The Maria Theresa Bastion

The Clergy Houses are an ensemble of 4 houses, located at 8, 9, 10 and 11 Union Square. The houses date back to the second half of the eighteenth century and originally formed a single building, with a unitary façade, until after 1844. All the houses were originally executed in the Austrian Baroque style, and rebuilt after the 1849 siege in Classicist style, and later restored in 1980, based on the plans of architect Șerban Sturza. The house at no.8, known as the Szervinatz House, belonged in 1828 to Johann Szervinatz. In 1847, the house sheltered the tavern "La Trei Husari", and in 1852 it was turned into a vinegar factory. The house at number 9, known as the Nica Koszta House, belonged in 1828 to Nica Koszta, and later this is where the tavern "La Balotul din Ardeal" ("The Transylvanian Bale") worked. In 2009, the house was restored as part of the Romanian-German cooperation project „The Prudent Rehabilitation and Economic Revitalization of the Historic Neighbourhoods in Timişoara”, implemented by the Municipality of Timişoara and the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The house at number 10 was known in 1828 as the "Clergy House". The one at number 11 is the Krautwaschl House, which in 1828 belonged to Franz Krautwaschl. In 1844 this is where the tavern "La Struţ" ("The Ostrich") functioned, the emblem of the tavern was represented by a red painted ostrich. In the mean time, the house became headquarters of bank subsidiaries, editorials, political parties. It was restored in 2009. Text and photo sources: http://www.timisoara-info.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The House of the Orthodox Community is located at 5 Union Square; it was built by the Orthodox community in 1828, on the site of an older house dating back to the second half of the eighteenth century. The building was used both by the Romanian and Serbian Orthodox believers. From the architectural stand point, the building was designed in Classicist style, with some Baroque influences. The entrance portal is flanked by double Doric semi-columns. The six openings from the ground floor, located left and right of the entrance portal, have round arches above, typical of the Classicist style. During the restoration work carried out in 1983, executed by architect Şerban Sturza, the house was added a gable roof in Austrian Baroque style. Over time, the house has several uses. Thus, in 1823, the Orthodox school functioned here, and later, in 1847, it became known as the "New Illyrian House", with a wine cellar and commercial spaces on the ground floor. In 1853, on these premises nine shops used to operate. After the separation of the Romanian Orthodox Church from the Serbian one, the building remained property of the latter. Currently, part of the building is leased to companies. Text and photo sources: http://www.timisoara-info.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Ormós House is located on Episcop Augustin Pacha St. and serves as headquarters to the Library of the Romanian Academy - the Timișoara Branch. It is the former Welauer House, built in 1891, now bearing the name of Ormós Zsigmond, who purchased the building, modifying it and turning it into the museum of the History and Archaeology Society, of which he was a founding member. Ormós Zsigmond was a leading figure of the Timișoara cultural life, a collector and an art historian, who also served as Prefect of Timiș County. In this capacity, he launched a call for a grant, seeking to attract as many founding members of the museum as possible. The museum objects collected by Ormós Zsigmond, through acquisitions and donations, are exhibited in the History Museum of Banat in Timișoara. Ever since 1941, the Town Library has functioned in the Ormós House, and later, the Academy Library starting 1953. The building was designed in the Eclectic style of the German Renaissance and is part of the national cultural heritage. Over time, the bass reliefs disappeared, the statue of goddess Minerva being the only one which was preserved intact on the façade of the building. Text and photo sources: https://debanat.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The House with the Lions is located in Union Square, on the north side, being the first house to be built in this square, in Baroque style, dated 1758. Over time, the House with the Lions had several names, depending on its destination. Since 1840, the building was successively home to the "La Soarele de Aur" ("The Golden Sun") tavern, the "La Câinele Alb" ("The White Dog") grocery store and the "La Fluierul Mare" ("The Big Flute") shop. Early twentieth century, when the building belonged to the Weiss family, it was rebuilt in the Secession style, which is when the two life-size carved lions were added on the roof, thus dominating the façade of the house up to present day. The building is known as the "House with the Lions" or the "Weiss-Grünbaum Trade House". Text and photo sources: http://www.timisoara-info.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The House with the Iron Axis is one of the landmarks of the city. Is it known that in the eighteenth century each house in Timișoara had to wear an emblem in order to be recognized. The house located at 1 Ionel I.C. Brătianu Square has an iron axis with a length of 2.5 meters attached to it, resembling the axle of a cart and mounted at the wall intersection. There isn't much historical data, but according to the legend, the iron axis is the axle from Prince Eugene of Savoya's cart, in which he drove into the city on October 18, 1716, defeating the Turks. Text and photo sources: http://www.opiniatimisoarei.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Brück House is an architectural jewel of Timișoara, built in Art Nouveau and Secession styles, with Hungarian folk motifs. The house is located on 9 Mercy St., on the corner of Union Square, and it was erected in 1910, based on the plans of architects Székely László and Arnold Merbl, at the initiative of the then owner, Salamon Brück. After the construction of the building in 1910, Salamon Brück opened at the ground floor a pharmacy that is still working today, preserving some of the old furniture. Over time, the building has been damaged. Lucky that an Italian, Gianluca Testa, who came to Timișoara on business in 1997, realised the historical importance, as well as the value of the property where he had acquired an apartment in 1999. He did not over think it, but took the initiative to restore the building, after obtaining the necessary permits from the relevant authorities. The rehabilitation works were aimed not only at the façade of the building, but also at the interior, thus both the stairway and the rooms were restored, the costs of the work amounting to 300,000 Euros. The building has regained its shine, catching the eye of all those who make it to downtown Timișoara. Text and photo sources: https://www.facebook.com/Casa-Bruck; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Serbian Cathedral, dedicated to the Ascension, is located in Union Square, across from the Roman-Catholic Dome. The entrance to the cathedral is on Emanoil Ungureanu St., parallel to the Square, the place of worship being located with the altar facing the East. Next is the Serbian Orthodox Bishopric of Timișoara. The Serbian Cathedral was built of stone and brick between 1745-1748, during the time of the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Timişoara, Gheorghie Popovici. From the architectural point of view, the building was designed in Baroque style, with Classicist elements, and the interior is exceptionally painted by Constantin Daniel, nicknamed the "Tizian of Banat". The woodwork of the cathedral was executed by the Ianici brothers. The iconostasis can itself be considered a masterpiece. Because of political reasons, the church towers could only be raised in 1791, during a restoration. The Cathedral was declared a historical monument in 1964. Text and photo sources: http://www.opiniatimisoarei.ro/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Metropolitan Cathedral, located in Victory Square, is the largest place of worship in Timișoara, declared a monument of art due to its architecture, painting and sculpture. The need to build this cathedral appeared in the political context of the Great Union of 1918. Starting that moment, Orthodoxy started to be encouraged: thus, in 1926 the old parish from the Cetate Neighbourhood was established again, and in 1939 the Timişoara Bishopric, which later became the Mitropoly of Banat, was established. The project of the impressive cathedral was entrusted to architect Ioan Traianescu, and the cornerstone of the building was laid in 1936. The consecration service was performed by Bishop Andrei Magieru. The bells and crossed of the Cathedral were sanctified in 1938, and the inauguration of the halidom took place in 1946, in the presence of King Michael I of Romania and Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu. The finishing work, interior and exterior paintings were only completed in 1956, as they were delayed by the World War II. From the architectural stand point, one may note the combination of the Romanian religious tradition with the Byzantine and Moldavian one. Because of the marshland, the building stands on a concrete slab supported by over 1,000 concrete pillars, sunk 20 meters deep. The exterior walls are decorated with red and yellow-orange brick, while the building is covered with glazed tiles, the colours of the Romanian flag, on a green background. It is the highest church in Romania (90.5 meters). The total built area is 1,542 meters. The Cathedral has eleven towers, of which the highest reaches 83,7 meters. The seven bells have a total weight of 8,000 kg. They were tuned by the famous composer Sabin Drăgoi. The Cathedral houses the relics of St.Joseph the New of Partoș, considered the protector of the Romanian Orthodox community from Banat, former bishop of Timișoara between 1651 and 1655. The necropolis of the Bishops of Banat lies in the basement, on the side facing the altar. In the basement, the visitor may find a rich collection of old religious art from the area of Banat and a valuable collection of icons. The museum owns 3,000 rare religious books, over 800 icons and paintings, and more than 130 ecclesiastical objects. Early Romanian manuscripts can be found here as well: the New Testament from Bălgrad (1648) and Cazania lui Varlaam (Varlaam's Homily) (1643). Text source: https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Synagogue in the Iosefin Neighbourhood, also called the Orthodox Temple, was built between 1906 and 1910, in Eclectic style, with Moorish and Neo-Gothic elements. Currently, this is the only functioning synagogue in Timișoara, since the Jewish community here only has about 600 members. The Jewish community in town meet in the Iosefin Synagogue on holidays or Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, for the religious service. The Synagogue also hosts a special event for the Jewish community, the Bar and Bat Mitzvah - the Jewish coming of age ceremony. Also the great services of the New Year or Ros Hasana are performed there. The holiday begins on the first day of the New Year in the Mosaic tradition, and it ends 10 days later, with the very strict Yom Kippur fasting. Text and photo sources: https://ro.wikipedia.org/; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/