Serbian couple from the village of Kraljevac, Banatska Crna Gora, Romania, 1907. Radivoj Simonović

“I also came to know certain pages of the village Decameron. Girls whose brothers guarded them from every breeze, and who, until marriage, had never taken a scythe, a hoe, or a pitchfork into their hands.

They went to the communal well and carried water back on shoulder yokes, swaying at the waist like caryatids. Their eyes had a dark veil to them, like the color of blue plums covered in dust. They had a cheerful laughter that I still sometimes hear in dreams. They were beautiful, far more beautiful than people in the city imagine.

Only after marriage, through hard labor and miscarriages, that beauty quickly faded, turning those lovely girls into stooped, withered women. Poor nourishment and poverty smothered the song within them. And often, too, the husbands’ slaps, which, in Banat, were not spared.”

The Aula Magna Hall at Universitatea de Vest in Timișoara, Romania, is a notable architectural work constructed between 1964 and 1965. Designed by the architect Hans Fackelmann, the hall reflects his functionalist approach and innovative use of space, blending modernist principles with local influences. The project was recognized with awards from the State Committee for Construction and the Union of Architects, highlighting its significance in Romanian post-war architecture. The building has also drawn public attention for its unique design, with some observers humorously noting its unconventional material choices and collaborative construction process.

Timișoara, Romania - september 2025✨