Politehnica University Timisoara

The commemoration of Victor Vlad, founder of Politehnica School Timișoara

 
 
The commemoration of Victor Vlad, founder of Politehnica School Timișoara

UPT starts the series of events dedicated to the centenary

26 March 2018

 

 

 

 

 

Politehnica University Timișoara has established a tradition of honoring those who, along the years, contributed to the development of the first higher learning institution in Banat. A part of the aforementioned tradition is the event that took place on Friday, 23rd of March that paid homage to one of the founders of Politehnica School Timișoara, professor, engineer and architect Victor Vlad. The event is the first in the series that celebrates University Politehnica Timișoara’s centennial. This moment was not chosen randomly. Just as the Great Union from 1918 helped found Politehnica School in 1920, nowadays, in the year we celebrate Romania’s centenary in, UPT launched the series of events that celebrates its own 100-year anniversary. The commemoration also included the unveiling of professor Victor Vlad’s bust. Founder and first dean of UPT’s Faculty of Civil Engineering, the professor has made quite an impact in Timișoara through his architectural projects and his involvement in public matters.

On this particular occasion, UPT rector prof. eng. Viorel-Aurel Șerban, Ph. D., introduced the anniversary logo and announced the projects UPT will conduct until the 100-year anniversary. Some of these projects are upgrading 100 laboratories and building 10 new ones, upgrading 100 learning spaces, the inauguration of 10 new objectives, offering 100 grants for young researchers, 100 research grants for master students, 100 research grants for Ph.D. students, establishing 100 new partnerships with research institutes and companies, introducing 10 new study programs (bachelor, master and Ph.D.) in a foreign language – Politehnica International, holding a series of conferences titled ‘The founders of Politehnica School Timișoara’ and another series of conferences titled ‘UPT graduates – exceptional careers’, unveiling a memorial plaque in the UPT Senate Hall, the inauguration of the Pro-memoria Hall, declaring the Architectural Patrimony Days and the Faculty Month (between January-October 2020), the celebration of a century of sports at Politehnica School and the unveiling of the anniversary monograph, the conference and book ‘Politehnica School – 100 years for Timișoara’. Naturally, there will be other surprises as well but they will be revealed at the right time.

Vice-rector of UPT prof. eng. Daniel Dan, Ph.D. has spoken about the life and activity of Victor Vlad, touching some less-known facts. The dean of the Faculty of Architecture and City Planning, prof. architect Ioan Andreescu, Ph.D. spoke about the architect side of Victor Vlad and avout the style he introduced in Timișoara while ÎPS Ioan Selejan, bishop of Banat, insisted on the spiritual side of Victor Vlad’s personality. The conference ended with the unveiling of Victor Vlad’s bust. The sculpture was made by Aurel-Gheorghe Ardeleanu who was also present for the unveiling.

 

About Victor Vlad

Perhaps too little known to the public, professor, architect and engineer Victor Vlad is one of the people who left their mark on Timișoara contributing with his own style to the architectual uniqueness of Timișoara.

Victor Vlad is one of the first professors of the Politehnica School as a stand-in professor and since 1926 as a titular professor, named via royal decree. Beginning as early as 1920, he coordinated the efforts towards founding a faculty of civil engineering and he founded a initiative group for this matter in 1929. Politehnica School’s Professional Improvement Council decides that the foundation of the faculty is a great opportunity but the approval of the Ministry for Education arrives only in the autumn of 1941 (Law Decree no. 3134/11). He became the Dean of this Faculty (1941-1948, 1956-1961). He was the director of the Civil Engineering Department from 1948 until his retirement.

He has taught a multitude of classes such as “Civil Engineering and Construction Processes”, “City and Village Planning”, “Civil, industrial and agricultural buildings”, “Architecture”, “Territorial Organization”. He retired in 1961 and was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor in 1962.

Beside his outstanding teaching activity, Victor Vlad was also involved in the society, contributing to the founding of the sports society of Politehnica School students being its first president in 1920. He supported founding the regional branch of the Romanian Architects’ Union and became its president. He was a founding member of the Banat Crișana Institute, an institute built in 1932 with the purpose of studying western Romania from a scientific point of view.

As an architect and Politehnica person, he conceives alongside the first two rectors the pavilion system of the University campus, starting with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the student dorms known today as MV 1 and MV 2. Alongside Duiliu Marcu he contributed drastically to fulfilling this objective.

Out of the more than 200 projects of architect Victor Vlad, the Administrative Palace in Timișoara (the Prefecture) and the Orthodox churches from the Iosefin and Mehala neighborhoods are worth mentioning. Victor Vlad was the one who came up with the plan for the State Bank Palace in Timișoara, the plan for the State Commerce edifice in Reșița, the cultural hall in Igriș, the student dorms for I.M.F. Timișoara, the plans for a workers’ dorm and a theatre in Reșița, a public bathroom in Caransebeș, the plan and execution of a few blocks of flats in Timișoara. The dominant architectural style is the neoromanian style with a strong modern focus.

 
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
Omagierea lui Victor Vlad, ctitor al Școlii Politehnice timișorene
 
 
 
 
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