Budapest council to sell three castles and 69 other real estates?

Based on pro-government media reports, Gergely Karácsony, the lord mayor of Budapest, would like to sell three castles owned by the local government of the Hungarian capital. The castles of Tokod, Kéthely, and Szőlőskert, qualified as protected monuments, can be sold this year. The leadership of the city hopes that they will get HUF 8.2 billion (EUR 22.27 million) for the 72 real estates they would like to sell.

According to Metropol.hu, the Budapest Fővárosi Vagyonkezelő Központ Zrt. (BFVK Zrt.), a real estate management company in Budapest, would like to sell 43 buildings, among which there are three small castles and two school buildings. The total number of real estates they would like to sell is 72, from which they hope to get HUF 8.2 bn (EUR 22.27 mn).

Metropol.hu, a pro-government media outlet, says that the previous, Fidesz-leadership of Budapest wanted to find long-term (50-100 years) tenants for the castles, allowing them to renew the buildings and run them as hotels or conference centres. The paper says that the left-liberal leadership before the Fidesz era wanted to sell them as well. However, they could not find a buyer for years.

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Members of the editorial staff of Ripost7, another pro-government media outlet, visited the three castles. All of them are in a deteriorating condition, and only one of them is guarded. 

The Hunyadi Castle in Kéthely (near Marcali, in Somogy County) does not look as bad in the photo of Google Street View (below). However, according to Ripost, nobody protects it, so everybody can get into its park through the holey walls. That is why the building is almost empty.

The castle of Kéthely. Source: Google Street View

The task is not easy neither for a tenant nor for a new owner because all castles are protected monuments. Therefore, they have to prevent the building from becoming a ruin, and they can only renew them following the relevant regulations. Therefore, those who would like to buy them have to spend a considerable amount of money not only on the real estate, but also on maintenance.

Metropol.hu writes that the Hunyadi family built the castle of Kéthely originally in a Baroque style in 1760 but modified it many times until 1920. In 1951, the state renovated the building, and it functioned as a retirement home.

Land area: 116,583 m²

Castle area: 3,668 m²

The Sajnovics castle in Tordas (Fejér County) was erected in the 17th century, and even George VI visited it in the 1930s. After WWII, it was the training camp of the Hungarian Golden Team. It has been empty since 2006.

Land area: 33,702 m² forest and 20,443 m² castle garden.

Castle area: 2,517 m²

The Jankovich castle in Szőlősgyörök was built in 1752 in a Baroque style, and in 1853-1854, a Romantic-style part was attached to it. It has been empty for 15 years, and in its beautiful park, there is a 120 m² church.

Land area: 17 hectares of English park

Castle area: 1,263 m²

Church: 120 m²

Source: metropol.hu