VIRTUAL TOUR OF ORADEA FORTRESS

With an expending history for many centuries, the Oradea Fortress is currently a bastion fortress in Italian style, being one of the most beautiful late Renaissance monuments in Central Europe. The first documentary attestation for the city of Oradea dates from 1113, but on the current territory of the settlement as well as in the neighbourhood, were discovered traces of much older habitation dating from prehistory, from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Dacian period. In medieval period the town was an important economic center, but also cultural and religious (here functioned the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea).                 

Given the uniqueness of the historical monument in which the museum of the history section of the fortress is organized, it has been allocated the most generous and attractive space.

Within this section have been organized so far several exhibitions dedicated to the history of the fortress (with the three phases of construction, respectively Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance) of the monastery church, Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance palace; it was considered to capitalize on the period of glory of the fortress during the Renaissance and Humanism, the interval when it represented the bastion of defence of the young principality of Transylvania against the Ottoman danger; the period of the Turkish presence in the area, the Austrian “liberation” from the end of the 18th century, the “long” siege of the Kuruk uprising, the Habsburg period, the role of the fortress in the revolution of 1848-1849 or the beginning of the twentieth century were not omitted either XX century.

During the archaeological excavations made in the past years are revealed an impressive number of architectural fragments. The base was to make the lapidary, so that gives the visitor can see the periods regarding evolution of the fortress of Oradea, seeing pieces of Romanesque, gothic and renaissance invoices. There are also exposed ends of pillar support vaults, fragments of vault ribs, stone frames for doors and windows, tombstones.

In the archaeological site you can see fragments from the western facade of the Gothic cathedral (there was buried the King Ladislaus the Holy, King of Hungary between 1077-1095, also here Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary between 1387-1437 and Roman-German Emperor between 1433 -1437), as well as the profiling of St. Mary’s Basilica (Romanesque, 13th century) and the old Gothic church. To them are attached tombs of high prelates from Oradea.

In the B building of the City of Oradea Museum ground floor are three halls hosting the archeopark. We can see here the ruins of St. Mary the Little’s church, build in 12-th century, before the big Mongolian invasion in year 1241, which was cause partial destroy.Then it was rebuilt near by the Gothic cathedral being the second church in the medieval fortress. In the 16-th century was demolished from the order of Principe, Stefan Báthori. The remaining stones were used for the exterior walls of the fortress and on 17-th century on top the church demolished was build the south-western part of the Princely Palace.

In the last room of the B building is a permanent exhibition named on „Churches in the Palace”, where are exposed the pieces discovered during the archaeological researches the period of 2012-2015 in those three rooms area. The exposed objects are from 11th 19th century and are composed of: pots fragments from 11th-13th century, silver coins, smoking pipes, medieval tools for constructions, tiles from 16th 18th century, also pots from the 19th century.

The section of Oradea City Museum is located in the Fortress of Oradea, situated on 39-41, Piața Emanuil Gojdu. The exhibition spaces are organized in the buildings A and B of the Princely Palace.

The Oradea City Museum section aims to capitalize on museum, scientific, educational, etc., as well as on the history of the Citadel and the city of Oradea.

So far, several permanent exhibitions have been arranged here, which enjoy an increased interest from tourists: The history of Oradea photography / The “Ștefan Toth” collection of photographic technique and art, the exhibitions dedicated to the denominations in Oradea, the one dedicated to the First World War and General Traian Moșoiu, the communist period in the history of Oradea or the disco in the 70s and 90s of the 20th century etc.

The collection of art and photographic technique gathers in six rooms no less than 500 objects from the collection of the Oradea photographer Ștefan Toth. Collected over four decades, they present a true history of photography.

Two interesting exhibitions are with the communist regime. The first one is about how Oradea suffered the transformations which was caused by the regime from the point of view Industrial, urban, school infrastructure, hospitalizes, etc. ending with December 1989. The other is dedicated to young generations from that period to have a small enjoying freedom like to attend the discos. here are found tape recorders, audio tapes, also notebooks with lyrics, testimonials of some DJs, etc.

Because over the years Oradea was a multiconfessional town and episcopal center, a generous space has been devoted to the spiritual history of confessions, as Romano-Catholic, Greek-Catholics, Orthodox, Reformed church and also Messianic Jews.

Adress:

39-41 Emanuil Gojdu square , PC. 410067 Oradea, Bihor
Tel: 0771 741 331
E-mail: contact@mtariicrisurilor.ro

Museum visiting hours

MONDAY – closed;

TUESDAY – SUNDAY:
APR 1st – OCT 31st: 10.00AM – 6.00PM NOV 1st – MAR 31st: 9.00AM – 5.00PM

Last entry is 60 minutes before closing time.

Ticket prices:

Permanent exhibition:
Adults: 20 lei/pers.
Children over 4 years old, students, retired: 10 lei/pers.

The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition:
10 lei/pers.

Free!

Free entry for children smaller than 4 years old, children in foster care, war veterans, disabled, currently employed or former employees of the museum network.