Hungarian Railway Station Buildings in Romanian Banat Threatened with Demolition

Railway station building in Bethausen (Bethlenháza), Banat, 1903

Civil society organizations want to prevent the demolition of railway station buildings in Banat that date back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They warn that four historic railway stations are to be demolished as part of the renovation of the Arad-Timisoara-Caransebeş railway line, as reported by the news site Krónika on Tuesday.

Art historian Cristian Oliviu Gaidos from Lugoj and the association “Save the Heritage of Timișoara” are jointly protesting against the demolition of the four buildings and the associated water towers, which were used to fill the steam locomotives, by the Romanian State Railways (CFR).

The civil society representatives have published a public appeal for the preservation of the historic railway infrastructure,

as they believe that its destruction would mean the loss of a significant part of the transport and industrial history of the Banat region. In their opinion, the largely dilapidated buildings should instead be restored to their original condition.

The employee of the museum in Lugoj pointed out that although the modernization of the Arad-Timisoara-Caransebes railway line aims to make transport in the western and southwestern regions of Romania more efficient, it threatens the industrial heritage of Banat.

According to the expert, the plans also include the demolition of four brick buildings constructed between 1875 and 1876:

the stations of Remetea Mare (Temesremete), Recas (Temesrékás), Topolovățu Mare (Nagytopoly) and Belinţ (Belence). The buildings are reminiscent of the railway construction boom at the end of the 19th century, when the Timișoara-Orșova line was completed under the direction of the Austro-Hungarian State Railways (StEG) and under the supervision of engineer August W. de Serres, according to the art historian.

In his view, the railway line was one of the most important investments for the industrial development of the Banat region, and the stations and ancillary facilities still preserve the architectural features of that era.

In Topolovățu Mare and Lugoj, the water stations for supplying steam locomotives with water are also on the demolition list. These are rare elements of railway infrastructure that have now almost completely disappeared.

In particular, he highlighted the Belint station, which is in the best condition and has retained numerous original details – the main building, the interior, the waiting room, and several window and door frames. Gaidos also pointed out that the new station buildings to be constructed as part of the project are “characterless and standardized,” and would not fit into the historic surroundings nor reflect the cultural identity of the Banat region.

He added that although CFR justifies the demolition on grounds of safety and cost efficiency, the old buildings do not stand in the way of the new ones, thus the need for demolition is questionable. He made it clear that the buildings could be handed over to the local authorities for administration and renovated with EU funds for cultural and tourist purposes.

The association “Save the Heritage of Timișoara,” which has joined the initiative, believes that the expansion of the railway network should not go hand in hand with the destruction of historical monuments. After evaluating the documents, the association believes that complete demolition is not the only technical solution, but that partial preservation or integration of the buildings into modern infrastructure would be in line with Romanian monument protection laws and European practice.

Via krónika.ro; Featured image: Fortepan / Schoch Frigyes

The post Hungarian Railway Station Buildings in Romanian Banat Threatened with Demolition appeared first on Hungary Today.

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