bg Timisoara

Water Palace

- Bulevardul 16 Decembrie 1989 2 -
The construction of the three-story building, which was built with an administrative and commercial function, took place in the period that lasted from 1900 until 1901. The construction was executed according to the design of the Jewish Hungarian architect under the direction of the architect and construction contractor . The building was built for the Timiș–Bega Hydro-improvement Company, which was established in 1871, especially for the management of the Bega Canal, an important transport route at the time. The palace was originally a two-story building, but in 1910 builder and architect Arthur Tunner extended it by adding a third floor, retaining the overall appearance. All sectors of the company functioned in the building, and on the third floor were the studios for employees coming from outside Timișoara.
The building before the upgrade of 1910
In 1923, the Police Prefecture and State Security functioned in the palace. In 1941, the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Agronomy and the Faculty of Geography of the University of , which had taken refuge here in Timișoara following the occupation of Northwest Transylvania by the Hungarian state, also functioned here. In 1948 the palace was nationalized and assigned to the Romanian Railways Regional, and after the of 1989, the Romanian Waters National Administration requested the retrocession. This lasted until 2007 because the Romanian Railways Regional accused Romanian Waters of registering the property with false documents. Between 2011 and 2018 it was rehabilitated to the Romanian Waters National Administration.
The building is shown in an old postcard
A majestic dome can be admired on top of the corner of the building, which is built in the styles of Eclectic and Art Nouveau, that's decorated with and crowned with a . Around the same height, you can see , which were placed on top of the gable and the mansard roof. The ornamentation used to decorate the many gables consists of , festoons, , a , , and all kinds of motifs, including . Even more dentils are used to embellish other parts of the building as well, including the roof . A is placed above the windows, and on top of each of the pilasters, you'll be able to see a garland wreath. In addition to all the mascarons, a lot of water creatures have also been used to decorate the building. Under the that's located on the corner of the building are three crossed by a festoon. The used to support the balconies, as well as other ornaments that can be seen elsewhere, are all decorated with .
An old postcard from around 1918 that shows the building in the distance