Clergy's Houses, Timișoara

The names of the houses are given by their owners, as follows:

• 8 Union Square – Johann Szervinatz House;
• 9 Union Square – Nika (Nikola) Koszta House;
• 10 Union Square – Jakob Sorgenfrei House;
• 11 Union Square – Franz Krautwaschl House.

As per tradition, the houses were constructed to accommodate the canons of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cenad, who had relocated to Timișoara.^[1] Reflecting the 18th-century trend for private residences, these homes typically featured a ground floor and an upper floor, with the ground floor serving as commercial space from that time onward.^[2]

Before 1844, all four one-story houses were part of a single building with a unified facade in the Austrian Baroque style. After the siege of 1849, the building was reconstructed in a classicist style.^[3] The ground floor housed several shops and workshops. In 1828, the first house was owned by Johann Szervinatz and hosted the "Three Hussars" tavern, mentioned in 1847, and later a vinegar factory in 1852.^[1] The second building, known as the Nika Koszta House, featured the "Bale of Ardeal" tavern in 1828.^[3] In the last of the four buildings, the Krautwaschl House, the taverns "King of Greece" and "Ostrich" operated during the first half of the 19th century.^[1] Additionally, in the Clergy's Houses, the headquarters of the lawyers' association, the Wiesz store, and the editorial office of the Délmagyarországi Közlöny newspaper were located at the beginning of the 20th century.^[1]

The facades were restored in 1980 according to the plans of architect Șerban Sturdza.^[2]