UPT Celebrates the Centenary of the University Campus in Timișoara and its Role in the City's Development

UPT Celebrates the Centenary of the University Campus in Timișoara and its Role in the City's Development

November 11 holds a special significance not only for Politehnica University Timisoara but also for the entire city. On November 11, 1920, King Ferdinand signed the Decree founding the Polytechnic School, elevating Timișoara to the status of a Civitas Academica. Three years later, on November 11, 1923, the same monarch inaugurated the first building of the Timișoara Polytechnic School – the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. This building was emblematic, not only for its architectural style but also for the function it served, effectively marking the birth of the Timișoara University Campus. On that occasion, King Ferdinand pronounced the famous phrase that has become the motto of Politehnica University Timișoara – "It is not the walls that make a school, but the spirit that dwells within it."

Timișoara’s transformation into a university city had a direct effect on its growth and appeal for investments of all kinds. It preserved a youthful and innovative spirit while promoting its image as a vanguard of Romanian and European science. Tens of thousands of Politehnica graduates contributed to the industrialization and modernization of the country. The exceptional quality of human resources formed at Politehnica played a decisive role in attracting foreign investors after the regime change in 1989.

In 2020, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of Politehnica University Timișoara, and in 2023, the year in which Timișoara became the European Capital of Culture, we celebrate the Centenary of the Timișoara University Campus. Attention now turns to the impact it has had on what Timișoara and Politehnica are today.

The Days of Politehnica feature a series of events that focus on the 100-year history of the campus, Politehnica's role in the development of the city, the region, and even the country, as well as the future prospects of Politehnica University Timisoara.

Politehnica in Retrospect. An Evening of Reminiscing

To recall what the Timișoara University Campus has meant, the significant moments that have occurred here and how they have defined us in these 100 years, Politehnica University Timisoara is organizing on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, starting at 5:00 PM, in the Multipurpose Hall of the UPT Library, the event 'Politehnica in Retrospect. An Evening of Reminiscing,' during which distinguished individuals who have contributed to the evolution of this educational institution will share stories, experiences, and valuable memories: Gheorghe Ciuhandu, Florin Drăgan, Ioan Carțiș, Viorel-Aurel Șerban, Viorel Coifan, Ion Boldea, Vlad Gaivoronschi, Horia Gligor, Bogdan Puriș, Octavian Stăncioiu. The event will be moderated by the well-known writer Robert Șerban, also a UPT graduate.

'103 for Poli,' the traditional race at the Science Stadium

Politehnica University Timișoara has always been a dedicated promoter and passionate supporter of sports. To reflect the importance that Politehnica University Timișoara has always given to sports since its establishment, several years ago, as part of the celebrations dedicated to the institution's anniversary, a race was initiated where students, teaching staff, and everyone supporting UPT run a number of laps equal to the number of years since the university was founded. On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, between 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM, at the Science Stadium, students, alumni, employees, teaching staff of the university, and partners from the business community will run 103 laps of the stadium. Anyone who wants to celebrate Politehnica University Timișoara and wishes to promote a healthy lifestyle in the spirit of Politehnica, is welcome to the event.

Conferring the Title of Honorary Doctor to Professor Anton Anton

It has become a tradition that, during its anniversary, Politehnica University Timișoara confers the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, the most important distinction an institution of higher education can grant, to prestigious academic personalities, for remarkable achievements in teaching, research, national and international cooperation, including with UPT. The ceremony for conferring the title of Honorary Doctor to Professor Anton Anton will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 1:00 PM, in the Senate Hall at the UPT Rectorate.

Celebrations at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering

Friday, November 10, 2023, is dedicated to celebrating 100 years since the establishment of the Department of Materials Strength within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, which will take place at 10:00 AM in Amphitheater 104 of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, as well as 75 years of Industrial Chemistry in Timișoara, an event scheduled for 11:00 AM at the UPT Conference Center Auditorium.

Exhibition 'one one zero zero one zero zero'

100 years of the UPT Campus (one one zero zero one zero zero - in binary code) represent not only a century of academic excellence but also a moment of paradigm shift, transformation, and adaptation to the digital era. The exhibition 'one one zero zero one zero zero' reflects on the history of the Politehnica University Timișoara campus, highlighting various moments and how the buildings influence the nature of the community and its culture. The participating artists — some of them former UPT graduates — through the works they created for the exhibition, offer new ways of perceiving spaces, interacting with them, and transforming them into places with meaning, laden with symbolic values and cultural resonance. The exhibition is divided into three spaces: the main hall of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (the first building in the complex designed by architect Duiliu Marcu in 1923), dormitory 1 MV, and the ARChA restaurant. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, November 10, at 7:00 PM, and the exhibition can be admired from  November 10, 2023 to February 10, 2024. Artists: Dona Arnakis, Claudiu Cobilanschi, Cosmin Haiaș, Ana Kun & Noemi Hugel, Maria Mandea, George Roșu, Mihai Toth. Important contributions: Radu Radoslav, Peter Jecza, Mimo Obradov. Curator: Mirela Stoeac-Vlăduți.

UPT Campus 100

The central anniversary event will take place on November 11, 2023, starting at 11:00 AM, at ARChA — a heritage building of Politehnica, a recently refurbished space with a cultural, interdisciplinary purpose — where the academic community and all those interested will celebrate the values, principles, and achievements that have marked Politehnica's destiny for over 100 years. Fragments of history will be shared, but also a look towards the future, towards the upcoming challenges, with hope and confidence that Politehnica will always meet expectations.

Muhle Installation

On November 15, 2023, the opening of an installation presenting the Muhle family's history will take place. The greenhouses of this renowned gardening family were near today's UPT campus. Through this installation, the Campus Creativ UPT team reclaims an area of the campus through a process of planting and research, offering a look at the 100-year history, reminding the community of the connection between these two important pillars in Timișoara's history.

30 Years of Translation Studies and Communication at UPT

The Faculty of Communication Sciences will celebrate on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at Casa Politehnicii 2, '30 years of translation studies and communication at UPT.' The study programs currently coordinated by the Faculty of Communication Sciences have their origins in the communication and translation specializations initiated and developed over 30 years at  Politehnica University Timișoara. The transformations recorded in the history of communication and translation specializations at Politehnica University Timișoara demonstrate the institution's capacity to adapt to trends observed in the social economic environment and to meet the need for initial training through university studies for a segment of the public interested in the field of communication sciences and applied modern languages.

100 Years of UPT Campus

It's been 100 years since the Politehnica University Timișoara campus has been a space for dialogue among students, teaching staff, and the city's communities. To mark this special moment and celebrate these years during which it brought change through art, technology, and especially community, the Campus Creativ UPT team has prepared an event fitting for the occasion, taking place on Friday, November 17, 2023, starting at 7:00 PM:

• Screening of a documentary film about the life and history of the UPT campus, directed by Carmen Lidia Vidu.
• Lecture by Anna Rosling Rönnlund, a Swedish designer and data visualization expert, author of the book 'Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think,' making her first appearance in Romania.
• Light installation by architect Dorin Ștefan Adam.
• Mural painting by Lucian Barbu.
• Concept of ambient lighting by Anda Maier.
• Video mapping on the Central Library building of Politehnica University Timișoara by Electronic Resistance.
• Live concert by the band NOBLESSE OBLIGE.