The Miercurea Ciuc Palace of Justice (Palatul de Justiție) is a historic courthouse in Miercurea Ciuc, built in 1904 during the Austro-Hungarian period. Designed by Hungarian architect Gyula Wagner in an eclectic architectural style, the building houses the Harghita County Tribunal and the Miercurea Ciuc District Court.
When Miercurea Ciuc became the administrative center of Ciuc County in 1876, the judicial authorities moved from Șumuleu Ciuc into the town. The tribunal initially operated from a room in the town hall before relocating in 1887 to the Lábas House. As the town’s administrative functions expanded, a purpose-built courthouse was commissioned, with Gyula Wagner preparing the plans for both the Palace of Justice and an adjoining prison in 1903. The new courthouse was completed in 1904, and the tribunal moved into the building in 1905.
The imposing building has a tall ground floor, two upper stories, and an attic level. Its richly decorated facade combines rusticated masonry, arched windows and entrances, ornamental columns, balustrades, and window surrounds with floral motifs. Curved pediments inspired by Baroque architecture add further decoration, while the main facade bears the inscription Palatul de Justiție. The former prison forms part of the complex behind the courthouse.
The building has retained its judicial function through successive changes in government and administration. In April 1935, it was the setting for the trial following a peasant uprising in the Ghimeș Valley the previous October. Today, its elaborate exterior and substantial proportions distinguish it among Miercurea Ciuc’s historic public buildings.
