Deschan Palace

Deschan Palace
Deschan Palace
Palatul Deschan
	The southern body of the Deschan Palace
Alternative names	Scherter House
General information
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Location	Timișoara, Romania
Coordinates	45°45′22″N 21°13′52″E / 45.75611°N 21.23111°E
Completed	1735

The Deschan Palace (Romanianized as Dejan), also known as the Scherter House, is a historic building in Timișoara, Romania, built in 1735 in the neoclassical style. The building hosted the first bazaar and the first casino in Timișoara.^[1]

History

The palace was built around 1735 by the de Jean family, originally from France, who received a noble title in 1744 and on this occasion changed their name to Deschan de Hansen.^[2] Johann Anton Deschan von Hansen [de] was a councilor of the Hungarian Court Chamber at the time. He participated in the siege of 1716 under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy and then became an advisor to Governor Florimond de Mercy.^[3] The plot of the palace (about 2,400 m²) was in the 17th–20th centuries the largest plot belonging to a civil owner in the Timișoara Fortress – which reflects the special importance of its owner.^[4] Later, the first bazaar in Timișoara opened in the inner courtyard. For a long time, the building was simply known by the people of Timișoara as the "Bazaar" (Romanian: Bazarul).^[5]

The southern body of the palace was rebuilt and expanded in 1802 (or 1810), where in 1830 the first casino in Timișoara was set up on the first floor.^[4] After the Romanian Revolution, the building was returned and renovated by the current owners. Currently inside it are commercial spaces.^[6]

Architecture

The eastern, northern and western bodies are made in the so-called "provincial baroque" style, with simple facades and windows with "traditional" frames.^[4] The southern body corresponds to the neoclassical style. The ground floor of the southern body is designed as a socle with bossages. On the first and second floors, the main avant-corps is punctuated by semi-columns and pilasters with classic Corinthian capitals. The cornice decorated in a classicist manner is also noteworthy. The gate ends with a basket-handle arch. The inner courtyard has verandas leaning on arches.^[4]