bg Arad

Arad Summer Theater

- Strada Ioan Drăgălina 3 -
The multi-story building, which was built with a cultural function according to the plans of the local architect , was inaugurated on June 1, 1900. The construction of a new and permanent summer theater was advocated by , who was the director of the Hungarian Theater. Even before Leszkay's initiative, there was a summer theater in Arad. The oldest one, of which only the stage was covered, stood on Andrássy Square. However, Leszkay's summer theater established in 1900 and opened with great celebration did not live up to expectations. Probably because of the paying audience, the wealthy families spent their summer in the nearby Arad Mountains or in more distant resorts. The advanced state of decay and the danger of a fire finally led to the demolition of the building in the fall of 1938.
An old postcard that shows the front of the building
The building, which resembles a church, was built in the Romanesque style with some influences of the Eclectic and Neo-Renaissance styles. The most striking parts of the building were the two , each crowned with a to which a was attached. The eaves of the pyramid roofs that covered the turrets contained a beautifully decorated , which was supported by wooden . The turrets contained several windows and some singular windows above which in some cases were a segmental and a . In addition, the building was richly decorated with many that could be seen in the and , among other things. The guttae can also be found in the fragments between the that support the walls of the remaining part of the building.
One of the sides of the building is shown in an old postcard