Central Romania: Târgu Mureș joins Art Nouveau networks

Târgu Mureș, a city in central Romania’s Mureș County, has joined the Réseau Art Nouveau Network and Art Nouveau European Route, two European networks working towards cultural heritage preservation and promotion.

Târgu Mureș has one of the richest Art Nouveau profiles in the country. More than 150 buildings across its urban area retain original elements of the style, ranging from elaborate façades, structural ornaments, ironwork and decorative details to the stained-glass windows found in the city’s landmark buildings, tourism promotion organization Visit Mureș explained.

Among its most significant historic monuments representative of the Art Nouveau style are the Palace of Culture and the Administrative Palace.

The move is meant to strengthen the city’s “standing within the European scientific community focused on researching and preserving the Secession movement, while also raising its international profile as a cultural tourism destination.”

To mark the occasion, Visit Mureș launched a brochure dedicated to the local Secession heritage. It covers descriptions of the most important historic buildings and an urban itinerary designed to guide tourists in discovering the city’s architectural history.

Twenty-five cities in Europe, along with Havana, in Cuba, have joined the Réseau Art Nouveau Network to enhance and promote their Art Nouveau heritage. Oradea, in Romania’s Bihor County, is also a member.

(Photo: One side of the city's Culture Palace by Constantin Adrian Popa | Dreamstime.com)