Romania’s third- or fourth-largest city (depending on the source) is also one of the country's most attractive urban areas, built around a series of beautiful public squares and lavish parks and gardens. It's known as Primul Oraş Liber (First Free Town), for it was here that anti-Ceauşescu protests first exceeded the Securitate’s capacity for violent suppression in 1989, eventually sending Ceauşescu and his wife to their demise.
Piaţa Unirii is Timişoara’s most picturesque square, featuring the imposing sight of the Catholic and Serbian churches facing each other.
Permanent Exhibition of the 1989 RevolutionMUSEUM
This work in progress is an ideal venue to brush up on the December 1989 anticommunist revolution that began in Timişoara. Displays include documentation, posters and photography from those fateful days, capped by a graphic 20-minute video (not suitable for young children) with English subtitles. Enter from Str Oituz.
Art MuseumMUSEUM
The museum displays a representative sample of paintings and visual arts over the centuries as well as regular, high-quality temporary exhibitions. It's housed in the baroque Old Prefecture Palace, built in 1754, which is worth a look inside for the graceful interiors alone.
Piaţa Victoriei
Piaţa Victoriei is a beautifully green pedestrian mall dotted with fountains and lined on both sides with shops and cafes. The square's northern end is marked by the 18th-century National Theatre & Opera House, where thousands of demonstrators gathered on 16 December 1989.
Banat History MuseumMUSEUM
(Muzeul Banatului)
Housed in the historic Huniades Palace, the museum was closed at the time of research for renovations expected to last until 2016. The exterior of the palace, though, is still worth a look. The origins of the building date to the 14th century and to Hungarian king Charles Robert, Prince of Anjou.
Metropolitan CathedralCHURCH
The Orthodox cathedral was built between 1936 and 1946. It's unique for its Byzantine-influenced architecture, which recalls the style of the Bucovina monasteries.
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