Satu Mare: Between Brutalism and Beauty

May 30, 2024September 14, 2024 Koen 0 Comments

This destination guide covers my trip to Satu Mare, Romania, and highlights the sights you can visit in the city.

A trip to Satu Mare

Located in north-western Romania on the border with Hungary and Ukraine lies the județ (county) of Satu Mare.

It’s a region of Romania often overlooked by international tourists, and even I had not yet managed to visit it despite living in the country for several years.

To change this, I decided to take the night train from Bucharest to Satu Mare for a fun weekend trip.

When I arrived in Satu Mare County in the early morning, I first got off the train in the smaller city of Carei, which is well-known for its baroque Károlyi Castle.

Having explored Carei, I headed back in the afternoon to the local railway station to travel onwards to the city of Satu Mare, the county seat and largest city in the region.

Károlyi Castle Carei Satu Mare Romanai — *Károlyi Castle in Carei, the second-largest town in Satu Mare County. ©Paliparan*

Monument of the Romanian Soldier Carei Satu Mare — *Monument of the Romanian Soldier, Carei. ©Paliparan*

carei railway station — *Carei railway station. ©Paliparan*

On the train to Satu Mare

After a short wait at the railway station of Carei, my train arrived.

Trains in Romania aren’t fast, and that was certainly the case with this train, as it would take 45 minutes to cover the 36-kilometre distance between Carei and Satu Mare.

Still, I had little reason to complain, as I only paid 5.30 Romanian lei (€1.07) for a second class train ticket.

The journey wasn’t much to get excited about as the landscape in this part of Romania is mostly flat, although there were some decent views over Satu Mare as we crossed the Someș River and rolled into the city’s main railway station.

carei satu mare train — *The train to Satu Mare arrives at the railway station of Carei. ©Paliparan*

carei railway station cfr local train — *Boarding the regional train to Satu Mare at the station of Carei. ©Paliparan*

second class seats cfr train — *Second class seats on the train. ©Paliparan*

romanian train ticket — *At just 5.30 RON (€1.07 EUR), the train ticket was cheap. ©Paliparan*

train view — *View from the train. ©Paliparan*

Halta Moftin station — *Halta Moftin, one of the intermediate stations on the railway line between Carei and Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

train satu mare railway station — *Arrival at the railway station of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

satu mare railway station — *The railway station of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

Into the city

After arriving in Satu Mare, I first headed to my hotel to drop off my rucksack.

On my way to the hotel, I passed by the old bus station of Satu Mare, which features a lovely communist-era mosaic.

Somehow, Satu Mare felt like a giant throwback to the 1990s or even the 1980s, with outdated shops and nondescript five-storey apartment blocks dominating the streets through which I walked.

I quite liked it from the start though, and I could already see myself sitting down at a restaurant I passed by, which had a wonderfully simple sign reading “Porc, Vin & Bere” (pork, wine, and beer).

communist bus station mosaic satu mare — *Communist bus station mosaic. ©Paliparan*

*Walking through a leafy suburb towards my hotel. ©Paliparan*

Pasta coffee cocktails restaurant — *Pasta, coffee, and cocktails. ©Paliparan*

porc vin bere pork wine beer restaurant satu mare romania — *The “Porc, Vin & Bere” (pork, wine & beer) restaurant sounded appealing! ©Paliparan*

pork meat restaurant — *Hungry for some pork? ©Paliparan*

Old beauty

After leaving my rucksack in my hotel room, I ventured out again and headed towards the city centre.

My first impressions of Satu Mare were a bit mixed, as the city had an unusual blend of century-old buildings dating back to the times when it belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, alongside structures from the communist era of the 70s and 80s, as well as the notably poor post-communist architecture of the 1990s.

However, as I approached the heart of the city and caught sight of notable buildings like the Romanian Orthodox Assumption Cathedral, the urban environment appeared to grow more beautiful.

Especially Satu Mare’s Roman Catholic Ascension Cathedral – a mixture between neoclassical and baroque styles – was pretty impressive and well-worth a visit.

satu mare houses — *The architecture in Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

war monument — *War monument. ©Paliparan*

city centre street — *City centre street. ©Paliparan*

city architecture — *The city’s architecture was an unusual mix between wildly different styles from different eras. ©Paliparan*

romanian orthodox cathedral satu mare — *Romanian Orthodox Assumption Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

satu mare roman catholic cathedral — *The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

baroque cathedral satu mare — *The beautiful Baroque interior of the Roman Catholic Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

roman catholic cathedral satu mare — *Inside the Roman Catholic Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

painted dome cathedral — *Painted dome. ©Paliparan*

side altar cathedral — *One of the side altars in the Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

main altar cathedral satu mare — *Main altar. ©Paliparan*

cathedral organ — *The Cathedral organ. ©Paliparan*

Satu Mare old town

Satu Mare’s Cathedral is situated in the heart of the old town, on a large roundabout with a small but pleasant park at its centre.

This patch of urban greenery, known as Central Park, features a large statue of Vasile Lucaciu (1852-1922).

Lucaciu, a Romanian Greek-Catholic priest born in the area, advocated for equal rights for Romanians alongside Hungarians.

This was not the case before World War I, when Satu Mare and the wider region were still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with ethnic Hungarians dominating political and cultural life.

Satu Mare experienced a significant demographic shift when the city and the wider county, along with the neighbouring counties in the Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș, as well as Transylvania proper, were all incorporated into the Kingdom of Romania following the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.

In 1910, Hungarians constituted 91.4% of the city’s population, which decreased to 63.6% by 1920 and fell below 50% in the 1970s, while in the surrounding countryside, Romanians and Hungarians were historically more evenly matched.

With its elegant century-old town houses adorning the streets around Central Park, Satu Mare shares a similar charm as cities like Oradea and Cluj-Napoca, even though the old town centres of those two places are much larger and more beautiful.

It’s a pity that the old town of Satu Mare lacks the uniformity found in nearby cities like Oradea, as there are still quite a few dilapidated or downright ugly buildings scattered amidst its beauty.

A great example is Hotel Dacia, an Art Nouveau landmark that would typically be one of the main sights to visit in Satu Mare, if it weren’t closed and concealed by tarpaulin sheets due to ongoing renovations.

Although the fate of Hotel Dacia (formerly known as the Hotel Pannonia when the city was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) was in limbo for many years, left to decay, it now appears that renovations are well underway, with the hotel scheduled to reopen in 2025 under new ownership.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of decent cafés in the vicinity of Central Park where you can sit down with a coffee or beer and soak in the old town vibe, which is exactly what I did.

satu mare romania — *Statue in front of the Roman Catholic Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

central park satu mare — *City centre street. ©Paliparan*

satu mare central park — *Central Park. ©Paliparan*

vasile lucaciu statue satu mare — *Statue of Vasile Lucaciu in Central Park. ©Paliparan*

satu mare hotel dacia renovation — *Hotel Dacia, a famous Art Nouveau landmark in the city, was under renovation. ©Paliparan*

satu mare central park street — *Streets around Central Park. ©Paliparan*

old town centre — *Old town centre. ©Paliparan*

beer cathedral view — *Beer with a view over the Roman Catholic Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

Dinner

I lost track of time as I relaxed in the summer sunshine with a beer or two.

Feeling hungry, I decided it was time to find a place for dinner, so I got up and started walking to a nearby restaurant with high reviews.

On my way to the restaurant, I passed by several more notable buildings, including the local theatre, courthouse, and a couple of old, decayed apartment blocks.

I ended up at a local Satu Mare drinking hole and restaurant called No Pardon Pub, which turned out to be a great spot for dinner.

Although the interior of the pub certainly looked charming, I decided to sit down in the peaceful back garden.

The Garlic cream soup with homemade salty pita bread was delicious, and I also enjoyed a gigantic pork knuckle, which was served with potatoes and a massive serving of onion rings.

Teatrul de Nord Satu Mare — *Teatrul de Nord – a local theatre. ©Paliparan*

satu mare courthouse — *Satu Mare Courthouse. ©Paliparan*

old town building — *Old town houses. ©Paliparan*

pilsner beer no pardon pub — *Pint of pilsner beer at No Pardon Pub. ©Paliparan*

*Garlic cream soup with homemade salty pita bread. ©Paliparan*

Hotel

After the delicious dinner I retreated to my hotel – a friendly local pension called Casa Transilvania – to have an early night in.

This way, I could rise early the next day and maximise my time for sightseeing in Satu Mare.

Although my room was fairly basic, I did love the old Hungarian Balaton radio from the 1950s that was used as decoration.

Casa Transilvania room — *My room at Casa Transilvania. ©Paliparan*

balaton radio 1950s — *Balaton radio from the 1950s. ©Paliparan*

County Museum

The following morning, I started my tour of Satu Mare with a visit to the County Museum.

Provincial museums in Romania can be hit-or-miss, but the Satu Mare County Museum (Muzeul Județean Satu Mare) certainly falls into the “hit” category, as it was surprisingly large and had some interesting exhibits about local history and ethnography.

Another positive aspect was the presence of trilingual signs, with descriptions in Romanian, Hungarian, as well as English.

The County Museum also has a small exhibit about Jewish life in Satu Mare (or Satmar, as the Ashkenazi Jews would refer to the city in Yiddish).

Before the Second World War, approximately one-fifth of Satu Mare’s inhabitants were Jewish, and the city is well-known as the birthplace of the Satmar Hasidic group, founded here in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum.

Although local Jewish life in Satu Mare was tragically wiped out by the Nazis during the Holocaust, the Satmar Hasidim who survived relocated to the United States, where a large community now resides in Williamsburg, a neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York.

In 2021, hundreds of Hasidic Jews even chartered a Boeing 787 to fly from Newark to the tiny Satu Mare Airport to attend the inauguration of a new synagogue in nearby Sighetu Marmației, the home of the Sighet Hasidic dynasty, from which the Satmar Hasidic group originated.

satu mare county museum — *The Satu Mare County Museum. ©Paliparan*

history exhibit — *Exhibits on local history and archaeology. ©Paliparan*

old workshop tools — *Old workshop and tools. ©Paliparan*

satu mare satmar city maquette — *Maquette showing how the city of Satu Mare (Satmar) used to look like a few centuries ago. ©Paliparan*

satu mare satmar 19th century — *The city of Satu Mare (Satmar) in the 19th Century. ©Paliparan*

museum old icons religious objects — *Collection of old icons and religious objects. ©Paliparan*

wood carved cross — *Cross finely carved out of wood. ©Paliparan*

jewish life satmar museum satu mare — *Exhibit about Jewish life in Satmar. ©Paliparan*

Pannonia hotel satu mare cafe — *Satu Mare coffee house life in the old Hotel Pannonia. ©Paliparan*

communist romania Nicolae Elena Ceaușescu — *Communist painting of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. ©Paliparan*

traditional romanian handicrafts — *Traditional Romanian handicrafts. ©Paliparan*

traditional houses interior — *Exhibit with traditional furniture and home decorations. ©Paliparan*

saxon german handicrafts — *Saxon (ethnic German) costumes and handicrafts. ©Paliparan*

Brunch

From the County Museum, I strolled through a leafy suburb towards the northern bank of the River Someș.

Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, I was in need of a good brunch and found a great place here to enjoy some yummy food.

At the restaurant, called ZION Brunch & Breakfast, I enjoyed a delicious Turkish egg dish accompanied by some quality coffee.

town walk — *On my way through town towards a brunch restaurant. ©Paliparan*

satu mare orthodox cathedral — *Walking past the Orthodox Cathedral. ©Paliparan*

satu mare suburb — *Leafy Satu Mare suburb. ©Paliparan*

ZION Brunch & Breakfast satu mare — *Enjoying a yummy Turkish egg dish at ZION Brunch & Breakfast. ©Paliparan*

Brutalist Satu Mare

From the brunch restaurant, I walked the short distance to the Decebal Bridge over the Someș River.

Although the Someș looked pretty with its leafy embankment, it’s a pity that Satu Mare is essentially built with its back towards the river, and I felt that the city could make much more of this location by constructing a proper riverside promenade.

Standing on the Decebal Bridge, I could already see the next sight I wanted to visit in Satu Mare, as the main building of the Administrative Palace towered high above the trees.

Someș river satu mare — *View from the Decebal Bridge over the Someș River, with the Administrative Palace being visible in the background. ©Paliparan*

administrative palace satu mare — *Walking towards the Administrative Palace of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

A look at the Administrative Palace

The Administrative Palace, with its imposing brutalist design, is Satu Mare’s main landmark, and the building can be seen from all over town.

Among other institutions, this government complex houses the Satu Mare city hall and the Satu Mare County prefecture.

In the late 1960s, plans were made by the communist authorities to construct a new government centre in Satu Mare.

Construction of the Administrative Palace started in 1972, and the complex was only finished in 1984, with the main building standing 97 metres (318 feet) tall.

The passing years haven’t been kind to the Administrative Palace, and parts of this brutalist building seem badly decayed or look decidedly out of time and place.

Yet this relic from the communist era remains quite a cool sight to behold, and it seems that the Satu Mare authorities are actually renovating it, as one of the surrounding squares has already been given a modern makeover.

satu mare brutalist city hall — *The Administrative Palace of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

brutalism satu mare — *Brutalist vibes in Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

administrative palace — *Buildings around the Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

brutalist architecture — *Brutalist architecture of the Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

administrative palace satu mare romania — *Renovation work around the Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

renovated square — *Renovated square and buildings next to the Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

administrative palace brutalism satu mare — *The Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

Back into the old town

After admiring the brutalist architecture of the Administrative Palace, I headed back to the old town.

On my way, I again passed by a mix of beautiful buildings from the Belle Époque era and communist structures from the second half of the 20th century, which seemed to be a recurring theme in Satu Mare.

Although they can hardly be described as real sights, I did like the communist apartment block named ‘Satan’ and the unusual sight of a store called ‘Al Bundy’s Shoes’, which apparently relocated from a Chicago mall to Satu Mare.

old town satu mare romania — *Back into the historic old town of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

al bundy shoe store satu mare romania — *Al Bundy has opened a shoe store in Satu Mare? ©Paliparan*

city centre satu mare — *Walking through the city centre. ©Paliparan*

old town street — *Old town street. ©Paliparan*

Aurel Popp art school — *Aurel Popp Art School. ©Paliparan*

old town houses satu mare — *Old town apartments. ©Paliparan*

satu mare old town romania — *Man walking through one of the old town streets of Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

Firemen’s Tower

Another interesting sight to visit in the old town of Satu Mare is the Firemen’s Tower (Turnul Pompierilor), a 47-metre (154 feet) high watchtower built in 1904.

As the name implies, this tower was used by fire spotters of the local fire brigade.

Nowadays, the Firemen’s Tower is a tourist attraction, and you can climb to its top for some sweeping views over the city of Satu Mare and the surrounding countryside.

satu mare firemen's tower — *The Firemen’s Tower. ©Paliparan*

firemen's tower city view satu mare — *View over the the city centre of Satu Mare from the Firemen’s Tower. ©Paliparan*

satu mare view — *View over the city and the surrounding countryside. ©Paliparan*

satu mare city view — *Satu Mare city view. ©Paliparan*

firemen's tower view — *Sweeping views over town from the Firemen’s Tower. ©Paliparan*

satu mare romania view — *View over the Roman Catholic Cathedral and Administrative Palace. ©Paliparan*

Beer time

The climb up the Firemen’s Tower made me thirsty, so it was about time to enjoy a cold beer on this sunny summer day.

Right next to the Firemen’s Tower stood a drinks stall, accompanied by a few outdoor tables, alongside an inviting café called The LINE, which had comfortable deck chairs on a grassy field.

I decided to take a seat at The LINE, where I treated myself to a thirst-quenching weizen beer.

Slowly, I started to appreciate this other side of Satu Mare, as it turned out the city had a lot of quality cafés, bars, and restaurants with a laid-back feel.

The charm and relaxed atmosphere of Satu Mare reminded me somewhat of how the nearby city of Cluj used to be a decade ago, before it surged in popularity and became crowded with tourists and high-skilled workers from across Romania and other European countries.

drinks stall — *Drinks stall. ©Paliparan*

firemen's tower bar cafe — *The LINE, a bar right opposite the Firemen’s Tower. ©Paliparan*

the line beer satu mare bar — *Enjoying a beer at The LINE. ©Paliparan*

Synagogue

Although I was briefly considering ordering a second beer and lazing the afternoon away at the bar, I ultimately decided to press on and visit the remaining sights of Satu Mare.

One of these sights was the Great Temple, the biggest Synagogue in Satu Mare.

Next to this synagogue you can find a monument commemorating the 18,000 Jews from the Satu Mare (Satmar) ghetto who were deported to Auschwitz during World War II, where the great majority of them were murdered by the Nazis.

great temple synagogue satu mare — *The Great Temple, the main synagogue in Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

great synagogue satu mare — *Synagogue façade. ©Paliparan*

holocaust memorial satu mare — *Holocaust memorial next to the Great Temple. ©Paliparan*

Calvaria Church

From the synagogue, I walked onward to the Calvaria Church with its twin towers and peaceful front garden.

This Roman Catholic church is one of the oldest in the city, occupying the grounds where the mighty citadel of Satu Mare once stood.

Calvaria Roman Catholic Church Satu Mare — *Calvaria Roman Catholic Church. ©Paliparan*

calvaria church — *A look inside Calvaria Church. ©Paliparan*

calvaria church yard — *View over the front yard of Calvaria Church. ©Paliparan*

G&T time

As I passed by another inviting café, I opted to make another pit stop for some refreshments.

Called Moose, this Satu Mare coffee shop isn’t just a good place to get a coffee, but also makes for a great spot to get a proper drink, which was exactly what I did by ordering a gin and tonic.

moose coffee shop bar satu mare — *Moose coffee shop & bar. ©Paliparan*

*Enjoying a gin tonic at Moose. ©Paliparan*

Lángos

As it was about time to eat something for lunch, I again headed back to the city centre, where I had previously encountered a lángos stall close to the Roman Catholic Cathedral and nearby Iuliu Maniu Park.

Lángos is a traditional Hungarian snack, consisting of deep-fried dough topped with sour cream and grated cheese (plus garlic if you want to do it properly).

It’s absolutely delicious comfort food and whenever I see a lángos stand in Hungary or the surrounding borderlands where there is a sizeable Hungarian minority, I just need to stop and eat one.

Iuliu Maniu Park Satu Mare — *Iuliu Maniu Park. ©Paliparan*

lángos satu mare — *Enjoying my lángos from a bench in Iuliu Maniu Park. ©Paliparan*

Satu Mare Art Museum

The final sight I visited on my trip to Satu Mare was the local Art Museum, which proved to be a delightful place as well.

Gaining entry to the museum proved a bit tricky, as the doors were firmly shut and there appeared to be nobody around.

However, upon seeing me banging on the door, the security guard called the museum caretaker to open the doors for me.

Sadly, many regional museums in Romania have financial difficulties, leading to understaffing and cost-cutting measures that may seem strange to foreign tourists, such as only illuminating individual rooms when a visitor is present in them.

Indeed, during my visit to the Art Museum, the caretaker was following me around to switch on the lights in each successive room as we progressed, while simultaneously switching off the lights in the rooms we had just left.

Nevertheless, I really like the Satu Mare Art Museum, as it had some beautiful paintings of local artists such as Aurel Popp, and works from other painters who were part of a highly regarded Painters’ Colony in the nearby city of Baia Mare (Nagybánya) during the Belle Époque era.

The Satu Mare Art Museum features highly informative signage in four languages (Romanian, Hungarian, English, and German) detailing the paintings and the artists behind them, making this museum an excellent introduction into the history of the regional art scene.

Museum interior courtyard — *Interior courtyard of the museum. ©Paliparan*

Sándor Ziffer painting — *Painting by Sándor Ziffer. ©Paliparan*

To the airport

After my visit to the Satu Mare Art Museum, it was sadly time to depart for the airport and catch my flight home.

A short taxi ride later, I arrived at Satu Mare’s small airport, which currently offers only domestic service with TAROM to Bucharest and a connection with Wizz Air to London Luton.

I was booked on the TAROM flight to Bucharest, and with some time to spare before departure, I decided to enjoy a beer at the food truck stationed in front of the airport terminal (top tip: The friendly owner of this food truck also makes amazing Italian-style grilled meat sandwiches.)

Although threatening summer storm clouds had gathered overhead, it fortunately remained dry.

When the single security control lane finally opened, I proceeded inside to the departure area, where I enjoyed another beer while looking at some pictures of old Romanian fighter jets adorning the walls of the basic terminal.

satu mare countryside — *View over the Satu Mare countryside from the airport access road. ©Paliparan*

satu mare airport — *Satu Mare Airport. ©Paliparan*

airport food truck — *Food truck in front of the airport. ©Paliparan*

airport beer — *Enjoying a beer in front of the airport. ©Paliparan*

satu mare airport check-in desks — *Check-in desks. ©Paliparan*

satu mare airport departures — *The basic departures area of Satu Mare Airport has just one small bar. This isn’t an airport to arrive early at! ©Paliparan*

romanian fighter jets mig — *Pictures of old Romanian fighter jets such as the MiG-21. ©Paliparan*

Flying home

My flight home from Satu Mare to Bucharest was operated by an ATR 72-600 turboprop.

The short flight to Bucharest, lasting about an hour, was rather uneventful.

Some 45 minutes after landing, I found myself back on the couch in my living room to unwind from what had been a great trip to Satu Mare.

ATR 72-600 TAROM Satu Mare Airport — *Boarding the TAROM ATR 72-600. ©Paliparan*

atr 72 tail — *Tail of the ATR 72-600. ©Paliparan*

*TAROM ATR 72-600 at Satu Mare Airport. ©Paliparan*

ATR 72-600 cabin interior — *The all-economy class cabin of the ATR 72-600. ©Paliparan*

satu mare take-off view — *Satu Mare Airport take-off view. ©Paliparan*

departure view — *View from the plane upon departure. ©Paliparan*

bucharest otopeni airport approach — *Approaching Bucharest Otopeni Airport. ©Paliparan*

bucharest otopeni airport landing view — *Landing at Bucharest Otopeni Airport. ©Paliparan*

bucharest otopeni airport — *Back at Bucharest Otopeni Airport after a fun trip to Satu Mare. ©Paliparan*

Conclusion

Although Satu Mare certainly doesn’t rank among the top places to visit in Romania, the city does have some great museums, a couple of quirky sights, and some hidden charm.

It takes some time to appreciate Satu Mare, as the city centre is quite a hotchpotch, featuring an odd mix of beautiful buildings over a century old alongside unattractive structures from the communist era and the decades that followed.

Yet, even some of those buildings are worth seeing, such as the brutalist Administrative Palace that towers high above the city.

Satu Mare boasts some surprisingly good museums, with both the County Museum and the Art Museum being well worth a visit.

I also really liked the laid-back, youthful vibe of the city, and if you explore around you will find some quality cafés, bars, and restaurants.

If you find yourself in the area and enjoy discovering places off the beaten path, then Satu Mare is well worth a detour.

Koen

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