From Josefin to the Park from Freidorf


      There is an important educational complex in front of the
   Roman Catholic Church from Josefin. It belonged to the nuns of
   Notre-Dame until the 1948 nationalization. The bishop Csajaghy
   (1851-1860) got in touch with mother-home of the nuns of Notre-
   Dame from Munich to create adequate learning institutions for
   girls. He succeeded in getting an approval, and six nuns came to
   Timisoara; their first mother-home was in the City, fact already
   mentioned. Because the nuns training activity was successful,
   his successor, the bishop Alexander Bonnaz (1860-1889),
   initiated the construction of a new mother-home. It comprised
   more edifices, that made a complex, including the monastery,
   schools, administrative buildings, gardens and play parks, all
   grouped around a church built in 1894 in Neo Roman style. The
   church centenary was celebrated in 1994 after a thorough
   interior and exterior restoration. The newest building of the
   complex was raised in 1930 after the plans designed by the
   architect Michael Wolf. The nuns conducted here a superior
   school for girls, a normal school for teachers and preschool
   teachers, a four year gymnasium, an eight year high school, an
   elementary school, and a kindergarten. The Monastery from
   Josefin became a symbol of girls  exemplary education. In 1918,
   the order of the nuns of Notre-Dame had 30 divisions throughout
   the Cenad diocese [51]. This way the girls from smaller towns
   were having access to special education; the generations
   benefiting from this education contributed to the spiritual
   culture of Banat.

      If we go towards the Josefin railway station from (Gara de Nord,
   or, The North Railway Station) we see on the left corner, across
   from the parish church, another building. It is the palace of
   the former saving house from Josefin. We walk towards the bridge
   Stefan cel Mare, or Stephen the Great.
      Until 1871 this bridge was made out of wood. In 1891, a metal
   bridge was built after the plans of the company Gustave Eiffel.
   The bridge was enlarged and consolidated in 1941, then, in 1956,
   was replaced by the a concrete bridge. The first railway station
   from Josefin was built in 1857; the New Railway Station, raised
   between 1897-1899, was completely distroyed during the
   bombardments from 1944; it was rebuilt after the war. It was
   restored and modernized in 1970 [52]. Now we can talk of the
   actual Timisoara North Railway Station. Nowadays, block of flats
   with lots of stories were built on the artery linking the
   railway station and the bridge across the Bega channel.
   Turning towards the parish church and going towards the Resita
   (former Frobel) Street, we see, at the intersection with
   Vacarescu Street (former General Bem) a one story building. It
   is a school. The edifice was raised in 1900 on the place of a
   school with one story only, which did not correspond anymore to
   the contemporary demands. On the other side of the street, the
   farmer market buildings can be seen all the way to the Bega
   channel. The Synagogue of the Orthodox Jewish community can be
   seen also in this area. It was built at the end of the XIX
   century after the design of Karl Hart from Timisoara.
   Taking the tram number 3, towards Freidorf, we arrive at the
   park from this district. The park is dominated by a modest
   monument reminding the battles during the 1849 siege of
   Timisoara. The monument, dedicated to the soldiers killed on the
   battlefield, was created through private donations and festive
   inaugurated on November 10, 1912. General Bem, the supreme
   commander of the Hungarian forces, installed his general
   districts on this place. On the same spot, the great poet and
   freedom fighter, Petofi Sandor, received the major rank, event
   mentioned on the marble placard on the monument; the poet's
   face, accompanied by a text in the Hungarian language, is
   represented on the placard [53].