bg Arad

Neumann Palace

- Bulevardul Revoluției 78 -
The three-story building, of which the construction started in 1891 and lasted until 1892, was built to house commercial premises on the first floor and residential premises on the upper floors. The construction was executed according to the design of the Serbian architect and commissioned by the Jewish Neumann family of industrialists, who emigrated to Arad from in the mid-19th century. The Neumann family went on to become one of the most influential, wealthy, and aristocratic families in all of Romania at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The first members of the Neumann family, Adolf, Daniel, and Samuilă, settled in Arad in the middle of the 19th century, coming from Spain because of the anti-Jewish pogroms. They established, in 1851, the spirit and yeast factory, known as the Neumann Brothers, and in 1862 they established a steam mill that ground wheat and produced good flour.
The spirit and yeast factory of the Neumann Brothers
Each of the three Neumann brothers had a son, who were named Adolf Junior, Alfred, and Carol, who founded the textile factory in 1909. Alfred Neumann had three children Eduard, Francisc, and Maria. In 1930 Carol Neumann emigrated to the United States of America, and in 1935 Francisc's older brother Eduard, who ran the Spirit and Yeast Factory, emigrated to Cuba, thus Francisc took over all the family's businesses, at only 25 years old. Once Francisc Neumann took over the business, he started a process of modernizing the factories. He built a whole colony of houses for employees with a nursery and kindergarten. He also built a canteen, where employees served meals daily during a half-hour break.
Francisc and Eduard on the left during their meeting with King of Romania
The cafeteria which was named Cafe Hungaria was located on the first floor of the building, which was the favorite place of the Arad elite. Cafe Hungaria was included in the hotel of the same name, considered one of the most elegant in Arad. After the , the communist government expelled Francisc Neumann from the palace building and nationalized it. After the of 1989 and the new legislation, which allowed the descendants of the victims of nationalization to reclaim their property, the descendants of Francisc Neumann came from the United States to Romania and demanded the restitution of his property and also received part of the building.
The interior of Cafe Hungaria
The two of the building, built in the style of Eclectic with Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance influences, are topped with an onion dome that's crowned with a , which also counts for the dormers. The protruded part on top of the eastern side of the building, which is topped with a pointed adorned with a decorative shell, is embellished with the coat of arms of the Neumann, two lovely , , and balustrades with incorporated . At the same height, on the northern side of the building, you can see a protruded mansard roof topped with features a dormer containing another pointed pediment and . Underneath the roof , you can see loads of , some of which are adorned with foliage, as well as a frieze which at some places is decorated with .
An old postcard that shows the building
The balcony doors that lead to the balconies that are placed on top of the , which are supported by two are surrounded by two , are surrounded by an motif, a , and two richly decorated . The ornamentation around the circular windows that are placed within the oriel windows consists of , decorative vases, and . Above the second and third floor windows, you can see a pediment and in some cases a garland, or a keystone adorned with floral ornamentation or a . Underneath some of these windows, you can admire festoons with sometimes in their midst a decorative shell, or an adorned with guttae. Another balcony can be seen on the eastern side of the building, which is supported by four corbels, which in their turn are supported by four columns crowned with a Doric .
Another old postcard that shows the building