Palatul Administrativ in Satu Mare

The city slogan for the trilingual Transylvanian town of Satu Mare is "More than you think." The town's population is a mix of Germans, Hungarians, and Romanians, and the local architecture boasts some epic Brutalist beauty. The building is still in use, hosting the city council and city hall. 

This prime example of socialist Brutalist architecture in Satu Mare is the Administrative Palace. The building stands a proud 97 meters tall in the center of the Transylvanian town of Satu Mare. From the top you can see all the way to Hungary.

The three smaller towers alongside the high tower are meant to represent the three cultures of Satu Mare: the Romanians, the Hungarians, and the Germans. The high tower itself is meant to represent their unity.

It was designed by architect Nicolae Porumbescu and he was assisted by local Ludovic Gyüre. About 1,000 construction workers worked on it for over a decade between 1972 and 1984. For a short while, the Administrative Palace was the tallest building in Romania, and it remains the highest building in the region.