The city of Oradea, which has developed on the River of Crisul Repede, between the West Plains and the Apuseni Mountains, has fostered intense trade and implicitly cultural exchanges. The city knew how to take advantage of being crossed by an important trade road linking Western Europe to Central and Eastern Europe, which has opened up its horizon and pervaded in the city a spirit of tolerance and cosmopolitan aspirations that inhabitants were proud of. The cultural identity of Oradea was forged through the great number of nationalities that have lived together for centuries, bringing forth identity ambitions for a beneficial cosmopolitanism.

In the ancient history of the city, the XIXth century saw a boom in the creation of spectacular buildings, which earned Oradea the nickname of “Petit Paris”. Buildings which give a unique charm to the city are a rare artistic richness due to a polished tasteful interesting vernacular architecture. A special mention to the places of worship: well maintained and respected monumental churches implicitly express the good relations which existed between the different denominations and ethnic groups of the city: Orthodox, Catholic, Greek Catholic, Protestant, Mosaic, néo-Protestant people, etc. with due respect for religion and its expression.

But the most impressive capital of artistic and architectural heritage consists of the Secession style buildings, real palaces built around 1900. The originality of their architectural expression is completed by a unique ornamentation deployed in stuccos, ceramic decorations and especially the ironworks of interiors. Most of the architects graduated from the Polytechnic School of Budapest were exposed to the influence of the national-Romantic style of Odön Lechner (Komor Marcell and Dezsö Jakab, Sztarill Ferenc) or the coryphaeus of the avant-garde Viennese school (the Vago brothers, Valer Mende). Moreover the Lilien style born in Berlin was familiar to them (Rimanoczi Kalman jr., the Moskovits Palace) as well as the “Coup de fouet”movement of the French school. During the first years following the end of the First World War, Art déco influences are emerging (Parc Hotel).

The first buildings that can be integrated in the new Art Nouveau style keep a classical vision, with an historicist and romantic orientation which is complemented through detail elements, especially in ironworks, through the wavy curve of the new European style (Frigyes Spiegel, the Sonnenfeld House, 1899). Innovations also appear in the construction technique, in the sense that plates with reinforced concrete ribs are introduced.

One of the first buildings decorated in the spirit of Art Nouveau is the Fűchsl Palace, designed by the architects of Budapest Bálint Zoltán and Jámbor Lajos in the years 1902-1903. The stucco as well as the ironworks of the balconies and doors include as decoration the sinuous pattern of the vine shoot. In the 1900’s architecture of Oradea, one finds many original stylistic accents which are attached to heterogeneous stylistic directions. It is precisely this diversity that gives the architectural site of Oradea a special touch which makes it unique among other cities bearing the mark of the Art Nouveau spirit.

Image artist function date
Frigyes Spiegel architect 1866-1933
Stárill Ferenc architect 1859-1943
Guttman József Jr. architect ?
Zoltán Bálint architect 1871-1939
Lajos Jámbor architect 1869-1955
Czoczek Alajos architect 1867-1942
Komor Marcell architect 1868-1944
Dezso Jakab architect 1864-1932
Rimanoczy Kalman jr. architect 1870-1912
Vago Laszlo architect 1875-1933
Vago Iozsef architect 1877-1944
Mende Valer architect 1886-1918
Ferenc Lobl architect 1866-1933
Cover Author Description date Link
Liviu Borcea Memoria caselor (Memory of the Houses)
vol. 1
ARCA Publishing House,Oradea ISBN: 973-86504-01-0
2003
Liviu Borcea, Gheorghe Gorun (dir.) storia oraşului Oradea

Editura Cogito,Oradea ISBN: 973-9064-20-5
1995
Mircea Paşca Oradea around 1900: an architectural guide

ARCA Publishing House,Oradea ISBN: 978-973-1881-46-1
2010
Mircea Paşca Operele arhitectilor Vago Jozsef si Vago Laszlo la Oradea

Tipo MC,Oradea ISBN: 973-86526-3-4
2005
Mircea Paşca Palatul Ullmann

Tipo MC, Oradea ISBN: 973-87513-1-4
2005
Mircea Paşca Arhitectul Frigyes Spiegel la Oradea

ARCA,Oradea ISBN: 978-973-1881-49-2
2010
Mircea Paşca Arhitectii Jozsef si Laszlo Vago la Oradea

ARCA,Oradea ISBN: 978-973-1881-55-3
2010
Mircea Paşca Palatul Vulturul Negru

Editura Tipo MC,Oradea ISBN: (13)978-973-88123-0-7
2007
Gerle Janos, Kovacs Attila, Makovecz Imre A Szazad fordulo Magyar Epiteszete

Szepirodalmi Konyv-Kiado-Bonex,Budapesta
1990
Patrimoniu european şi identităţi culturale. Epoca Art Nouveau în Europa (volum colectiv şi
CD-ROM
Atelier 3 CHWALIBOG, BBM Grup, D&P Architekti. Proiectul Culture 2000 al Uniunii Europene
2005
Koch Wilfrid Epiteszeti stilusok. Az europai epitomuveszet az okortol napjainkig (Stilurile arhitecturale. Arta construcţiei europene din antichitate până în prezent)

Budapesta
1997
Sever Dumitraşcu (dir.) Repertoriul monumentelor din judeţul Bihor

Intreprinderea poligrafică Crişana,Oradea
1974
Zador Anna Genthon Istvan, Muveszeti Lexikon
4 vol.
1965-1968
Akademiai Kiado,Budapesta
Constantin Paul Arta 1900 în România

Editura Meridian, Bucureşti
1972
Constantin Paul Mică Enciclopedie de arhitectură, arte decorative şi aplicate moderne

Editura Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică,Bucureşti
1977
Aurel Chiriac (dir.), Liviu Borcea, Lucia Cornea, Rodica Hârcă, Gabriel Moisa, Peter I. Zoltan Oradea, pagini de istorie. Instituţia primarului. Evoluţie administrativă – Realitate urbanistică şi arhitecturală

Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor, Oradea ISBN: 973-86060-6-3
2003
Aurel Chiriac (dir.) Oradea

Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor,Oradea ISBN: 973-98560-7-1
2002
Peter I. Zoltan Trei secole de arhitectură orădeană

Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor, Oradea ISBN: 973-86060-4-7
2003
Peter I. Zoltan Imaginea definitiva a orasului. Centrul istoric Oradean in Istoria orasului Oradea

Editura Cognito Oradea, Oradea ISBN: 973-9064-20-5
1995
Peter I. Zoltan Nagyvárad építészeti emlékei a barokktól a szecesszióig (Monumentele arhitectonice ale Oradiei de la baroc la secession)

Editura Convex Oradea, Oradea ISBN: 973-9268-06-4
1998
Peter I. Zoltan Nagyvárad 900 éves múltja és épített öröksége (Trecutul de 900 de ani al Oradiei si mostenirea construita)

Editura Noran Budapesta, Oradea ISBN: 963-7416-30-7
2005
Peter I. Zoltan Nagyvárad műemlék épületei (Cladirile monumente istorice din Oradea)

Asociatia pentru Protejarea Monumentelor si Locurilor Comemorative din Partium si Banat, Oradea ISBN: 973-86060-4-7
2008
Peter I. Zoltan Szecessziós építészet Nagyváradon (Arhitectura secessioniste din Oradea)

Varadinum Script, Oradea ISBN: 978-606-8307-07-7
2011
Rodica Hârcă Oradea – Decoraţii Art Nouveau

Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor, Oradea ISBN: 978-973-87388-7-4
2007
Rodica Hârcă Palatul Vulturul Negru

Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor, Oradea ISBN: 978-973-7621-14-6
2009
Rodica Hârcă, Feroneria 1900

Oradea, Editura Muzeului Ţării Crişurilor
1996
Marian Daniela Georgeta Semantica ornamentului 1900 in arhitectura 1900 din Crisana si Banat

Editura Matrix Rom, Oradea ISBN: 978-973-755-688-2
2011
Ramona Novicov The Architecture of Oradea – European Architecture. A Vanguard Perspespective

d. Muzeul Tarii Crisurilor, Oradea
2011
Ramona Novicov "Royal cadet School of Oradea. A History, în Analele Universităţii Oradea"
Scientific articles
in Analele Universităţii Oradea, fascicola Constructii şi instalaţii, Ed. Universităţii Oradea, pp. 382 - 386
2010
Ramona Novicov "The Eclectic Architecture in Oradea – a Sequence. Arh Rimanoczi Kalman"
Scientific articles
in Analele Universităţii Oradea, fascicola Constructii şi instalaţii, Ed. Universităţii Oradea, pp. 370 - 375
2010

Partner:
Foundation for the protection of Bihor Historical Monuments
str. Tudor Vladimirescu nr. 2 – Turnul Primariei Oradea
RO – 410203 Oradea
Romania
Tax address: Romania, Bihor, Oradea, Parcul Traian nr. 5
Phone: 0040 259-408-881
Fax:
Email: monumente.bihor@gmail.com