Palace of Culture (Arad)

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Kulturpalast, 2011
Philharmonic foyer, first floor

The Arad Cultural Palace ( Romanian Palatul Cultural ) is a building in Arad , Romania, which was completed between 1911 and 1913 . It was built on the initiative of the Kölcsey Kulturgesellschaft according to the plans of the Arad architect Lajos Szantay and houses parts of the Arad museum complex and the philharmonic orchestra .

description

From an architectural point of view, the building is a mixture of several styles. While the facade is kept in the eclectic style , the side wings are in the Renaissance style and the arcades in the classical style . The facade on the park side reflects elements of the Gothic style and is reminiscent of Hunyadi Castle . The bas-reliefs of the building are the work of the Arad sculptor Géza Rubletzky .

Between 1978 and 1980 the Milataller brothers restored the interior decoration and gilded the fresco . The decoration of the main hall is in the Secession style , but the windows are made in Art Nouveau . The painting of the dome depicts the solar system and Halley's comet .

history

The construction of the building was suggested as early as 1901 on the initiative of the Kölcsey Kulturgesellschaft , with the aim of accommodating the city library, the museum and the philharmonic hall in a single building. A total of 27 architects from all over Europe applied for the tender, including Paris , Berlin and Budapest . The Arad architect Lajos Szantay was awarded the contract . For financial reasons, construction of the building did not begin until 1911, the museum moved in in autumn 1912 and the building was completed in 1913. The opening ceremony took place on October 25, 1913.

Over the years, important personalities such as Richard Strauss , Béla Bartók and George Enescu have made guest appearances in the Kulturpalast . George Enescu was awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Arad in 1931 on his fiftieth birthday in the concert hall of the Palace of Culture .

The Kulturpalast comprises 300 rooms, which today house the State Philharmonic and the museum complex .

literature

  • Gheorghe Lanevschi, Ujj Lajos: Arad-Patrimoniul cultural construit / Arad-The heritage , Verlag Brumar, Timișoara 2008, (Romanian and English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c primariaarad.ro , Palatul Cultural

Coordinates: 46 ° 10 ′ 26.8 ″  N , 21 ° 19 ′ 12.6 ″  E