Administrative Palace, Satu Mare

Administrative Palace
Palatul administrativ
Frontal view of the Administrative Palace
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Location	Satu Mare, Romania
Coordinates	47°47′20″N 22°52′23″E
Construction started	1972
Opening	1984
Owner	Satu Mare City Hall
Height
Roof	97 m (318 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	18
Floor area	12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Nicolae Porumbescu

The Administrative Palace (Romanian: Palatul administrativ) is a building in Satu Mare, Romania. At 97 metres, it is the highest building in Transylvania and one of the highest in the country. It is an example of brutalist style architecture.

History

From the top of the building, almost the entire Satu Mare County is visible, and one can see all the way to Hungary. The history of the building starts in the 1960s, when Satu Mare experienced a period of infrastructure development under the communist regime. The Romanian Communist Party wanted to build a new city center with a building that would be a new landmark for the city. Thus, in 1972, construction of the building began, the main architect being Nicolae Porumbescu of Iaşi, assisted by Ludovic Gyüre of Satu Mare.

The building was completed in 1984; there were over 1,000 workers employed on the project.

The building has three smaller towers and one big main tower. The three small towers represent the three ethnic groups present in Satu Mare County: Romanians, Germans and Hungarians, while the main tower represents the bond between these three ethnic groups.

Today, the building houses several government institutions, including the county council, prefecture, city hall and culture office.

External links

• (in Romanian) A formal description (Romanian)