Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș
Târgu Mureș, Mureș County · Transylvania
About Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș
The Palace of Culture stands in the centre of Târgu Mureș, next to the Administrative Palace, with its roof of glazed tiles laid in coloured diamonds and a façade dominated by a gold-ground mosaic. It was the idea of mayor György Bernády, who in 1907 used a Budapest government scheme for cultural centres in provincial towns. The design went to the Budapest architects Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab, who had already built the neighbouring City Hall; the first plans date from 1908, and the building, to which the mayor had an extra storey added mid-way, was finished in 1913.
The palace is regarded as one of the finest examples of Hungarian Art Nouveau in its Secession form: the architecture, murals, stained glass, furniture, sculpture and ironwork were conceived together as a single "total work of art". Much of the decoration was done by artists from the Gödöllő colony, among them Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch, who designed the façade mosaic, and Sándor Nagy, while the stained glass came from Miksa Róth's workshop. Between 2017 and 2024 Mureș County Council restored the façades, the roof with Zsolnay tiles remade to the original pattern and the Hall of Mirrors, and the organ was repaired.
The building is not just a museum: it is home to the State Philharmonic and the County Library, and on the third floor are the galleries of the Mureș County Museum's Art Section, with modern Hungarian and Romanian painting.
What you can see
You enter the ground-floor foyer, a long gallery with vaults painted in green and gold with floral motifs, black pillars with gilded ornament and light filtered through yellow stained glass. On the stairs to the upper floors, the windows hold stained-glass historical portraits. The Great Hall, a concert hall of about 600 seats, rises through the full height of the building, with boxes, a stepped ceiling decorated with gold leaf and the Rieger organ inaugurated in 1913.
On the first floor is the Hall of Mirrors, the former ballroom and reception hall, with Venetian mirrors at both ends, columns ending in tulip shapes and 12 stained-glass windows along the street wall, showing Székely and Hungarian legends and ballads after designs by Sándor Nagy and Ede Toroczkai Wigand. Above it, the Small Hall has a large stained-glass window of Prince Gabriel Bethlen among his scholars. The tour also takes in the Secession Room, the Bernády and Dandea memorial rooms and the art galleries, with works by Munkácsy, Ferenczy, Theodor Aman and Ion Vlasiu, plus temporary exhibitions.
Good to know
The palace is closed on Mondays and public holidays, and individual halls may close for concerts or maintenance. In early 2026 the Bernády and Dandea memorial rooms were temporarily closed. Groups of more than 10 people get a free guide if they book ahead.
- The 12 stained-glass windows in the Hall of Mirrors, with Székely legends and ballads made in Miksa Róth's workshop.
- The ground-floor foyer, with its vaults painted in green and gold and black pillars with gilded ornament.
- The Great Hall, with its stepped gilded ceiling and the 1913 Rieger organ.
- The gold-ground mosaic on the façade, designed by Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch.
- The stained-glass window of Prince Gabriel Bethlen among his scholars in the Small Hall.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the palace is in the centre of Târgu Mureș, between Piața Victoriei and Piața Trandafirilor, next to the Administrative Palace. Cluj-Napoca is ~105 km away (~1 hour 30 minutes), Sighișoara ~55 km (~1 hour, on the DN13), Brașov ~170 km (~3 hours, on the DN13 via Sighișoara) and Bucharest ~340 km (5–6 hours). Transilvania Târgu Mureș Airport is ~15 km from the centre.
Public transport: Târgu Mureș has train and coach links with Cluj-Napoca, Brașov and Bucharest; from the town's railway station it is a ~25-minute walk (~2 km) to the centre, or you can take a city bus.
- Where to park
The palace has no car park of its own. Parking in the town centre is paid, in the on-street spaces around Piața Trandafirilor and Piața Victoriei, which fill up quickly on weekdays. Bicycles can be left in the County Library courtyard, on the left side of the building.
- Fees & discounts
A standard ticket costs 30 lei; pupils and students pay 7 lei and pensioners 15 lei. People with disabilities go free. The ticket covers the palace halls on the visitor route, the permanent art galleries and the temporary exhibitions. There is a fee for taking photos or filming (100 lei and 200 lei respectively). Tickets are sold at the desk in the hall by the Piața Victoriei entrance or online at bilete.visitmures.com. Groups of more than 10 people get a free guide, in Romanian, Hungarian or English, if they book in advance.
- Rules
Pets are not allowed inside the building. Photography and filming are subject to a fee. Guided group visits should be booked ahead by email, giving the date, time, number of people and preferred language. On days with concerts or events, some halls may be closed to visitors.
- Facilities
Toilets · lift for visitors with reduced mobility, on request at the ticket desk · accessible toilet on the ground floor · cloakroom during events only · online tickets · free guide for groups · bicycle parking · virtual tour on the website
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