ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: TIMISOARA, ROMANIA

This was my first solo trip in Europe. Due to some last minute work schedule changes PJ was unable to join me on his 4-day weekend. I couldn't just let a perfectly good trip go to waste!

I flew out on Valentines day [Friday] and arrived around mid afternoon. The bus, while not very frequent, was easy to figure out and brought me right into the downtown area. From there I headed to the tourist information office before it closed and then on to my hotel. I stayed at NH Timisoara, which was a really nice hotel [very clean and friendly staff] however it was a little bit further than I would have liked seeing as I was now traveling alone.

Timirosara is working towards becoming the European Capital of Culture in the year 2021. The city is completely undergoing a renovation of all infrastructure and buildings. Everything is being freshly painted and almost every road is a massive crater with wooden planks for pedestrian access [note - they bow as you walk on them]. Even with all of this, I found the city to be quite beautiful and interesting. I personally think that there is something almost more special about eastern european countries.

When it comes to costs, Romania is the way to go. 100 euro will get you something like 440 Lei. I think for the 4 days I spent about 50 euro in total for food and drink, and that was eating very well.

Getting ready to be the Cultural center 2021

The City

The tourist info center had a lot of great free information. They had a map that had some touring routes that visitors can follow and read about each building as they come across them. Some interesting facts from the booklet:
- The name Timisoara comes from the river Timis that flows through the southern part of the city.
- Timisoara was built on a swamp. It was difficult to make proper foundations for the homes and buildings of the area. The culture Palace was built on 1600 HUGE oak pillars.
- Beethoven's lover lived in Timisoara and was the wife of a town official.
- The actor who played Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller was born in a district of Timisoara.
- The city developed a lot during the late 19th century and was a. the first town in Europe to have gas street lighting, b. the first to develop the first water machine for drinking water, etc...

The Architecture

The word Sucession will be found a lot when reading about the architecture of Timisoara. It is common for Timisoara to be referred to as "Little Vienna" due to its Secessionist architecture, which refers to styles such as Art Nouveau or Jugendstil. Many artists and architects flocked to Timisoara in the early years of the 20th century to design based on Hungarian and Austrian influences.

There were 2 phases of development with Secessionism within Timisoara. The first, with curvy lines and floral decorations. The second was a more simple design style, with larger, geometric buildings. Laszlo Szekely was a large influence of the Art Nouveau period. He designed many factories and municipal buildings, as well as residential apartments and villas.

Cetate

The downtown has a lot to offer. I think my 2.5 days was a little long because you can see everything in about a day, but it was nice to be able to find time to sketch or sit by the Bega. The city is well known for its many parks, which are kept clean and felt very safe, even as the sun was setting. They have tables to play checkers, monuments, and busts lining the paths. They are also an ideal spots for sitting and catching some sun.

Piata Victoriei

-Former palaces line both sides of the pedestrian area. These were constructed at the beginning of the 20th century.
-A large statue called She-Wolf if placed in the square within a flower bed. The statue was a gift from Rome in 1926 and is a copy of the She-Wolf from the 5th century B.C.
-Terminating one end of the axis is the Cultural Palace. This was built between 1872-1875 by architects Feller and Helmer. They were the largest theater design firm of that time. It was struck by 2 fires and rebuilt both times. The auditorium was altered during the rebuilds and is not in the neo-byzantine style. In 1936 the "arc-de-triomphe" facade was built.
-The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral terminates the other end of the axis. It is one of the most prominent landmarks and was built between 1936 and 1946. It has a combination of both Romanian and Moldavian architectural elements. The cathedral has 11 towers which are covered in coloured enameled bricks. The tallest tower reaches 83 meters high and is one of the biggest churches in Romania. There are 7, 8 ton bells that play to the harmony of Sabin Dragoi, a Romanian composer.

The former palaces on either side

Cultural Palace

Cultural Palace

Cultural Palace

She-Wolf

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral

Piata Unirii [Unity Square]

Piata Unirii is the other main square in the downtown area.

-The most iconic building within this space is the Roman Catholic Dome [St. George Cathedral]. This Baroque style cathedral laid its original foundation in 1736. The architect was Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who was one of the most important architects of the Habsburgs.

-Within this same square is the Baroque Palace. This palace is dated back to the 18th century and was the former dwelling of the civilian governor of the Banat region.

-Serbian Orthodox Vicarage and Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian Orthodox Vicarage was built in the Baroque style between 1745 and 1747. It was the dwelling place for the orthodox bishop. Since 1865 the bishops palace remains under Serbian administration. There are neo-Serbian elements along the facade. The Serbian church was built from 1744-1748 in the Baroque style.

-The main monument in the square is the Holy Trinity Monument. This Baroque monument was made for a nobleman who lost his wife during the plague [1738]. The monument was made in Vienna and brought to Timisoara in 1740. Three of the sides show scenes from the plague [hunger, war, and the problems people faced during the period]. The holy trinity stands at the top of the monument.

-Bruck House. One of the most colourful buildings in the city currently. It was built in 1910 by a Hungarian architect. It is in the Art-Nouveau and Sucession styles.

Cathedral, Holy Trinity Monument and Baroque Palace [right]

St. George Cathedral

Bruck House

Serbian Orthodox Vicarage and Orthodox Church

Serbian Orthodox Church

Other buildings
There were many things to see while walking through the streets of the city! These are only a few things that I snapped photos of.

Piarusts' Church (Laszlo Szekely 1912)

Piarist Complex

Huniade Castle

St. Mary, St. John Nepomuk Mon.

Facade

Synagogue in Cetate

Scont Bank - Hungarian style
Art Nouveau

Therezia Bastion

Bega

The Fabric District and beyond

There is a lot to see outside of the main downtown area. On my last day I went to check out the Fabric district and some of the outer lying streets. I would not recommend going to the Fabric district at night, but it is definitely worth a visit during the day.