purpose of the Museum is to act as “headquarter” of SOMES Water Company’s educational program for children and youth on issues of water source and environment protection.

Since during the communist era, environment protection was completely absent in the education of the population, the Museum based educational program is aimed to educate and raise