Timişoara Secession

Part Five: Elisabetin

The area across the Bega south of the Timişoara Fortress became a part of the city in the 18th century. It was originally inhabited by Germans and Romanians and had, for a long time, a rural appearance. The neighbourhood was called Alte Mayerhöfe in German, Régi Majorok in Hungarian and Maierele Vechi in Romanian. In the late 19th century, it was renamed after Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary: Elisabethstadt in German, Erzsébetváros in Hungarian, and Elisabetin in Romanian. Just like the rest of the city, it experienced a strong development at the turn of the 20th century, following the demolition of the Timişoara Fortress. Many buildings that we see here today are from that period. The most attractive Secessionist buildings are located near the Pleven Square.

25. Kunz Palace

Bulevardul 16 Decembrie 1989 7
1900-1901

This is one of the earliest buildings in Timişoara that shows features of Art Nouveau on its façade: floral elements, compositions of stripes and circles, and elaborate wrought iron of the entrance door.

26. Nicolin Palace

Strada General Henri Berthelot 4
Martin Gemeinhardt, 1904; modified in 1910

The Nicolin Palace is located on the northern side of the Pleven Square, in an area with several beautiful Art Nouveau buildings. It is most attractive of them because of its lush façade decorations with floral and faunal motifs in stucco. One finds the tree of life on the central axis of the building, peacocks with flowers above the ground-floor windows and owls under the eaves on the sides. A monogram above the entrance informs the passers-by of the building’s original owner.

The nearby Hartlauer Palace, also designed by Martin Gemeinhardt, is designed in a similar way.

27. Neuhausz Palace / Blau Palace

Strada Gheorghe Doja 5
1902-1903 or 1907

This attractive building is identified by some sources as the house of Ernő Neuhausz, who is known to have owned several buildings in the area, and by the others as the house of the widow of Lajos Blau. Its façade shows anthropomorphic, floral and geometric elements on the first-floor level.