The Former Discount Bank in Timisoara
Former Discount Bank Palace Timisoara – Summary
The Former Discount Bank (fost Banca de Scont) is an early 20th century Secession (Art Nouveau) style palace located in Timisoara, Romania. The palace was built in one of the most coveted real estate areas in the city, right at the southern entrance of the centrally located Union Square. In the spot where the Former Discount Bank Palace currently stands there once existed a different building which dates back to 1752. The previous two-story building was the home of Wenzl Lechner, the urban magistrate and city hall council of Timisoara’s German community.
Unique Design of the Former Discount Bank
Today the Former Discount Bank Palace is occupied by tenants who rent the upper-level apartments and headquartered by the National Liberal Political Party (PNL) on the ground floor. The building has not been maintained throughout the years and signs of damages accumulated through its history are highly apparent. The vice mayor of Timisoara, who is also the president of PNL, Dan Diaconu, has been petitioning city officials to start restoration projects on the building. The cost to fully restore the building is estimated to be around 400,000 Euros.
Former Discount Bank Timisoara – Table of Contents
- Former Discount Bank Timisoara – History
- Former Discount Bank Timisoara – Architecture
- Former Discount Bank Timisoara – Visitor Info
Former Discount Bank Palace Timisoara – History
In 1908, the wealthy Jewish businessman and Timisoara local, Miksa Steiner (Max Steiner), purchased the building to convert it into a bank and apartment dwelling. Steiner never actually lived in the building, electing instead to live in the Steiner Palace that he owned in the Fabric District of the city. Miksa Steiner built his vast wealth by owning and operating the Max Steiner Factory. The factory produced and provided the city with bone meal and animal charcoal. Steiner used the first name of Miksa and Max interchangeably, as was popular during that time.
Former Discount Bank in Timisoara’s Union Square Circa 1910
After he purchased the Former Discount Bank Palace, Miksa had it enlarged, redesigned, and added an extra story to it. The first floor of the building was occupied by what was known as The Discount Bank of Hungary, of which Miksa himself was a director and founding shareholder of. The top floors contained expensive lavish apartments that were rented out by wealthy lawyers, doctors, and merchants. Although the building wasn’t the largest in the city, it was considered one of the most elegant and exotic edifices of Timisoara’s 1930s landscape.
Timisoara’s Former Discount Bank in Union Square Circa 1910
Former Discount Bank Palace Timisoara – Architecture
The Former Discount Bank was designed by the architectural team of Dezső Jakab and Marcell Komor. Jakab and Komor were two Hungarian Jewish architects that studied under the world-renowned architect Ödön Lechner. Lechner nicknamed the “Hungarian Gaudí” was an early adapter and considered the father, of the Hungarian Secession movement. He was famous for incorporating eastern architectural elements into the Art Nouveau style buildings he designed. Lechner was also known for using motifs from Hungarian folk art, and Zsolnay tile, on the decorations of his structures.
Intriguing Architecture of the Former Discount Bank
In 1899, the former Budapest University of Technology classmates and graduates, Jakab and Komor formed a partnering architecture company in Budapest, Hungary. During this time the two architects took on numerous projects and built up their portfolio of accomplished buildings. The duo gained a high degree of fame and recognition throughout Budapest and further areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Two of their most famous works are the Culture Palace in Targu Mures and the Black Eagle Palace in Oradea. The collaborative partnership lasted until 1918.
Palace Exterior
Jakab and Komor designed the Discount Bank Palace using the Avant-garde, Hungarian Secession style, made popular by their mentor Lechner. The Lechner pioneered Hungarian Secession style favors curved shapes over straight lines and an abundant use of gilded ceramics. This style is notably apparent on the Bank Palace as it has no columns, pillars, or straight lines, it has numerous bow windows, and it contains a semicircular arched front. The palace is adorned with beautiful Zsolnay ceramics brought over from the world famous Zsolnay factory in Pécs, Hungary.
Zsolnay Ceramics Decorate Portions of the Former Discount Bank
The building contains numerous intriguing motifs that were said to have been inspired by Hungarian folklore. The façade of the palace corresponds to the last most evolved phase of the Szeceszió style. It incorporates expressive and abstract plastic language with wavy shapes and details and doesn’t use any classical elements. The top of the palace’s façade contains a colored relief tile that has the design of a beehive in it. Beehives were characteristic of bank buildings of the time, they symbolized great wealth and fortune.
Former Discount Bank Palace Timisoara – Visitor Info
Banca de Scont din Piata Unirii Timișoara
Location
The Former Discount Bank is located in the Union Square of Timisoara at the address: Unirii 3
Visitation
The exterior of the palace can be visited, admired, and photographed by tourists during virtually any time. Access to the building’s interior is however limited to tenants who occupy apartments inside the structure, and to individual’s who need to communicate with PNL party members who occupy the ground floor.
