Cultural Palace - Târgu Mureș
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The Palace of Culture in Tîrgu Mureș is part of the Art Nouveau architectural style ensemble in the city center, together with the Administrative Palace, both built at the beginning of the 20th century. The Palace of Culture was the last and most representative work of the architect couple Komor Marcell and Jakab Dezső from Budapest, which they built between 1911 and 1913. The construction of the palace was part of a nation-wide program to strengthen urban values by investing in culture, administration and economy, initiated on the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, during the mandate of Mayor Bernády György.
The new building was designed to house the music school, a language school, a library and a museum, and the exterior was supposed to reflect the greatness of Hungarian culture in Transylvania. The especially rich interior and exterior ornaments were made by the most famous artists of the time, being inspired by Hungarian history and prehistory, as well as by folk art. These are represented by bas-reliefs, mosaics, valuable stained glass windows specific to the Secession style, polychrome tiles made at the Zsolnay factory, stone and stucco ornaments, frescoes and gilded paintings, etc. Thus, Tîrgu Mureș coud witness the birth of one of the most specific creations of total art belonging to Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture!
The separation and at the same time the connection of the different functions of the new corner building was a real challenge for the architects, but they managed to create a symmetrical masterpiece, with a horizontal structure, displayed on five levels. The heart of the building is the Concert Hall, which reaches a height of three levels. On the ground floor there is a foyer with two naves, on the first floor the Hall of Mirrors, and on the second floor there is the Small Hall. The third floor is entirely taken by the Museum.
The Foyer
At the main entrance to the Palace of Culture there is an impressive square shaped foyer, extended symmetrically in both directions, with a huge mirror at each end. The domes of the hall are supported by columns decorated with black granite slabs and wrought brass elements, offering a sense of elegance to the space. The decoration was made in 1913 by Körösfői-Kriesch Aladár, the founder of the Gödöllő Art Colony in Hungary, together with his disciples.
The paintings with floral motifs, enriched with a dynamic linear structure, create an oriental atmosphere, enhanced by both the golden glow of the ornaments and the warm light that enters through the yellow stained glass windows above the entrance.
The Concert hall
The concert hall’s main entrance opens from the foyer. It has a capacity of 800 seats and it dominates the central part of the building, being vertically extended on all three levels. The program for decorating the hall was designed by the architect couple Komor and Jakab, in accordance with Mayor György Bernády’s requests. Thus, the ornamentation was inspired by Transylvanian folk art, using floral and animal motifs, while the chromatic world of the room is dominated by light purple, in harmony with the deep red of the curtains and the gold, contrasting the black furniture.
In the middle of the discreetly shaped dome ceiling there is an imposing Secession-style chandelier, made of lacquered brass and glass beads. The hall was completed with an organ ordered from the Rieger organ factory in Silesia and assembled in 1913, with 4463 tubes and 63 registers.
The Hall of Mirrors
The Hall of Mirrors
Probably the most representative room in the Palace of Culture is the Hall of Mirrors, located on the first floor. This impresses first of all, through the 12 stained glass windows of supreme value, made in the workshop of Róth Miksa in 1913. The side compositions were created according to the drawings of Toroczkai Wigand Ede. The stained glass windows on the left represent scenes from everyday Transylvanian life and details from traditional Szekler architecture. The paintings on the right illustrate Szekler legends. But the most spectacular are the four stained glass windows in the middle, representing Hungarian folk ballads with a vibrant chromatic, whose plans were made by Nagy Sándor, one of the representative figures of the artistic colony of Gödöllő.
The Small Hall
Located on the second floor, above the Hall of Mirrors, the Small Hall was created to host chamber concerts, lectures and literary readings. The ornamental painting of the Small Hall - with a rich and vivid colour palette, red, green and yellow, on a dark background - was made by Falus Elek, the artist in charge of painting the staircases and the Hall of Mirrors.
Today, the Palace of Culture is hosting important cultural and artistic institutions, such as the County Library, the History Museum, the Art Museum and the Philharmonic. Inside the palace you can visit the Foyer, the Staircases, the Mirror Hall, the Small Hall and the Great Hall (concert hall), the Hungarian Classical Art Gallery, the Modern Romanian Art Gallery, as well as the commemorative exhibitions dedicated to Mayor Dr. György Bernády and Mayor Dr. Emil Dandea.
The Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș still holds a special place on the international map of the Art Nouveau movement and style, being one of the most beautiful achievements of this style in Transylvania!
Opening Hours
September 1 - April 30 :
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 16.00
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 14.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 15.30 and 14.00.
Opening hours 1 May - 31 August:
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 17.30
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 15.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 17.00 and 15.00.
September 1 - April 30 :
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 16.00
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 14.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 15.30 and 14.00.
Opening hours 1 May - 31 August:
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 17.30
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 15.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 17.00 and 15.00.
The Museum is closed on Public Holidays.
Galleries may occasionally be closed for maintenance or long-term refurbishment.
Galleries may occasionally be closed for maintenance or long-term refurbishment.
The Palace of Culture in Tîrgu Mureș is part of the Art Nouveau architectural style ensemble in the city center, together with the Administrative Palace, both built at the beginning of the 20th century. The Palace of Culture was the last and most representative work of the architect couple Komor Marcell and Jakab Dezső from Budapest, which they built between 1911 and 1913. The construction of the palace was part of a nation-wide program to strengthen urban values by investing in culture, administration and economy, initiated on the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, during the mandate of Mayor Bernády György.
The new building was designed to house the music school, a language school, a library and a museum, and the exterior was supposed to reflect the greatness of Hungarian culture in Transylvania. The especially rich interior and exterior ornaments were made by the most famous artists of the time, being inspired by Hungarian history and prehistory, as well as by folk art. These are represented by bas-reliefs, mosaics, valuable stained glass windows specific to the Secession style, polychrome tiles made at the Zsolnay factory, stone and stucco ornaments, frescoes and gilded paintings, etc. Thus, Tîrgu Mureș coud witness the birth of one of the most specific creations of total art belonging to Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture!
The separation and at the same time the connection of the different functions of the new corner building was a real challenge for the architects, but they managed to create a symmetrical masterpiece, with a horizontal structure, displayed on five levels. The heart of the building is the Concert Hall, which reaches a height of three levels. On the ground floor there is a foyer with two naves, on the first floor the Hall of Mirrors, and on the second floor there is the Small Hall. The third floor is entirely taken by the Museum.
The Foyer
At the main entrance to the Palace of Culture there is an impressive square shaped foyer, extended symmetrically in both directions, with a huge mirror at each end. The domes of the hall are supported by columns decorated with black granite slabs and wrought brass elements, offering a sense of elegance to the space. The decoration was made in 1913 by Körösfői-Kriesch Aladár, the founder of the Gödöllő Art Colony in Hungary, together with his disciples.
The paintings with floral motifs, enriched with a dynamic linear structure, create an oriental atmosphere, enhanced by both the golden glow of the ornaments and the warm light that enters through the yellow stained glass windows above the entrance.
The Concert hall
The concert hall’s main entrance opens from the foyer. It has a capacity of 800 seats and it dominates the central part of the building, being vertically extended on all three levels. The program for decorating the hall was designed by the architect couple Komor and Jakab, in accordance with Mayor György Bernády’s requests. Thus, the ornamentation was inspired by Transylvanian folk art, using floral and animal motifs, while the chromatic world of the room is dominated by light purple, in harmony with the deep red of the curtains and the gold, contrasting the black furniture.
In the middle of the discreetly shaped dome ceiling there is an imposing Secession-style chandelier, made of lacquered brass and glass beads. The hall was completed with an organ ordered from the Rieger organ factory in Silesia and assembled in 1913, with 4463 tubes and 63 registers.
The Hall of Mirrors
The Hall of Mirrors
Probably the most representative room in the Palace of Culture is the Hall of Mirrors, located on the first floor. This impresses first of all, through the 12 stained glass windows of supreme value, made in the workshop of Róth Miksa in 1913. The side compositions were created according to the drawings of Toroczkai Wigand Ede. The stained glass windows on the left represent scenes from everyday Transylvanian life and details from traditional Szekler architecture. The paintings on the right illustrate Szekler legends. But the most spectacular are the four stained glass windows in the middle, representing Hungarian folk ballads with a vibrant chromatic, whose plans were made by Nagy Sándor, one of the representative figures of the artistic colony of Gödöllő.
The Small Hall
Located on the second floor, above the Hall of Mirrors, the Small Hall was created to host chamber concerts, lectures and literary readings. The ornamental painting of the Small Hall - with a rich and vivid colour palette, red, green and yellow, on a dark background - was made by Falus Elek, the artist in charge of painting the staircases and the Hall of Mirrors.
Today, the Palace of Culture is hosting important cultural and artistic institutions, such as the County Library, the History Museum, the Art Museum and the Philharmonic. Inside the palace you can visit the Foyer, the Staircases, the Mirror Hall, the Small Hall and the Great Hall (concert hall), the Hungarian Classical Art Gallery, the Modern Romanian Art Gallery, as well as the commemorative exhibitions dedicated to Mayor Dr. György Bernády and Mayor Dr. Emil Dandea.
The Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș still holds a special place on the international map of the Art Nouveau movement and style, being one of the most beautiful achievements of this style in Transylvania!
Opening Hours
September 1 - April 30 :
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 16.00
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 14.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 15.30 and 14.00.
Opening hours 1 May - 31 August:
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 17.30
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 15.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 17.00 and 15.00.
September 1 - April 30 :
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 16.00
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 14.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 15.30 and 14.00.
Opening hours 1 May - 31 August:
Tuesday - Friday: 9.00 - 17.30
Saturday - Sunday: 9.00 - 15.30
Closed on Mondays
Ticket office closes at 17.00 and 15.00.
The Museum is closed on Public Holidays.
Galleries may occasionally be closed for maintenance or long-term refurbishment.
Galleries may occasionally be closed for maintenance or long-term refurbishment.
Virtual tour - as if you were there
