The Old and New Downtown


       The Dicasterial Palace is representing an important example from
   the Italian Renaissance. The house placed on the corner of Eugen
   of Savoy and Vasile Alecsandri Streets, the "Solderer House at
   the Three Crowns" is a good example of the Empire style, as well
   as, the house from the Paul Chinezul Street at number 1. On the
   Eminescu Street, at number 3, there is one of the most beautiful
   buildings of the old town - The Palace Deschan- better known
   under the latest owner s name "The Scherter House", where the
   bazaar is today and where a lot of societies do business. The
   beginning of this building dates from the XVIII century, the new
   and elegant one being finished much later, in 1802, belonging to
   a family of French origin, de Jean, this name being mentioned
   when I presented the Statue of the Holy Trinity, the Statue of
   the Plague, from the Unification s Square, that initially was
   placed across from this house. The family received an Austrian
   noble title, in 1744, and changed the name to Deschan von
   Hannsen with this occasion [13]. The neoclassic building has
   three stories. In 1830, a casino was opened at the second story;
   the wing behind the central part, the one that closes the square
   interior yard, is the oldest part that impresses with its
   hallways and arcades. Adjacent, on the Eminescu Street, at
   number 4 there is Casa Mercy, or the "Mercy House", a two story
   building with an entrance marked by two columns and a balcony
   above them. It is said that this was the residence of the
   Governor of Banat, after the Turks retreat, of the general
   Claudius Florimund Mercy. On a city plan from 1758, on this
   place, there was a group of houses, among the judicial court,
   and the little square in front of them is called Mercy.  It is
   possible the general lived in one of these houses; the buildings
   being raised very rapidly in those times, the materials were not
   always good, and that s why they did not last too long. It is
   known today that the general did not live in the "Mercy House",
   because he died on the battle field at Parme in 1734.

       In 1783, on the city plans, instead of these houses, there was
   an empty lot. That s why it is supposed that the "Mercy House"
   was built later in the baroc style when the rest of Europe
   abandoned this style.
   At the intersection of the Streets Eminescu and Grisselini, it
   used to be "Pomul Breslelor", or "The Guilds  Tree" [14]. This
   used to be a tree trunk in which the members of guilds passing
   through town, going to another town or another master, hammered
   a nail so their voyage will be remembered.

       These nails are peculiar, they are hand made, and their heads,
   in a coat of arms shape, have engraved initials of some names.
   Along the times, the whole trunk was covered with nails, the
   tree appearance becoming all metal.

        It is also supposed that on this place there was an inn housing
   the apprentices. The true story concerning the Guilds  Tree is
   less known. It originates in Vienna, where the original exists,
   a monument raised in the memory of a blacksmith apprentice. The
   story says, this apprentice, out of his ambition to be good in
   his trade, made a deal with Satan who helped him make lockers
   that could not be opened with any key, amassing lots of wealth,
   but having to pay his debt, he ended up in Hell. Ever since, his
   guild fellows hammered nails in this tree, fixed in to a wall
   with one of this exquisite lockers, in the memory of their
   colleague and their desire to despise Satan. Franz Liebhard, a
   very knowledgeable connoisseur of his hometown, discovered the
   way this tree ended-up in Timisoara. This house dates from 1752,
   being then number 116, along the times belonging to a lot of
   owners. In 1827, became the property of Trandaphill, and it is
   possible, that during his business trips he saw the original
   tree in Vienna; decided to use it as an emblem on his house, and
   manufactured a copy at Timisoara.

       This tree also had an exquisite locker, without key, stolen by
   some ill intended person. The Guilds Tree is nowadays in the
   museum for a couple of good years, but it is possible to make a
   copy, this symbol was the house emblem. Besides this building,
   there are two more houses in Timisoara having an emblem, "Axa de
   Fier",or "The Iron Axis", and "Poarta lui Eugen", or "The Gate
   of Eugen".

       As I mentioned earlier, The Guilds  Tree used to reside at the
   corner of the Grisselini Street. That is the reason I consider
   it is necessary to mention some things about this Italian
   scholar. Visiting Banat, he composed a series of letters in
   which he dealt even with Timisoara s history publishing them in
   his book: "Political and Natural History Try-out of the Banat of
   Timisoara" (Vienna 1780).
   In Timisoara, the new and the old live together in the urban
   conception.
       Therefore, it has to be mentioned that across of these
   venerable buildings full of history and legends on the Eminescu
   Street reside, the contemporary coat of arms, the modern
   building of the "Bega" department store and the interesting
   construction of the hotel "Continental" designed by the
   architect Gheorghe Girleanu.