Oradea
Description
Oradea is a beautiful city, situated in the nort-west of Romania, at about
10 kilometers from the western Romanian border with Hungary. The city is crossed by
the "Crisul Repede" river.
It has a long history, being mentioned for the first time in a document in
the year 1113. Oradea was declared town in 1235.
Nowadays, Oradea is a modern city, with a population of about 225 000 citizens.
Combining the features of the modern age with the architecture of last centuries,
Oradea is indeed a place to visit.
Sights of Oradea:
- The Fortress of Oradea ("Cetatea Oradiei") built between the years
1114-1131, destroyed by Tartars (a migratory Mongolian tribe) in 1241, rebuilt in Italian
style between 1570-1589, then extended between 1717-1780.
- The Baroque Palace, formerly hosting the "Tarii Crisurilor" Museum ("Muzeul Tarii Crisurilor" - i.e. "Museum of
the Land of Cris River"), built between 1750-1789
as a replica to the Belvedere Palace of Vienna. The museum was the
largest one in Western Romania, and it was one of the main attractions
in the city. Unfortunately, the current owners of the building,
(the local branch of the Roman Catholic Church), decided to expel the museum. They
probably believe close doors are better for the
community, and that cultural assets are only important when they serve
political purposes (long story short: preach multiculturalism, as
long as "multi"=1).
- "The Church with Moon" ("Biserica cu luna"), a Christian Orthodox
church, built in 1784-1790, in a
baroque style with neoclassical elements. In the tower, it has a metalic sphere,
half golden, half black, which, through a mecanism built in 1793, moves so that
it indicates the phases of the Moon (horning)**.
- The Roman-Catholic Cathedral, the largest baroque building in Romania,
built between 1752-1780, having an imposing organ.
- "Sirul Canonicilor" ("The Corridor of Canons"), a baroque building, built in 1773
for the clerks and the theological seminary. It is a corridor 100 meters long, with 25 arches.
- The Central Library (Biblioteca judeteana), built in 1905, it is a mixture of
architectural styles: baroque, rococo, and Renaissance.
- The Theatre, built between 1899-1900, in a neoclasical style.
- The "Vulturul Negru" Passage (Pasajul Vulturul Negru) (1907-1908).
Note: This data was compiled using several touristic guides. However,
there may be omissions or mistakes, especially where I tried to translate into English
some Romanian specific names or denominations. I appologise if such things occured.
I also encourage you to tell me about what's missing here, or about my mistakes.
Thank you for your understanding.
Send me your comments! (click here for contact
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Pictures
Follow the links below to see several pictures of Oradea.
Links related to Oradea
Note: If you have more links about Oradea, please let me know.
**I stood proud (and flattered) noticing that this exact description (and translation)
of "The Church with Moon" appeared in the number for November 2003
of a leaflet describing the Oradea airport :-o I sallute the unknown publisher, and hope
he/she will continue to browse my home pages and use them as inspiration for future advertising
accomplishments :-P ;-)