Cultural Sites in Oradea
Piața Unirii
Union Square is the place where you feel the energy of the city, the center of Oradea, moreover, a collection of 7 captivating architectural styles – Baroque, Classicist, Eclectic, Historian, Secession, Romantic and Neo-Romanian. The vibrant atmosphere given by the multitude of places in the market urges you to enjoy a good coffee and a delicious meal while admiring all the architectural jewels: Oradea City Hall (1901 – 1903), Greek Catholic Episcopate Palace (1903 – 1905), Black Eagle Palace (1907 – 1908) or the Adolf and Sons Moskovitz Palace (1904 – 1905), The Moon Church.
Union Square, also known as the Little Square, took shape around the 18th century when it was the center of the New Town neighborhood. The first building built here was the Serföyö House, in 1714, on the site of today’s Black Eagle Palace. With only a few rooms, it was later transformed into the well-known “Eagle” Inn. Beginning in 1753, the market underwent a series of transformations. Impressive buildings appear in different architectural styles, street lighting and the first trams connecting the center, the North Station and the western part of the city.
The Moon Church
The Moon Church, also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is a Christian-Orthodox church located in Oradea, built between 1784-1790. It was named after a unique mechanism in Europe, located on the church tower, which is meant to set in motion a sphere with a diameter of 1 m, in the shape of the moon, painted half black, half gold. This sphere moves according to the rotational motion of the Moon around the Earth and shows, by its rotation, all the phases of the Moon. The church is located in Union Square, the place considered the city center of Oradea.
The Black Eagle Palace
The Black Eagle Palace is an architectural monument representative of Oradea.
The palace, located in Union Square, was built between 1907-1908 by Oradea architects Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab, in secession style.
The building is on the corner, with a high ground floor and four floors, consisting of two bodies between which there is a glazed passageway with access to several streets. The stained glass window with the black eagle, which became an emblem of the ensemble, was made in 1909, in the Neumann K. Oradea workshop.
The Black Eagle Palace is the most important building of its style in Oradea. The building is multifunctional, comprising, at the time of the inauguration, casino, hotel, offices, restaurant, grouped in three asymmetrical bodies. Currently, there are many clubs in the building, cafes and restaurants being an important meeting place for the social scene of Oradea.
Oradea City Hall
Oradea City Hall is a historic building, the Palace that houses it is the work of architect Rimanóczy Kálmán Junior, who won, in 1896, the competition for the construction of the new headquarters. In October 1903, the building was inaugurated and put into operation, and on January 10, 1904, the inaugural meeting took place. The Town Hall Tower offers you the opportunity to admire the center of Oradea and also houses a clock that sings at fixed hours “Iancu’s March” and was built in the early twentieth century, in 1904, by a watchmaker named Mezey Dezső.
The City Hall Tower can be visited daily by tourists, at the end of the 250 stairs of the tower will open a panorama that worth all the effort!
The Zionist Neological Synagogue
The Zionist Neological Synagogue in Oradea is a Jewish place of worship in Oradea, the third largest in Europe, it is a simplified replica in the spirit of modernity of the Nuremberg Synagogue. It was built between 1877-1878 in neo-Moorish style. The neolog Jewish community built a monumental synagogue on the Crisul Repede riverbank, according to the plans of the city’s chief engineer, David Busch, and under the coordination of the senior engineer Kálmán Rimanóczy. The foundation stone of the synagogue was laid on April 9, 1877, and the construction work was completed on September 24, 1878.
The neolog synagogue in Oradea has a capacity of 1,000 seats.
Oradea Fortress
Oradea Fortress is an architectural monument in Romania, one of the few cities used today. Each alley and corner of the building has a story that accompanies you in a real foray into time. The Christian legends woven around King Ladislaus the Saint, its origin and notoriety – as a place of eternal rest of some important personalities of history, have attracted many visitors over time. Oradea Fortress hosts today some of the most important events in Oradea, the most representative being the Medieval Festival – an occasion on which the fortress is brought back to life in a spectacular way.
Once at the Citadel, don’t miss the MoO Museum exhibits.
Inside the fortress you can enjoy some of the best restaurants in Oradea, in a historical but also contemporary atmosphere.
The legend of the foundation
On a starry evening in 1092, while hunting in the Land of Criș, King Ladislaus I of Hungary came to a wide clearing, guarded on both sides by the waters of Crișul Repede, not far from Peţa-Hewjo, the creek that it never freezes. He fell asleep quickly, tired from the deer chase. In a dream, two angels appeared to him, who immediately asked him to erect a built monastery there, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He named this place Várad, and around the monastery – which would become a famous pilgrimage center – a fortress was built that stood for many centuries in defense of Christianity. Thus began the history of one of Europe’s most famous cities: Varadinum, Oradea, Nagyvárad, Grosswardein (after Mark of Kált, Chronicon pictum vindobonense)
Baroque Palace
The Palace of the Roman Catholic Episcopate in Oradea, also known as the Baroque Palace in Oradea, is one of the most valuable buildings built in Baroque style in Romania. Like the Basilica of St. Mary and the Row of Canons, the palace was built in the second half of the 18th century. The three objectives together form the most important baroque complex in Romania, as well as one of the most representative in Europe. On May 23, 1762, the foundation stone of the Baroque Palace was laid, destined to be the seat of the Roman Catholic Episcopate of Oradea. The Austrian architect Franz Anton Hillebrandt (1719 – 1797) took over the management of the site, although initially the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Ricca was appointed to this role. For 15 years, respectively until 1777, a U-shaped palace was built in Oradea, which was developed on 3 levels and was crowned by a broken roof, specific to the Austrian Baroque. The palace has 365 windows, a curiosity that worth to remember.
An English-style landscaped garden has been set up in front of the palace and cathedral. Here are two works of art of great value: the bronze statue of Bishop Szaniszló Ferenc (1850–1868), and the monumental statue of St. Ladislaus.
For information on visiting the Baroque Complex – www.varad.org/ro/
