The Brück House (Romanian: Casa Brück; German: Haus Brück) is a historic house in Timișoara's Union Square. It was designed by László Székely [hu] and Arnold Merbl in the Secession style and resembles a thin slice of cake.[1]

Brück House
Romanian: Casa Brück
German: Haus Brück
Map
Alternative namesBrück Palace
General information
Architectural styleSecession
LocationUnion Square, Timișoara
Coordinates45°45′26″N 21°13′43″E / 45.75722°N 21.22861°E / 45.75722; 21.22861
Construction started1910
Completed1911
Renovated2012
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)László Székely [hu]
Arnold Merbl

History

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Initially, there was a pharmacy on the site of the building since 1898 and it was called Golden Cross, belonging to the Geml family[2] (or the Zifkovich family according to other sources).[3] It was refurbished and used in the following years by pharmacist Salamon Brück. The pharmacy still works today and much of the original furniture and display cases are still in use.[4] The building, which was originally built in the Viennese Baroque style, was later rebuilt in the Secession style at Brück's request. The reconstruction began in 1910 according to the plans of the chief architect of Timișoara at the time, László Székely [hu], and was completed a year later.[3] He collaborated with the architect Arnold Merbl, who, in order to supervise the works, built a wooden shack in the area where he lived until their completion.[2]

Falling into disrepair after 1989, the house was renovated in 2012 by an Italian businessman who bought an apartment in the building in 1999.[2][5]

Architecture

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The interior of Brück House as of 2023, functioning as a pharmacy of Farmacia Catena [ro]

The building, consisting of a basement, ground floor and three floors, was built in the Art Nouveau and Secession styles and has Hungarian folklore motifs.[6] Although the house was built in the Secession style, the corners of the building were not cut, this not being rounded, like all other monuments representative of this current. The height of the building symbolizes the separation from the Baroque style, which was quite expensive.[6] For the facade, ceramic tiles with Hungarian folklore motifs, generalized to Secession architecture in Hungary, were used as an ornament, and on the pediment of the house, which reminds of constructions in Budapest, the letters "BS" are inscribed, representing the initials of the first owner, Salamon Brück.[6] The foundation of the building is made of brick, as are the walls, which are 70 cm thick, while the ceiling is provided with vaults.[3] The first floor is provided with closed balconies with glazed curtain walls, typical for the Art Nouveau current.[7] The bow window on two levels and the delicate and structured forms of the roof characterize the szecesszió current.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Delesega, Gyula (2018). Temesvári kalauz téridőben (PDF). Szórvány Alapítvány. p. 97.
  2. ^ a b c Petrovici, Georgeta (4 March 2019). "Un palat de poveste la Timișoara: Casa Brück". evz.ro.
  3. ^ a b c d Rovența, Loredana (11 June 2015). "Casa Brück". Merg.În.
  4. ^ Moldovan, Mihai-Claudiu (21 September 2020). "Palatul Salamon Brück". Heritage of Timișoara.
  5. ^ Deaconescu, Roxana (10 November 2012). "Casa Brück, una dintre cele mai frumoase clădiri istorice din Piața Unirii din Timișoara, renovată pe banii proprietarilor". Opinia Timișoarei.
  6. ^ a b c Iedu, Liliana (22 July 2014). "Poveste urbană: Casa Brück din Timișoara, veche de peste 100 de ani, renovată de un italian". Mediafax.
  7. ^ "Casa Brück". Timisoara-Info.ro.