The Rose Park in Timișoara

The Rose Park is located in the downtown area, next to the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral, representing one of the tourist attractions of Timișoara. Over 10,000 red, pink, white, yellow and purple roses are grouped according to variety, and separated by hedges of buxus.

The Park was landscaped in late nineteenth century by renowned landscape architects, growers and exporters of ornamental plants, Wilhelm Mühle and Wenceslas Franz Niemitz.

The Park was designed in French and English style and was inaugurated on July 19, 1891 upon the Universal Industry and Agricultural Exhibition of Timișoara.

On September 16, 1891, Emperor Franz Josef himself visited this Royal Rose Garden of Timișoara, which drew the town's fame as "town of roses".

Over time, the Park bore different names: Franz Josef Park, the Queen Mary Rosary (Königin-Maria-Rosarium), Rose Garden (Rosengarten), the Culture and Leisure Park, Ștefan Plăvăț Park, and currently it is called the Rose Park.

The Rose Park was remodelled several times, as it was completely destroyed in both world wars.

In 1934, the park covered an area of 25,000 m², which made it the largest rosary in Southeast Europe at the time. The rosary comprised over 1,200 varieties and species of roses, some of which were considered rare or new worldwide.

The summer theatre of Timișoara was built inside the park in the interwar period.

In 1965 the catalogue of rose varieties available in the Rose Park was put together.

The park underwent extensive modernization between 2011 and 2012, when new roses were planted, the number of varieties now being back at over 1,200. Currently, the park is spread over a surface of 37,000 m² and is bordered on its southern side by numerous willows on the banks of the Bega Canal.

If you plan to visit Timișoara, do not miss Rose Park and the famous annual festivals taking place in the summer theatre: the Festival of the Hearts in July, the Opera and Operetta Festival in late August, the local holiday in mid-September.

The Rose Day is celebrated every last Thursday in May of every year.

Text source: https://timisoara.eventya.eu/