The Children Hospital and Orphanage


       Long ago, the Central Park near the Metropolitan Cathedral,
    used to be a cemetery in front of the Petrovaradin Gate (1749-
    1771) where 9000 people were resting [30]. This land was marshy
    and unhealthy until in 1860 when the general Anton Scudier, the
    military commander of the town at that time, mandated the
    drainage of the marsh, the leveling of the land and the
    plantation of trees and flowers, the result being a park that
    was named "Parcul Scudier", or "The Scudier Park"; in 1881 a
    statue was built here in his memory, through the private
    donations of the citizens of the town, but it was distroyed in
    1918, and a clock was  installed on its socle. At the park
    entrance, on the right, there is a sculpture done by C. Lucaciu
    (1923) representing a miniature "Victory" ("Victoria"). Today,
    in the middle of the park, there is a monument, done in marble
    from Ruschita, dedicated to a Romanian solder, reminding the
    sacrifice of Romanian solders that gave their lives on battle
    fields against the Nazi, and for the freedom of Romania. The
    bust of the advocate, professor, publisher, Banatian politician,
    and member of the Romanian Academy, Vincentiu Babes (1821-1907),
    created by the sculptor Aurel Pop (1879-1960), can also be found
    here.

      In front of the main entrance of the park, we can admire the
    architectural complex of the former Piaristic High School,
    Roman-Catholic, construction done between 1908-1909, including
    the buildings of the gymnasium, monastery and the church; the
    project was accomplished by the technical Councilor Alexandru
    Baumgarten; the detailed plans were done by the engineering
    department of the City; the buildings were done by the
    construction Arnold Merbl company under the leadership of the
    architect Ladislau Szekely.

       On the today Horatiu Square, from where you can enter the
    Piaristic complex, belonging nowadays to the Technical
    University from Timisoara, there are also the Children Hospital
    and Orphanage, both edifices being blessed in September 1904.
    The orphanage was built by Karl Hart, builder from Timisoara.
    The Children Hospital, also called the White-Cross Union
    Polyclinic, was built by Leopold Loffler, being sponsored by the
    president of this union, the philanthropist Anton Sailer, whose
    charity was immortalized by the town citizens in a statue done
    by Nikolaus Ligeti.

        Anton Sailer s bronze bust is in front of the hospital even
    today; at the base of the column holding the bust, there is an
    allegoric group comprised by a mother keeping a boy in her arms,
    next to whom a little girl with flowers in her hands looks
    towards their benefactor. Anton Sailer was born in Arad in 1820
    and spent most of his life in Timisoara, being one of the big
    merchants that accumulated a great wealth through hard work and
    used it for charity. He made donations for the hospitals,
    nursing home, institutions for poor, sick and blind persons.
    Given his contributions for the construction and endowment of
    the Children Hospital he may be considered the founder of the
    Polyclinic; he was the founder of the Sailer foundation; because
    his contribution, in 1902, for the blind nursing home, he was
    declared honorable citizen of the town in 1904 and is resting in
    the cemetery from Calea Sagului, or Sag s Way.