Return to Timișoara

I visited Timișoara for the first time in 2023 when it was the European Capital of Culture. I was positively surprised by the offer of cultural events, especially in the area of modern art. An exhibition of the outstanding Romanian surrealist sculptor and painter Victor Brauner (1903-1966) was held at the National Museum of Art at Unification Square. When I arrived in Timişoara a year later, the exhibition of another important Romanian artist – sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi (1876-1957), who belongs to the representatives of abstract expressionism and who – like Brauner – worked in Paris, was just ending at this museum. Among the exhibits, you could find some of his famous works: The Kiss, Bird in Space, Sleeping Muse and Mademoiselle Pogany.

I think that both exhibitions satisfied even the demanding modern art expert. If you ever go to Timișoara, be sure to check out the program of the National Museum of Art. Although it is not located in the capital of Romania, you get to see great exhibitions here.

On the Long Walk from Cetate to Fabric

Having explored the center of Timișoara with its three central squares quite thoroughly during my first visit, I now decided to walk from the Cetate part to the Fabric district, which had already fascinated me even then.

From the Ibis Hotel (where I stayed again) just go left, after a few meters you will come to the main street (where the trams run), turn left and then go straight ahead, straight through Cetate to the Fabric district. You could also take the tram there, but you will come across many interesting buildings and places on foot.

The city’s historic Fabric district saw its heyday in the mid-19th century. At that time, up to 53% of the total population of Timișoara lived here!! It was from here that the city was supplied with drinking water, electricity and other basic commodities, even beer! No wonder there used to be this saying: All good things come from Fabric. The industrial revolution also started here, where Romanians, Germans, Serbs, Hungarians and Jews lived side by side… But how has it changed over two centuries?

So let us walk the whole route together very slowly.

From the hotel, we walk along Coriolan Bredeceanu Street. After the intersection with Regele Mihai I. Boulevard, you will see a long yellow building on your left. This is a military hospital from the 18th century, a huge complex with three inner courtyards. At the end of the building, look to the left to Marasesti Street, where you can see the beautiful Synagogue in the Fortress (Sinagoga din Cetate), built in the 19th century in an eclectic style with Moorish elements.

We continue straight ahead and after a few steps, we will have the Liberty Square (Piata Libertatii) on the right, one of the three main squares in Timișoara. By the way, there is also a tram stop here that would take you to Fabric.

I came here in the morning, the pigeons were drinking drops from the puddles after the night’s rain. Music and singing emanated from the red-fronted building which was covered by posters. The students of the Faculty of Music practised their arias. In the past, however, no opera arias sounded here, but marching marches.

Military parades were held on the square, and except for the old town hall (now the Faculty of Music) and the bank, all other buildings served the army. Only in 1919, this place was named Liberty Square, until then it was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, who in 1716 liberated Timișoara from the Ottomans. Almost all of these buildings were built on the ruins of Turkish buildings. Look at the pavement – red paving stones mark the places where the Turkish bath, bazaar and other buildings were located.

We continue on our tour. Beyond the square, the name of the street changes to Proclamatia de la Timișoara. We arrive at the small Square of St. George (Piata Sfantul Gheorghe). It was from here that a horse-drawn tram operated from 1869 – the first in Romania and the fifth in the world! – between the districts of Cetate and Fabric.

Originally, the Church of St. George used to stand here, one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was converted into a mosque during the Muslim rule. In the 18th century, the building was demolished and the Jesuits built their complex and church in its place. It dominated the square until 1914. The remains of its walls can still be seen. And the red paving stones are again reminiscent of Turkish buildings from the past. The bronze equestrian statue of St. George fighting the dragon is relatively new (1996), it is one of the memorials to the victims of the revolution against Ceaușescu’s communist regime in 1989.

Also on this square, I met modern art in the form of an art installation (by Aleksandru Sumalan). You can be sure that everyone who walked by (myself included) stepped inside to become a part of this living kaleidoscope.

If you come here and there is no work of art, that is alright, just take a look around you. The buildings around the small square are in a desolate state, but in the past, they were certainly the pride of Timișoara. Look at the large green-gray building, the first savings bank in Timișoara from 1855, built in an eclectic style. Here, people deposited their savings like hardworking bees in a hive. Take a good look at the tips of the side turrets of this house. Beehives! And you can see another motif with a beehive above the entrance.

A nice relief with a beehive and adorable angels is also on the next building (Main Post Office). When I took a look inside, I was surprised by the beautiful wooden entrance interior, which did not even seem to fit with the shabby exterior facade. Well, I could not explore it any further, because the porter appeared and, with a not-so-kind gesture, let me know that I had nothing to see there.

Here, I would like to say that the positive changes since my first visit include the information panels (in the photo) that you can find in the city near important historical objects. The information is in Romanian and English.

If you are hungry, there is a small bakery right next to this building. A pleasant smell came from there and many people stopped here on their way to work. However, we go to the other side of the street and stop at the corner house – Proclamation de la Timișoara/Francesco Griselini Street. Notice the odd object in the niche on its corner. Merchant Andreas Trandaphil lived here in the first half of the 19th century. When he visited Vienna, he took a liking to Stock-im-Eisen – the trunk of a tree that once stood in front of the city gate (now, on a house near the Cathedral in Vienna). Fellow blacksmiths and locksmiths had hammered a hand-forged nail into this tree when leaving the city in the hope that they would return safely one day. Trandaphil also placed such a tree near his house – today it is only a replica, the original can be found in the Banat Museum.

Before you get to the next big intersection, the following buildings are worth noticing:

Deschan Palace (Palatul Deschan) on the left side of the street. Johann Anton Deschan was a member of the Hungarian Court Chamber and took part in the siege under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy. How important a person he was is evidenced by the fact that he received the largest piece of land in the city for his services. Later, the famous Scherter hardware store was located here, and the first bazaar in Timișoara was opened here as well. It is one of the few houses with a renovated facade, including a nice inner courtyard with a fountain.

Hotel Continental (on the right) from the late 1960s, at that time the tallest building in Timișoara. The Municipal Park (Parcul Civic), the youngest of all the parks in the city, is from the same period. There is also a flower clock, but in January, it was quite a sad view, without flowers and it did not even show the current time.

Monument to the 1989 revolution by sculptor Gheorghe Iliescu. I once again realized how lucky we were that the revolution in our former Czechoslovakia took place peacefully in 1989, with no casualties.

A beautiful gray house (on the left) with interesting reliefs with figures – a shepherd and a spinner – in national costumes. The building had to be renovated recently, but pieces of plaster have already started to peel off and pigeons have moved into the cracks.

Fortunately, some buildings are truly lucky as they have become the headquarters of some banks that have enough funds to restore them. This is the case with the headquarters of the National Bank of Romania. Before we cross a large intersection, we notice the Theresia Bastion (Bastionul Theresia) on the left, a part of the former walls that have been preserved to this day.

After the intersection, we continue straight on, but the name of the street changes to Boulevard of the Revolution – Bulevardul Revolutiei din 1989. In this part, the complex of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy with the bust of King Michael I and the building of the regional prefecture caught my attention. At last, we arrive at the Fabric district, to Decebal’s bridge over the Bega river channel. It was built in 1909 as the Neptune Bridge, at that time the longest bridge in Europe on reinforced concrete beams (length 195 m, width 9 m).

According to many, it is still the most beautiful bridge in Timișoara. The author of its Art Nouveau design is Albert Kálmán Körössy, one of the most famous Hungarian Art Nouveau architects.

It was this bridge that witnessed the shooting on thousands of protesters in December 1989, with 56 victims “disappearing” when they were secretly transferred from a hospital to a crematorium in Bucharest. You can find their names on the gate to the nearby Queen Mary Park.

The park with an area of 4.5 ha is the oldest in Timișoara. During its existence, it changed its name several times, it was originally named after Count Johann von Coronini-Cronberg, who around 1850 ordered its modification in the English style. You can continue through the park, but then you would miss one of the (sadly) most impressive parts of our walk. On the left side of the street, which is now called Bulevardul 3 August 1919, there are beautiful houses, built around 1900 in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, inspired by the noble palaces of Vienna and Budapest. Sadly, only a few of them are renovated, most of the buildings are in deplorable condition.

When I was here in the summer, the leaves of the tall trees along the street sympathetically covered the crumbling facades. But now, in January, their facades were exposed, and although many interesting details stood out more, it was a sad sight.

At the end of the street, a huge – once said to be the most beautiful house in all of Timișoara – the Palace of Miksa Steiner. A “Pigeon house” for me. Flocks of birds flew out from rafters, circled above the street, sometimes almost touching me with their wings, and immediately landed again on the roof, on all the turrets, windows and balconies, while some pigeons curiously peeked out from the stern of the ship, which seemed to be about to sail from the attic. At the turn of the century, one of the branches of the Bega River was located directly in front of the palace. However, the canal was later covered and became a street.

Miksa Steiner became rich thanks to his chemical factory. He owned the Discount Bank in the city center as well. Here, in the Fabric quarter, he built his palace in 1901. Oh, he would surely be extremely unhappy to see in what condition his house was today.

Steiner was also the chairman of the committee that bought the land on which the New Synagogue – my favourite building in Timișoara – was built in 1897-1899. It was designed by Lipót Baumhorn from Budapest, the architect of 20 other synagogues in the monarchy.

The synagogue was closed in 1985 and since then, it has been falling into ruin. During my first visit, the door behind the grill was ajar, so at least part of the beautiful interior was visible. Now the door was closed, but I heard that the city already had some plans for this building. I truly wish that they would save this architectural gem.

Another stop in the Fabric district is the small Roman Square (Piata Romanilor). Here, once lived rich Jewish families who employed governesses from Austria and Germany for their children. There were also many shops and a horse-drawn tram stop in the middle of the square. The square is dominated by the Millennium Church with its two 65 m high towers.

The church was built on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of the Old Hungarian tribes in the Pannonian Basin (hence the name): 896 – 1896. As the population in Fabric increased greatly at the turn of the century, the original church was no longer sufficient for its capacity. Up to 3,000 people can fit inside the Millennium Church, it is also currently the largest Roman Catholic church in the city. The building was designed by the prominent Hungarian architect Lajos Ybl, the author of the original plans for the rebuilding of Timişoara according to the model of the capital city of the monarchy, Vienna. Above the portal, Jesus, St. Peter and St. Paul invite you to enter the temple, where you can admire the beautifully painted walls with geometric and plant motifs.

Another remarkable building is Stefanie Palace with several turrets and a figure of a knight, which has a beautiful view of the entire area. It was originally a residential building and belonged to the city. However, as a result of the post-war crisis, the city sold it in 1918 to Rezsö Totis, who was the general director of the wool company and at the same time the royal consul of Belgium in Timișoara. That is why the locals call this house Totis Palace or Stefanie – after his wife.

But they also call it the House with Monkeys. On the side facade, you will see extremely strange, even somewhat terrifying figures of monkeys and bears. However, the palace is one of the most representative Art Nouveau buildings in Timișoara. It was built by László Székely, the star architect of the city.

And now we are coming to Traian Square (Piata Traiana). It is not as flashy as the three famous squares in the city center but I like it. Even its dilapidated buildings have their special charm. In addition, it has now been revived by the modern art installation Metallic Spectrum (authors: Libotyan Toma and Ambrus Nimbert).

The central square of the Fabric district was originally called Kossuth´s or Main Square, only modest, “country” houses stood on it and weekly fairs were held there. Its current form is from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries when large palaces were built on each side – for example, the Mercur Palace in Art Nouveau style. You can recognize it by the bronze statue of the god Mercury, who seems to be about to fly off the roof of the dilapidated house.

In the past, there were many small shops here, whose owners were of various origins – Germans, Hungarians, Serbs, Romanians and Jews… There are two monuments on the square – an obelisk with a cross from 1774…

…and a big Liberty Bell – again one of the twelve monuments of the revolution of 1989.

On the eastern side of the square, there is the Baroque Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George from the middle of the 18th century and next to it, the House of the Serbian community in an eclectic style. The Serbian community is very strong in Timișoara, they have three churches, schools, a library, associations… If the church is open, take a look inside, there are valuable icons from the 18th and 19th centuries. I also caught a glimpse, but the service started, the church was full, so I did not want to disturb.

Next to the Serbian church, we continue our long walk along Negruzzi Street with small family houses instead of palaces – it looks more like a village here. Then we pass by the white and gold Romanian Orthodox Church and continue to the river.

The modern Hungarian, reformed Church of the New Millennium was consecrated on the 30th anniversary of the revolution against the communist regime, with the participation of priest László Tökés, who is considered the initiator of the revolution in Romania. Because of his sermons, the communists wanted to move him, but the people sided with him. It led to mass demonstrations… and, unfortunately, also to the shooting of protesters.

The building by the famous Hungarian architect Imre Makovec was closed, which I was sorry for because the interior looks impressive in the photos.

In the past, the Bega River had several branches at the end of the suburban area of Fabric, and there were also many water mills. The original Mihai Viteazu Bridge was demolished in 1980, only four of the 32 reliefs have been preserved and are installed in the current new bridge. On one of them, you can see a miller with a sack on his back.

After the bridge, we turn right. The walk along the river is pleasant, January was warm and the first blooming dandelions had already appeared. There is also a kind of Stonehenge in the park – whoever wants can sit in the sun, relax or meditate.

Many achievements of technical progress in Romania have their beginnings in Timișoara. The first hydroelectric power plant in the country and one of the first in Europe opened in 1910. The engineer Emil Szilárd was entrusted with the regulation of the river. The project was supposed to improve the sanitary conditions of residents in Fabric, lower the groundwater level and make it possible to float the Bega throughout the city. The power plant supplied electricity for the tram.

Behind the dam, there used to be a nice natural swimming pool with wooden cabins for changing clothes, even with a separate part for nudists. However, after the war, this large complex was abandoned. Even the power plant building has already been eroded by the ravages of time…

We cross the bridge with colourful crocheted decorations and rickety stairs to the other bank and continue to the last stop of this long walk. First, let us pass by the Greek Orthodox church. This used to be the small, old Roman Catholic church that was handed over to the Greek Catholic community after the Millennium Church was built.

The Fabric district received its name thanks to the numerous factories and manufactories. There was a paper mill, a wire mill, a soap factory, an oil press, a weaving mill, factories for ice, cloth, shoes, hats… The factory suburb thus became the mercantilist production and trade centre of Timișoara. One of the most important enterprises was the brewery, the first certified in the territory of today’s Romania. It was founded in 1718, when Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the Ottomans, for practical reasons – an acute lack of drinking water. The soldiers of the Austrian army were thirsty, but there were many swamps everywhere at that time, and only a few wells. Jewish siblings Jakob and Abraham Kepesch (also written as Köppisch), originally from Pressburg (today Bratislava), won the concession to operate the brewery.

The brewery was originally located in Cetate (where the University of Medicine and Pharmacy is today), it moved to the Fabric district in 1744. Even the “King of Waltzes” Johann Strauss Jr. played in the courtyard of the popular brewery. Beer was also supplied to the Romanian royal house.

Over the decades, the brewery changed its owner several times and in 1890, it burned to the ground. As if everything here really had to go through total destruction… However, the enterprise was quickly renovated and at the beginning of the 19th century, it became the most modern brewery in Southeastern Europe.

So we will end our journey at the Fabrica de bere (entrance from the side). The stylish interior in the former ballroom surprised me very positively.

At a large table, a family was honouring one of their relatives, a priest had joined them, and they started the lunch with a joint prayer. At a barrel‑shaped table, a couple of tourists ordered different types of beer, and there was a group of local guys sitting at another table. One of them took out a harmonica and started playing sad and happy tunes until the waiter brought them plates full of food.

I ordered a traditional dish – Sarmalute – cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat, with bacon and corn porridge (approx. €5.50, 1/2 l beer – €2.20 – €2.60, January 2024).

I sat in that restaurant, enjoying the delicious food and beer and thinking about this district that so clearly reflects the open and tolerant spirit of Timișoara. How many more years will it take for it and for the entire city, which was once called Little Vienna, to return to its former glory? Will it ever happen again?

But as the slogan of this 300-year-old brewery proclaims: The story goes on…

For more information and maps of the city, I recommend visiting the Information Center in the right wing of the Opera House, entrance from Alba Iulia Street (street with umbrellas).

You might also be interested in the following articles: Three Days in Timișoara: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Fabric, Temešvár, Temeš, Rumunsko