Astoria Hotel (Sztarill Palace), Oradea
Ferenc Sztarill built this palace on the bank of the CriÈ™ul Repede for himself — then gave its ground floor to the café that became the meeting room of Oradea’s Belle Époque.
At a glance
The Sztarill Palace anchors the river side of Piața Unirii. Designed and owned by architect Ferenc Sztarill, it was raised between 1902 and 1906 and has worked as a hotel for most of its life. It is a listed historic monument (LMI code BH-II-m-B-01082).
History
Sztarill was both architect and developer here: the palace was his own investment, built in stages in the first years of the century. Its café — long known as the EMKE — was one of the social engines of early-1900s Oradea, the place where the city’s merchants, journalists and artists met. After decades under different names, the building returned to hotel use as the Astoria.
What you see
A three-part river facade with Secession detailing concentrated around the entrance and the corner bays. The ornament is lighter than on the neighbouring Black Eagle Palace, but the rhythm of curved pediments and wrought iron balconies is unmistakably of the same school. Inside, the café floor keeps its historic proportions.
Cultural significance
The palace documents a peculiar figure of the Secession boom: the architect-entrepreneur. Sztarill designed, financed and ran the building — a pattern that shaped whole streets of Oradea. Its restoration under the municipal heritage programme returned one of the square’s key facades to public view.
Key facts
- Architect and owner: Ferenc Sztarill
- Built: 1902–1906
- Style: Secession (Art Nouveau)
- Heritage listing: LMI BH-II-m-B-01082
- Today: Astoria Hotel
- Coordinates: 47.0572 N, 21.9304 E
Practical information & getting there
The hotel faces Piața Unirii at the Saint Ladislaus Bridge, two minutes on foot from the Black Eagle Palace. The facade and the historic café floor are the main things to see; the hotel itself is an operating business.
Sources & resources
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