Sightseeing in Oradea - what to see. Complete travel guide

Oradea is a Romanian city that is situated close to the border with Hungary. This is an interesting settlement with rich architectural and cultural heritage. When taking a stroll in the historic city center, it is easy to notice that the majority of dwellings here are built in the Baroque style. This architectural style was typical for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Oradea changes its look closer to the outskirts. Buildings of the communist era are the most widespread in this part of the city. The facades of many residential buildings are painted in different colors – pink, green, white, and blue. This fact makes every building original and creates a fairytale look. Finally, there are more than a hundred of different shrines in the Romanian city.

Initially, modern Oradea had another name of Latin etymology – Varadinum. The first mention of this settlement dates back to 1113. A fortress, which gave the town its name, was built in the area at that time. The main purpose of the stronghold was to protect the region from the Mongol Tatar invasion. The fortress is mentioned in the documents for the first time in 1241. Oradea officially became a town only in the 16th century. The area started developing actively and growing in size.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Franz Anton Hillebrandt, an architect from Vienna, was given the task of changing the look of Oradea. The idea was to add the Baroque style buildings to the settlement. The building works reached its peak in 1752 when the majority of the city’s landmarks were completed. Fascists occupied Oradea during World War II. The German invaders remained in the Roman city until 1944. On October 12, the USSR’s 2nd Ukrainian Army defeated the fascists and made them leave the city. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The Сathedral Basilica of St. Mary is one of the main religious landmarks in Oradea. This fabulous church was built by the project of Italian architect Giovanni Ricca. When he died, the Viennese architect Franz Anton Hillebrandt continued his work. This cathedral has a distinctive feature – all of its walls have a marble cover. Inside the church, there is a bronze statue of Saint Ladislaus. The height of the building is roughly sixty-five meters. The cathedral has a length of forty-eight and a width of thirty meters. The shrine occupies as an area of almost one thousand and five hundred square meters. This is the most majestic religious landmark in Bihor County.

Would you like to visit a true cultural pride of Oradea? For this purpose, visit the local theater that is a gorgeous building with three stores. Initially, the theater was built with the purpose of providing space for one thousand viewers. The main entrance to the building looks impressive. This is one of the major architectural landmarks of Oradea. The entrance features two statues of Comedy and Tragedy. Outside, the theater is an interesting combination of several architectural styles, such as the neoclassical style, which is the dominating in the design of the theater, neo-Renaissance, and neo-Baroque. The inner décor and ornaments have definite Rococo influences.

The project of the Oradea Theater features three levels. The first level is represented by a hall for viewers, the second is the place of the loge, and the balcony is the third level. When developing the theatre’s project, much attention was paid to the acoustic properties of the building. It was important to place the orchestra pit in a way that would make the sound great at all levels. The result of the hard work is, indeed, amazing. Oradea got an excellent theater for dramatic performances, legendary operas, and even concerts of symphonic music. Nowadays, the capacity of the theater was increased to six hundred and seventy seats.

The St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Chapel is one of the oldest shrines in Oradea. The construction of the chapel started in 1720. Thirty-six years later, the bishop of Oradea consecrated the church. Since that time, local people have considered it a holy place protected by God. That is why the chapel is always crowded on holidays and weekends.

Above the main altar, there is an image of Saint Ladislaus. There is a scene that depicts the meeting of the saint and bishop of Oradea, during which King Ladislaus gives the keys to the city. The painting is a symbol of God’s acceptance of the church and his permit to the bishop to manage it. The chapel’s cupolas deserve a separate mention. They feature different scenes from the life of King Ladislaus.

If you decide to visit the Romanian city of Oradea, you will most likely have to make a connecting flight. The most comfortable route lies through Bucharest, the capital of the country. Having landed in the central city of Romania, tourists need to take a domestic flight directly to Oradea. The total journey time from Bucharest to Oradea is one hour.