# Union Square (Piața Unirii)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Banat](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/banat) › [Timiș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/timis) › [Timișoara](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/timisoara)

> Timișoara's oldest square, about 150 by 110 metres, laid out in the Baroque style around the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Serbian Cathedral and the Plague Column, among colourful houses from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

**At a glance:** Monuments and historic sites in Timișoara, Timiș County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 8 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The square is open at all times. The churches and museums on its sides have their own opening hours.
- **Ticket:** Free — pedestrian square
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — without the churches and the museum
- **With kids:** Yes — pedestrian, no traffic
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — in the paid zones of the centre
- **Best season:** All year round — summer, with the terraces open
- **Address:** Piața Unirii, Timișoara, Timiș County
- **Coordinates:** 45.75794, 21.22905
- **Website:** https://www.timisoara-info.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Square,_Timi%C8%99oara
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q422722
- **Categories:** [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About Union Square (Piața Unirii)

Union Square (Piața Unirii) is the oldest historic square in Timișoara and the only Baroque square of its kind in the country: a rectangle paved with cobblestones, about 150 by 110 metres, in the middle of the Cetate district. When imperial troops led by Prince Eugene of Savoy took the city from the Ottomans in 1716, an earthen rampart with a ditch, part of the old fortifications, ran across this spot. The rampart was demolished from 1740, the ditch was filled in and the place became the square in front of the cathedral. Over the years it was called Hauptplatz, Domplatz and Losonczy Square, after Count István Losonczy, killed in 1552 when the Ottomans captured the fortress. Its present name dates from 1919: on 3 August, the Romanian troops who had entered the city marched here.

The square was planned with two churches placed differently: the Roman Catholic Cathedral, begun in 1736 to plans by the Viennese architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach and completed only in 1774, stands to one side of the axis of the square, while the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, built between 1745 and 1748, occupies the west side. In 1846, when the pianist Franz Liszt arrived in Timișoara, a triumphal arch was raised for him in the square. The restoration of the 1980s, led by the architect Șerban Sturdza, renewed facades, street furniture and lighting, and the rehabilitation begun in 2013 replaced the underground networks and the paving. During the works, archaeologists found stretches of 19th-century paving and even a 16th-century camel.

### What you can see

In the middle of the square rises the Holy Trinity Monument, also known as the Plague Column: a triangular column crowned by the Holy Trinity, with statues at its base, raised in memory of the plague epidemic that devastated the Banat between 1731 and 1738; the foundation stone was laid on 23 November 1740. Between the monument and the Cathedral stands the fountain built in 1894 over a 412-metre borehole, which brought up water rich in magnesium and calcium, along with methane. On the west side, the Serbian Cathedral, with towers added in 1791 towards Ungureanu Street, and the Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Bishopric, in its present form from 1905–1906 and with a facade decorated with Serbian motifs from 1911, form, together with the Orthodox Community House, the so-called "Rascian quadrangle". The Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Baroque Palace, today the Art Museum, close off the square on the east side and have pages of their own.

The rest of the square is a row of town houses from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The Brück House, built in 1910 to plans by László Székely, has a facade covered in ceramic tiles with Hungarian folk motifs and, on the ground floor, a pharmacy that keeps part of its original furniture and display cases. The House with Lions got the lions that give it its name in the Secession-style rebuilding after 1900. The former Discount Bank building, from 1906–1908, is an example of Viennese Secession, with large doors decorated with bees, while the "At the Elephant" and "At the Three Hussars" houses have Baroque facades remade by Sturdza in the 1980s. The Canons' Houses, four buildings joined together on the north side, are documented from 1758.

### Good to know

The square is pedestrianised, with terraces on almost every side, and in the evening, with the facades lit up, it is busier than by day. Open-air fairs and events are also held here from time to time. The surrounding buildings are mostly homes or used as offices and restaurants: you admire them from outside, apart from the churches and the museum.

## Don't miss

- The Holy Trinity Monument (the Plague Column), in the middle of the square, raised in memory of the plague epidemic of 1731–1738.
- The 1894 fountain, built over a 412-metre borehole, between the monument and the Cathedral.
- The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of 1745–1748 and the Palace of the Serbian Bishopric, on the west side.
- The Brück House of 1910, with its facade of ceramic tiles in Hungarian Secession style.
- The row of colourful houses on the south and north sides, especially the House with Lions and the "At the Elephant" house.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Timișoara is on the A1, ~55 km from Arad (~45 minutes), ~320 km from Cluj-Napoca (~4 hours) and ~540 km from Bucharest (~6–7 hours). Union Square is in the middle of the Cetate district, in the historic centre, where car access is limited; park on the surrounding streets or in a car park in the centre and continue on foot.

**Public transport:** from the North railway station it is ~2 km, about a 25–30 minute walk or a few stops by tram or trolleybus. From Traian Vuia airport (~12 km) you can take a taxi or urban transport. Liberty Square and Victory Square are a few hundred metres away, on foot.

### Where to park

You cannot park on the square: it is pedestrianised. Spaces on the surrounding streets are in the city's paid zones (TimPark), usually charged on working days, but the rates and hours change: check them on the signs, at the machines or in the parking app. In summer, at weekends and on event days the centre gets crowded.

### Fees & discounts

The square is free. The Baroque Palace (the Art Museum), the Cathedral and the other attractions around it have their own rules and, where applicable, tickets.

### Rules

Pedestrian square: no cars; ride bicycles and scooters with care among pedestrians. Decent dress is expected when entering the churches, and during services visits should be discreet.

### Facilities

Terraces, cafés and restaurants around the square · banks and street benches · seating along the edges · pedestrian square, paved with cobblestones

## Details

- **Historical period:** 18th–20th centuries
- **Civilisation:** Habsburg

## Frequently asked questions about Union Square (Piața Unirii)

**How much is a ticket to Union Square (Piața Unirii)?**

Admission to Union Square (Piața Unirii) is free (pedestrian square). The square is free. The Baroque Palace (the Art Museum), the Cathedral and the other attractions around it have their own rules and, where applicable, tickets.

**What are the opening hours of Union Square (Piața Unirii)?**

Opening hours at Union Square (Piața Unirii): daily open 24 hours. The square is open at all times. The churches and museums on its sides have their own opening hours.

**How long does a visit to Union Square (Piața Unirii) take?**

A visit to Union Square (Piața Unirii) takes about ½ – 1 hours (without the churches and the museum).

**Can you visit Union Square (Piața Unirii) with kids?**

Yes, Union Square (Piața Unirii) is suitable for children (pedestrian, no traffic).

**Where can I park at Union Square (Piața Unirii)?**

There is paid parking at Union Square (Piața Unirii) (in the paid zones of the centre). You cannot park on the square: it is pedestrianised. Spaces on the surrounding streets are in the city's paid zones (TimPark), usually charged on working days, but the rates and hours change: check them on the signs, at the machines or in the parking app. In summer, at weekends and on event days the centre gets crowded.

**How do I get to Union Square (Piața Unirii)?**

Union Square (Piața Unirii) is located at Piața Unirii, Timișoara, Timiș County. By car: Timișoara is on the A1, ~55 km from Arad (~45 minutes), ~320 km from Cluj-Napoca (~4 hours) and ~540 km from Bucharest (~6–7 hours). Union Square is in the middle of the Cetate district, in the historic centre, where car access is limited; park on the surrounding streets or in a car park in the centre and continue on foot. Public transport: from the North railway station it is ~2 km, about a 25–30 minute walk or a few stops by tram or trolleybus. From Traian Vuia airport (~12 km) you can take a taxi or urban transport. Liberty Square and Victory Square are a few hundred metres away, on foot.

**When is the best time to visit Union Square (Piața Unirii)?**

The best season for Union Square (Piața Unirii): All year round (summer, with the terraces open).

## Nearby attractions

- [National Museum of Art Timișoara](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-arta-timisoara) — Museums and memorial houses · Timișoara, TM · 1 – 1½ hours · 0 km
  The museum in the Baroque Palace on Union Square holds old European painting, Banat and Romanian art and the Corneliu Baba collection, in a building begun in 1754.
- [Roman Catholic Dome of St George](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/domul-romano-catolic-timisoara) — Monasteries and churches · Timișoara, TM · 30 min · 0 km
  The Baroque cathedral of the Catholic bishopric of Timișoara, built between 1736 and 1774 on Union Square; restored with EU funds and reopened in April 2023, with the bishops' crypt under the altar.
- [Memorial of the December 1989 Revolution](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/memorialul-revolutiei-timisoara) — Museums and memorial houses · Timișoara, TM · 20 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 0 km
  The museum of the Memorial of the Revolution Association, in a former military building in Timișoara: clothes and flags from the days of December 1989, a chapel of the hero-martyrs and the only section of the Berlin Wall in Romania.
- [Maria Theresia Bastion](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/bastionul-maria-theresia) — Fortresses and fortifications · Timișoara, TM · 40 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 0 km
  The largest surviving piece of Timișoara's bastioned fortress, built by the Austrians in the 1730s and restored with EU funds, now home to the National Museum of Banat.
- [Huniade Castle](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castelul-huniade-timisoara) — Castles and palaces · Timișoara, TM · 20 min · 1 km
  The oldest building in Timișoara, a royal residence in the Middle Ages and the historic home of the Banat Museum; closed for restoration and visible from the outside only.
- [Victory Square (Piața Victoriei)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-victoriei-timisoara) — Monuments and historic sites · Timișoara, TM · Free · 45 min · 1 km
  Timișoara's pedestrian esplanade between the Opera in the Palace of Culture and the Metropolitan Cathedral, lined with the Corso palaces and the place where Timișoara was declared the first free city in December 1989.

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Last updated: 8 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania