bg Oradea

Hotel Astoria

- Strada Teatrului 1 -
The construction of the current four-story building took place in two stages, the first of which started in 1902 and was executed according to the design of the Hungarian architect . The construction was commissioned by the Ferenc, who in 1904 requested permission to expand the building on the side facing the square, but without success. In 1906, he bought the neighboring house, demolished it, built a smaller wing, and expansion of the cafe in its place. The building accommodated apartments for rent on the upper floors, and the EMKE café was located on the first floor, which became the favorite meeting place of writers and journalists of the time, including .
The interior of the EMKE café
In 1930, the building was turned into a hotel, taking the name of Astoria Hotel. The hotel only functioned for a few years, because after the , it was closed and the rooms on the upper floors became rentals again. In 1975, the hotel opened its doors to the public again under the name Grand Hotel Astoria and the Crown Pub Restaurant.
The building in 1911
The lantern tower on top of the building, which is built in the styles of Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau, is covered with a bell-shaped dome that's crowned with a . The tower is richly decorated with all sorts of floral ornamentation, as well as . The tower also contains an that states GRAND HOTEL ASTORIA, as well as a . At the same height, you can see several top gables crowned with another finial, and that are placed on top of the mansard roof. The building features many , which are supported by two massive . The and roof overhangs between these oriel windows are supported by lovely Gothic corbels. The railings of the balconets, as well as the fragments that are placed underneath some of the windows, are alluringly adorned with even more floral ornamentation. Both entrances, which are located on the corner and the XX side of the building, are covered with an .
The building is visible in an old colorized postcard