Oradea
Situated at the foot of Apuseni Mountaines, at the distance sensitively
equal from Wien, Prague and Bucharest, Oradea is a passing-point on the roads
which connect Central and Northern Europe with the South-Eastern part of our
continent. By its position in our country, Oradea is the main entering gate at
Western frontier.
Back to contents
|
The
Fortress
|
The first documentary mentioning of the name of the town (Varadinum) shows
up in 1113 though it seems that its foundation has been set on the bank of the
river Crisul Repede, a long time before that year.
Town with ancient traditions, Oradea had an important role in history,
because of its stategic position, in an area between mountains and plaines, on
the banks of the river Crisul Repede, at the intersection of some very
important commercial roads. This geographical position will stimulate its
developement, Oradea becoming in a short while a blooming comercial town and
also an important cultural center.
During the Renaissance, Oradea had many connections with Italian artists,
which brought from their country the taste for the refinement of this culture.
So, in the 15th century, the Italian language was probably a common aspect on
the streets of Oradea, a part of the urban life. Even Nicolaus Olahus, the
well-known Romanian humanist studied at Oradea. This is the first great period
(the 15th century) during which the Italian Humanism influenced the culture in
this town, known in Venice and Florence as Varadino.
The existence of a fortification on the teritory of Oradea was mentioned
for the first time in 1241, by the canon Rogerius. The fortress was composed
of a cathedral, a bishoprical palace and some other buildings, parts of an
ecclesiastic centre. Since then, the architectural patrimony of the town has
been enriched with many churches and a tower-chapel. The image of the fortress
in the 16th century has been kept relatively truthful in contemporary
descriptions and also on the oldest stamp, dating from 1598, belonging to Joris
Hoefnagel.
The Fortress
Today
|
The bulwark, in its present exterior shape was besieged five times during
the period between 1598 and 1692, resisting to most of the attacks.
Beginning with the 18th century the Austrian military authorities used the
fortress as headquarters and jail; today, it is a touristic attraction.
Back to contents
|
In the 18th century, during the Enlightenment, the cultural life of the
town was intense. In the last decade of this century, a school institution of
high degree was inaugurated in Oradea, for the first time in its history. The
Royal Academy debutated in the 1st of November 1780 with the first study year
in Philosophy and in the 1st of September 1788 with the first study year in
Law.
The personality which imposed the major developement directions in the
spiritual life in the first half of the 19th century was the Greek-catholic
bishop Samuil Vulcan. In 1828, he established at Beius a highschool which was
ment to rise the quality of the Romanian educational system. He also
coordinated the huge work for the elaboration of the
"Romanian-Latin-Hungarian-German Lexicon", printed in 1825, one of the most
important work for presenting and aranging the Romanian vocabulary of that
time.
Man of culture, Samuil Vulcan was the owner of an impressing library, not
only by the large number of the books but also by their value and diversity.
The printing developed early in Oradea, the first book being printed here in
1745. Oradea is not one the most important printing centers in Central Europe,
but in the 18th century 140-150 titles have been published here and more than
370 in the 19th century. The most important thing is that a spiritual emulation
developed in this town, an emulation which was also reflected into the printing
activity. On the other side, there were lots of cultural preocupations in
Oradea: schools of a lower and higher degree, libraries, printing houses, music
and thearical shows and also a receptive public, sensitive to cultural acts and
interested in the main European cultural ideas of the time.
|
The image of the town was created in the 18th century. The first important
constructions were the churches. The first catholic church is built in 1693: it
is the church "Saint Brigitta". It is set on fire in 1703 and rebuilt in 1722.
The church is very small, it has a straight ceiling and and a small tower made
of wood.
|
"Saint
Trinity"
|
"Saint
Ladislau"
|
The first orthodox church in Oradea is one made of wood in fair Velenta in
1720. In the 18th century a new orthodox church in baroque style is built on
its place. The first construction in the baroque style shows up at the
beginning of this century. The church "Saint Ladislau" is built after 1720 and
its tower is built later during the last decade of the 18th century, in the
late baroque style. The frescoes date from 1908 and they belong to the painter
Tury Gyula.
Back to contents
|
In the middle of the 18th century The Union Square becomes the center of
the district New Town (the left bank of the river Crisul Repede, the center of
the town in the present). The first building in this square dates from 1714 and
it will become the inn "The Eagle". In 1753 the square expandes and lots of
theatrical performances take place here. At the beginning of the 18th century a
group of monks built a church which will later become the Greek-catholic church
and in 1948 it becomes the orthodox church "Bunavestire".
A very important public construction is the former building of the
district, build in the baroque style in 1760 and rebuilt in 1855 when a new
side was added ton it. After the reconstuctions it loses its original
character.The Roman-catholic bishop Forgach Pal begins the constuction of the
cathedral and of the new palace, whose project was already made by the
architect Franz Anton Hillebrandt from Wien in 1752. But the construction
didn't begin until 1752 and it was guided by the Italian architect Giovanni
Battista Ricca, who adds elements inspired from Vignole's church "Il Gesu"
(Jesus). The cathedral was finished in 1780. The front was simplified given
the original project and some classical elements were added.
"Tarii
Crisurilor"
Museum
|
In 1762 in the neighbourhood of the cathedral the construction of the
bishoprical palace begins under the guiding of the engineer Johann Michael
Neuman. The building was finished in 1777 and is made of three parts with two
floors which delimit an inner yard. Today it is the most important museum of
the town, the "Tarii Crisurilor" Museum.
The two buildings make together a very important pile of late baroque
architecture.
Back to contents
|
The houses of the canons were built near this pile, these being known under
the name "The Canons' Line".
The first orthodox church was "The Moon Church"; its foundation was set in
the 9th of November 1784. It was build in the late baroque style under the
guidance of Iacob Eder and it was finished in the year 1790. In the tower of
the church there is a mechanism which moves a sphere repesenting the moon. This
mechanism, from which the church takes its name, was made in 1793 by the
watchmaker Georg Rueppe and it shows the hornings of the moon.
Back to contents
|
The
Cathedral
|
In the year 1810 the construction of the church "Saint Nicholas" is
finished. Its front was made in the late baroque style, also having some
neoclassical characteristics. The plane has the shape of a cross, the ceiling
vaulted an the central cupola painted with scenes inspired from the Bible. The
church has an unfavourable placement in the square, because the altar was
placed to the East.
In the second half of the 19th century, a new style appears in
architecture, the ecletic style, which involves using elements from a
historical style or from different styles.
The Israelit
Synagogue
|
An example is the Israelite Synagogue, projected by the engineer Busch
David. The synagogue has its plane square and it is covered with a chapel. The
interior and the exterior decorations are inspired from the moor art.
Back to contents
|
If only some churches and monasteries remained from the ancient times,
beginning with the 19th century we can find lots of civilian constructions like
houses, schools and other public institutions. The Gimnazium Premonstratens and
the Law Academy (nowadays "Mihai Eminescu" Highschool) are built in 1874, and
the building that is nowadays "Emanuil Gojdu" Highschool in 1895, being
projected by Knapp Ferenc. The building which has a ground floor and two floors
is a monumental construction.
Back to contents
|
"Emanuil
Gojdu"
High School
|
The Medicine
Faculty
|
The building which is today the Medicine University was built in
1869.The Public Finances' Palace, nowadays the Adults' Clinic, was built in
1890. The town Museum which was inaugurated in 1896 is also built in the
ecletic style.
Back to contents
|
At the end of the 19th century, remarkable monuments of eclesiastic
architecture were built in Oradea: the Ortodox Israelitan Synagogue (having
moor art elements) and the Roman-catholic church on the Republic's street.
In 1903, the Greek-catholic comunity builds the new Bishoprical Palace, on
the place of the old one, which became narrow (today it is the District
Library), following the project of Rimanoczy Kalman junior. The building is
remarkable by the abundance of the geometrical and vegetal decorations.
Back to contents
|
The District
Library
|
The Town
Hall
|
The town hall was built between 1902-1903. It was also projected by
Rimanoczy Kalman. Lop-sided, the building is a real monument.
Back to contents
|
The current building of the Prefecture, built in 1901 in the eclectic style
and used as a premise for the Law Court, imposes itself by the main front: its
superior part is decorated with four allegorical sculptures.
The project of the theatre was entrusted to the Viennese firm Fellner&
Helmer. The construction began in 1899 and it was finished in record time by
the contractors Rimanoczy Kalman junior, Guttman Jozsef and Rendes Vilmos. The
main front is neoclassical, with pilars which sustain a triangular gable
decorated with bas-relieves. Two allegorical statues are placed in front of
it.The first performance took place in the 15th of October 1900.
Back to contents
|
The
Theatre
|
In the first decade of the 20th century, a new spirit of arts spreads in
Oradea, a spirit different from the academic styles, creating the prerequisites
of a stylistic diversification, bazed on inventions and originality.The new
style, the secession, has two main periods: the one with curved lines and
flower motives and the geometrical one.
The Black
Eagle
|
The most important achievement of the two architects Komor Marcell and
Jakab is the Black Eagle Palace, built in the Union Square in the years
1907-1909, on the base of an old inn having the same name.
A characteristic of this pile is the passage covered with glass which
makes the conection between three streets and also the stained glass window
representing the town symbol, the eagle.
Back to contents
|
The Black
Eagle
|
The same architects projected some other houses, such as: Fuchsl
House, Adorjan Houses, Stern Palace.
At the Fuchsl House, the main decoration consists of flower motives and
bunches of grapes. The Adorjan Houses were built between 1904-1906. Their
specific is the sculptural aspect of the main fronts and also their plaster.
The Stern Palace, built between 1908-1909, includes a high grandfloor and a
mezzanine, these consisting of comercial units and two floors of
dwellings.
Back to contents
|
Adorjan
Palace
|
Astoria
Hotel
|
Continuing the list of the Secession buildings, some of them deserve to be
mentioned: Hotel Emke (nowadays Hotel Astoria), Poynar House (the Eminescu
bookshop), Deutsch House with whole of its front decorated with folk floral
motives and ended with a curved atic.
The Ullman Palace is an example of Viennese Secession belonging to Lobl
Ferencz, being built in 1913. The specific feature of this building is the
bas-relief presenting the nubian lion and the seven armed candlestick made of
bronze-green stoneware.
The front of the Moskovits Palace is characterized by an alternation of
straight and curved planes. The exterior decorations are color potter plates
and alegoric figures at the top of the building.
Between 1912 and 1914 the Apollo Palace is built in the Berlin secession
style, its decorations reminding the empire style.
Back to contents
|
But all these simple words are not able to describe the beauty of these
architectural masterpieces.
The architectural stateliness of Oradea faced both time and the forces of
nature, offering today the image of a vivid town.
[Romanian]
[Go Back!]
Page created by
Cristi Streng,
Cristi Tiurbe,
Andreea Ivan, Mirona Oros, Lavinia Sabau,
Csaba Ile
.
Last updated May 29th 1997.
The Fortress