TOWN HOUSE

The town house was designed in 1907, built 1908/10. but due to works on the interior furnishings it was finally finished in 1912 as an extraordinary example of the synthesis of architecture and art crafts, a monument of one time. This huge building dominates the center of Subotica. In spite of the Art Nouveau wall paintings, the silent rhythm of the masses and the tower with proportions, which make it a consistent accent of the whole, give the City House the dignity of the once administrative core of the city’s entire life, in which it functions today.
It is the first protected monument of secession architecture in the area of ​​Vojvodina with features of Hungarian folklore (the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Novi Sad) brought a court on the City Hall in Subotica in the form of a decision on placing under legal protection as a cultural monument on 14 March 1967. year number 466/66).
In accordance with the purpose of the administrative center, the dominant massif of the Subotica city core, the building has four entrances. The central, ceremonial entrance is marked by a high tower and one lower ragged tower. Functionally designed ground floor, intended for local-city cafes, representative craft and trade shops – which will (by the opinion of designers) provide funds for maintenance of the expensive facility. The layout of the space in the building dictated the very appearance of the building, and the humorousness of the designers gave a harmonious, monumental building. In the sight of the tower (gazebo), the imaginative composition of volume is noticeable, the game surfaces are accentuated by the flickering colors of yellow and ceramic. The four courtyards provide daylight and up to the most common angles, and six verticals (stairs) make this impressive complex very transparent and accessible.
The northern facade with a pronounced corner and central rhizalite with arcade penetrations on the ground floor from which it enters angular locals and a representative ceremonial entrance, introduces a foyer that brings a luxurious staircase into the representative part of the first floor where there are three halls, the Great Hall, the Yellow and the Green Hall, ie. offices for mayors and mayors, today for weddings and less ceremonies. The large dining hall is full of decoration in wood, stucco mortar, as well as rich stained-glass windows, brass lamps and chandeliers. Interior decoration works hard because of its abundance. The original motifs of folklore are not always respected, and some undefined ornamentals of the “Far East” sound fake and spoil the general impression. Especially in the Great Hall, harmony has been damaged by these accents (decoration of the balcony).
The most striking part of this vein is the stained glass on the northern facade, the famous Hungarian stained glass Miksa Rota (Róth Miksa, 1865 -1944) whose signature is in the central window niche with five stained glass. In the side niches to the central left and right are the glasses of Sandor Nađa (Nagy Sándor, 1869-1950), which are considered to be the most precious collections of fine arts from the beginning of the twentieth century. On the side walls were also painted on each side of three portraits of Micah Roth.
A prominent wall is formed with three segment niches, both on the port and the cross-section at the base of the niche. The middle is wider and carries four stained glasses (attention, Emperor Francis Joseph I, Empress Maria Theresa, note). It is alleged that they are the daughters of the mayor of Sandor Purley and Mayor Karol Biro. These four stained glass was made by Miks Rot, representing the rulers of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in their rich clothing. Surfaces are mostly painted to the smallest detail. The division of the stained glass is reduced here to a minimum, mainly at the edge, or only in the contours of the surface. Green and golden tones are prevailing. Left and right are paintings with richer ornamentation and coloration. The left hand holds the shield with the coat of arms of Hungary, and in the left hand a flag flies. Paž, to the right of Maria Theresa also left with a left hand the shield with the coat of arms of the Free Royal City of Mariatereziapolis,Now Subotica (SIGILLUM liberals ET Regiao CIVITATIS MARIA Theresiopolis), and reserves the right flag.
List of stained glass from the left to the right:
Mikša Rot- Hunjadi Janoš, Verbeci Ištvan, Rakoci Ferenc,
(János Hunyadi, István Werböczi, Ferenc Rákóczi),
Sandor Nađ – Arpad, Istvan and Laslo,
(Árpád a Honalapitó, Szent István, Szent László),
Mikša Rot-paž, Franjo Josif I, Maria Theresa, attention,
(attention, I Ferenc József, Mária, Terézia, attention)
Sandor Nađ-Matija Korvin, Lajoš Veliki and Kalman Kenjveš,
(Mátyas Corvin, Nagy Lajos, Könyves Kálmán)
Mikša Rot-Sečenji Ištvan, Deak Ferenc, Kosut Lajoš,
(Szécheny István, Deák Ferencz, Kossuth Lajos).
Interesting is the fate of the stained glass: after the First World War, the change of state stained glass was removed, as well as certain emblems and shields of the ceiling of the Great Hall, all the attributes representing the previous government were removed or prefabbated. In 1968, the stained glass was restored and returned to its place, but without original inscriptions. The restoration was performed by the famous stained-glass workshop “Stanišić” from Sombor. In 2004, the inscriptions of the name in stained glass were returned (Rudolf Mesaroš and Jožef Kovač).
In addition to the impressive stained glass Great hall are two large stained glass windows on each side wall of the foyer, in front of the grand staircase, where they presented an old town house and newly built City Hall, one of the most beautiful stained glass windows. Tokođe, in addition to stained glass is a stone plaque with the names of artists and craftsmen who worked on the construction of the City Hall. On the other hand, the official part of the City Hall as tax offices, bright room with a glazed part of the parties and counters. The ceiling is richly decorated with medallions of crafts. Richly carved and green-colored benches around the columns form one of the most beautiful interiors of the Town Hall. Once a small wooden elevator, at the official entrance, the eighties of the last century was replaced by modern.
In addition to the other materials from which the interior is made, special decorative nobility is built by yellow ceramics, which dominates the festive staircase. The walls of this staircase are covered with dark green shiny and resistant material that contrasts with the light stone of the balustrade. The wall covering of green tiles ends with a circular and frieze type; each square plate represents one craftsman or symbol of a particular craft, made in a shallow relief with eosin metal glaze. The Žolnai Factory also made a multicolored pepper tile for the playground of the Town Hall decorated with decorative white lace and high rosettes in the ridge of the ridge, marking the towers of the towers.
The town house was built as a modern administrative and trading center in which it is still functional today. The ground floor is occupied by retail outlets, while the first and second floors are intended for tax administration and cancellations of other necessary services of the city. Today, the other contents are very important for the city – the City Museum with a permanent exhibition and the thematic hall, the Archive, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, while in the ceremonial part of the building there are offices for the Mayor, with the accompanying municipal services, the Big and Yellow Mansion, and smaller Green Mansion.
Although the building was built at the beginning of the last century, its function today serves the citizens of our city.