The Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș is one of the most representative Belle Époque buildings in Transylvania. The monument was erected between 1911 and 1913 by the efforts of Mayor György Bernády and is differentiated by both the interior decorations and the exterior decorative elements. The idea of building a house of culture in Târgu Mureș appeared in 1907. The mayor of the city, György Bernády, permanently supported the modernization of the city, convinced the Council of the Royal Free City to approve this project.
On the outside, the palace is adorned with mosaics and bas-reliefs in bronze and stone, frescoes and stained glass, all specific to the Secession style, as a variant of Art Nouveau. Inside, in the Hall of Mirrors, there are two groups of three large crystal mirrors and 12 brightly colored stained glass windows, which occupy the entire wall from the street. The stained glass windows were proposed to represent Europe at the decorative art exhibition in San Francisco in 1914, but due to the outbreak of the First World War only their sketches, which were also awarded, were sent to the exhibition. During World War II, stained glass windows were stored in the basement of the building for protection.
The interior hall is imposing, being 45 meters long, made of Carrara marble and delimited by two Venetian mirrors.
The facade of the building is dominated by an allegorical mosaic made by Aladár Kriesch. The mosaic shows various representatives of the city of Târgu Mureș, merchants, soldiers and governors. Decorative ornamental friezes with popular motifs, busts with busts, memorial plaques, plastic compositions in bronze, stone, mosaic, all immortalize prominent figures of Hungarian culture, some of universal size, with local roots in Târgu-Mureș. In addition, the friezes create volumes and light and shadow effects on some parts of the facade.
The Palace of Culture hosts the Târgu-Mureș State Philharmonic, the Mureș County Library and the Art Galleries of the Mureș County Museum.
The tourist circuit includes the following rooms of the Palace of Culture: Great Hall, Hall and Stairs, Small Hall, Hall of Mirrors, Bernády Hall, Dandea Hall, Secession Hall, Permanent Gallery of Modern Romanian Art, Permanent Gallery of Hungarian Classical Art, Ion Vlasiu Gallery , Elisabeta and Gheorghe David Donation Gallery, Dósa Géza Gallery and temporary exhibitions.
Visiting hours:
- Winter schedule (September 1 - April 30)
- Tuesday - Sunday: 9.00 - 16.00
- Monday: closed
- The box office closes at 15.30.
- Summer schedule (May 1 - August 31)
- Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 18.00
- Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 16.00
- Monday: closed
- The box office closes at 17.30 and 15.30 respectively.
Closed on public holidays.
Access is based on a ticket, the standard price being 12 lei. Pupils and students benefit from a discount, the price being 2 lei. At the same time, pensioners benefit from a 50% discount (price 6 lei). Admission is free for people with disabilities.
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