bg Arad

Lajos Szántay Palace

- Strada Horia 3 -
The construction of the three-story residential and commercial building started in 1905 and after six years was completed in 1911. It was built for the Romanian-Hungarian architect Lajos Szántay, who was born in Arad on February 20, 1872, and had it built according to his own design. He attended primary school in Arad, received his high school education in , and completed his architectural studies at the Polytechnic in Switzerland. After completing his military service in Arad and obtaining the necessary professional practice in Budapest, he returned to Arad in 1902. Here, he opened a design and construction office, and from this position, he began his activity of enriching the architectural heritage of Arad. Besides his work as an architect, he was also a successful entrepreneur, a developer, a member of multiple local committees, and a top violinist who also performed in the Arad Philharmonic Orchestra. After living a life of prominence, fame, and wealth, the communist party took power in Romania and confiscated all of its properties, wealth, and other means of self-sufficiency. What followed in the remaining years of his, and his family's lives was extreme poverty, hunger, exclusion, and finally the tragic death of Lajos Szántay on March 8, 1961.
Lajos Szántay
The southeastern corner of the building, which is built in the style of Art Nouveau, is topped with an alluring dome that's crowned with a globe as a . The dome is ornamented with , garland wreaths, , decorative vases, and flora and geometric ornamentation. In the center of some of the mushroom-shaped dormer windows, you can see another mascaron, which is part of a that's surrounded by foliage and . At this same height, you can see several piers crowned with an Ionic , as well as a segmental part containing another cartouche that features the initials of the former owner. The bottom of the are either decorated with or a motif. The , which are topped with a garland wreath, as well as the that feature some , are both embellished with even more cartouches. Some of the beautiful wrought iron are supported by two , while the others are supported by an and a . The ornamentation around the windows consists of , , and , as well as some balconets with four incorporated .
The building is shown in an old postcard