The Brück House

The Roman-Catholic Episcopal Church, located at 12 Union Square, is an emblematic building of Timișoara, also known as the St.George Cathedral. The construction was carried out between 1731 and 1774, by architect Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The cornerstone was laid on August 6, 1754 by the Bishop of Cenad, Adalbert von Falkenstein. The consecration of the Cathedral intended for the bishops of Cenad took place on April 24, 1803, and it was performed by Bishop Ladislaus Köszeghy de Remete. From the architectural point of view, the Roman-Catholic Church was built in Baroque style. Because of the marshland, the building is reinforced by wooden pillars. Its size is impressive: it has a length of 55 meters, width of 22, the height of the nave is 16.90 meters, and that of the towers is 35.5 meters. The first bells were cast in 1763, and the clock was installed in 1764. Nine altars may be admired once inside, all sculpted by Viennese artist Johan Müller, in Baroque and Rococo styles, as well as a painting of Michelangelo Unterberger, "St. George on horseback fighting the dragon", dating back to 1754; the icons and old statues, the oak carved doors, the side altars painted by German painter Johann Adam Schöpf and the organ in Louis XVI style. The first Baroque organ was built in 1767 by Viennese Paul Hanke, and the current one was manufactured in Timişoara, in 1908. In 1756, the Cathedral was raised to the rank of first church of Timişoara, by decree of Empress Maria Theresa. Over time, the Roman-Catholic Cathedral has undergone difficult times. Thus, between 1788 and 1790, during the battles between the Turks and the Austrians, the Cathedral was turned into a salt warehouse. During the siege of 1849, i.e. the Hungarian revolution, the building was seriously damaged. Currently, the mass is celebrated every Sunday and on important holidays, always in 3 languages: Romanian, Hungarian and German. The Holy Pontifical Mass, performed by the Bishop, also contain parts in Latin, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech and Slovakian. The Roman-Catholic Cathedral is open to visitors Monday through Sunday. Text and photo sources: https://www.facebook.com/Episcopia-Romano-Catolică-Timișoara; https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

The Military Casino is located in Liberty Square, and is the most valuable military building, dating back to the eighteenth century. The construction works were completed in 1775, and in time the building was superimposed and completed with a large terrace. In a refined decor, the great festivity hall of the Military Casino was where the officers' balls used to take place, so famous at that time. This highlights the important role that the building once played in the social life of the young locals in those days. In 1924 the Rose Exhibition was organised here, when black and blue roses were introduced for the first time. In 1996, the building of the Military Casino started housing the Military Museum and Club. Text source: https://timisoara.eventya.eu/

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 construction of the Roman-Catholic Episcopal Palace, located at 4 Augustin Pacha St. started in 1743, when the building was donated by Empress Maria Theresa to the Roman-Catholic Episcopacy. Starting the year 1783, the building became the permanent residence of the Catholic Bishop. In terms of architectural style, the Baroque style may be identified, while the portal is decorated with some rococo elements. The Roman-Catholic Bishopric of Timișoara is considered to the successor of the Bishopric of Cenad, founded in 1030. Once transferred to Timișoara in 1738, it became the Bishopric of Timișoara in 1930. In the post-war period, the Bishopric was closed down, and it continued its activity as a simple Deanship. After 1990 it was reactivated and the building was recovered. Now it hosts a museum, where statues, paintings and other religios exhibits may be seen. Upstairs there are eight huge stained glass windows depicting saints and martyrs of the Hungarian Catholic community. They were rescued and hidden in communist times. Text and photo sources: http://www.timisoara-info.ro/; http://timisoara.eventya.eu/

After the defeat of the Hungarian Republic established in 1849, Hungary was divided into the five "crown countries" (kronländer). Banat of Temeschwar and Serbian Vojvodina, with its capital at Timișoara, was one of them. A seat for the government of this crown country needed to be built. Thus, between 1855 and 1860, the Dicasterial Palace appeared, the biggest building in town at the time. It was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance, with architectural elements similar to those in the Palazzo Strozzi and Palazzo Pitti in Florence. In the year when the building was finally completed, Banat was once more adjoined to Hungary, therefore a seat for the government was no longer necessary, since Timișoara became the capital of the county. The Palace has three levels, with originally 273 offices, 34 servant rooms, 34 kitchens, 65 cellars, 27 storage rooms, all placed around three inner courtyards. Today, the Dicasterial Palace houses the Court House of Timișoara, the Timiș Tribunal and the Appellate Court. Text and photo sources http://www.timisoara-info.ro/; http://timisoara.eventya.eu/