architecture

The story of Hungary’s tallest building

Hungary has several beautiful buildings including historical ones like the Buda Castle, the Castle of Gödöllő and the Firewatch Tower in Sopron. The country will also get new buildings which will shape Budapest’s look in the future. These projects are, for example, the Mol Tower, Puskás Ferenc Stadium and the Museum of Ethnography. Among our historical buildings, there is one which used to be Europe’s tallest one in the 20th century but is still the tallest in Hungary.

History

The Lakihegy Tower is a radio mast in the Hungarian town of Szigetszentmiklós (Pest County). The Blaw-Know-designed mast (the company which was a manufacturer of steel structures and construction equipment based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was built in 1933 and was the tallest structure in Europe at the time. The mast was built up to provide broadcast coverage for Hungary and to transmit radio station Budapest I which operated until 1977.

Hungary had several radio masts across the country as early as the 1910s and 1920s, but these structures were not enough to provide excellent radio broadcast. The idea and the perfect location of Lakihegy Tower were born somewhere in the 1920s. The mast’s structure was designed in the United States and took four years. Hungarian architect Pál Tantó transformed the plans to be suitable, with the natural features of Csepel Island taken into consideration (the type of ground, the strength of the wind, etc.). Finally, the construction of the mast started on the 1st of July 1933 which was overseen by Hungarian architect Károly Massányi.

Lakihegy Tower was presented to the public on the 2nd of December 1933. Former Hungarian president Gyula Gömbös’s speech on the opening ceremony was the first broadcast of the radio mast, on the radio station Budapest I. With a 120kW transmitter, the radio mast became the most modern one not only in Hungary but also on the continent. It also became the Hungarian Radio Corporation’s symbol.

Lakihegy Tower, building, architecture, radio, mast — Photo: Fortepan (Wikimedia Commons)

Like many buildings, Lakihegy Tower also had to face the consequences of World War II. On the 30th of November 1944, the mast was exploded by retreating German troops. The radio mast broke and collapsed. The cleaning of the ruins started in January of 1945 and, after a full reconstruction, the mast continued to operate in the same year, on the 15th of September.

In 1977, Budapest I radio station finished its broadcast, and Lakihegy Tower started to broadcast the programme of the Solti Radio Station, and the mast only served as a store mast in the country. Because of its store function, architects even considered to demote the tower at the beginning of the 1980s, but their plan caused controversy among private individuals and social associations.

In 1985, Lakihegy Tower became a national monument. In 2006, the tower was reconstructed and started to operate again. Nowadays, it remains to be the Solti Radio Station’s store mast.

Structure

The mast is 314 meters tall and weighs 280 tonnes. Its vertical position is provided by eight 220-meter-long metal ropes located around the mast in a circle. Each rope’s end is 178 meters away from the tower and attached to a concrete block. One concrete block weighs 88 tonnes and provides 70 tonnes of expansibility for each rope.

The most interesting and unique part of the mast is its base. Only two half-circle-formed iron structures hold the massive 280-tonne Lakihegy Tower which is the most famous feature of the mast and is unique in the world.

Interesting fact that the tower is also used for the training of high scalers. Climbing the tower takes approximately two hours.

In Europe, there are similar radio masts in Lisnagarvey, Northern Ireland; Riga, Latvia; Vakarel, Bulgaria and in Stara Zagara, Bulgaria.

There are two smaller mast radiators for mediumwave at Lakihegy. They are, like the Lakihegy Tower, insulated against ground, but smaller and of conventional construction type.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons by Joliet Jake

January 5, 2019

Four places in Budapest you cannot see anymore

Budapest is famous for its architecture. We can find several buildings which commemorate the old city’s look back in the past of the Hungarian capital. Unfortunately, many buildings did not survive the historical events of the past decades and disappeared off the ground. We can only recall these buildings from pictures and archive shootings.

Szeretlek Magyarország collected four places in Budapest which used to exist in the Hungarian capital.

Tabán

Tabán usually refers to an area within the 1st District of Budapest (Buda Castle). In the 1900s, it was the most populated part of the Hungarian capital. Today, only a few buildings commemorate this old district and the valley between Gelllért Hill and Nap Hill. This romantic area with long and narrow streets, restaurants and little houses was Hungarian writer Gyula Krúdy‘ favourite part of the city.

From the beginning of the 20th century, Tabán was affected by serious diseases because of the lack of a sewer system in the district. The government planned to rebuild the district and make it a new part of the city, but by the time construction could start, World War II broke out. Budapest lost a truly romantic district of the past.

Watch the video and step back in time to the 1930s:

National Theatre

The old National Theatre on Blaha Lujza Square was exploded in 1964. This is an event which still causes bad feelings in people because many of them had the opportunity to watch theatrical plays in the theatre for years and saw legendary Hungarian actors and actresses. Although the city got its new National Theatre, people still miss the old one which was one of the most spectacular ones in the city.

The old National Theatre was opened in 1908. Legendary Hungarian actors and actresses played in several plays, including Gizi Bajor, Lujza Blaha, Mari Jászai, Sándor Hevesi and Árpád Ódry.

In the 1960s, the construction of metro line two began, and the government decided to have the building exploded. Their other reason was the theatre’s bad condition.

Many people believe that the government wanted to get rid of one of the main centres of Hungarian culture in the middle of the Soviet regime.

National Theatre, old, building — Photo: Fortepan (Wikimedia Commons)

National Theatre, theatre, building — Photo: Fortepan (Wikimedia Commons)

National Theatre, building, architecture — Photo: Fortepan (Wikimedia Commons)

Lovi (Kincsem Park)

People visit Arena Mall with mixed feelings. Before fast food restaurants, a cinema and different shops, it was the place of Budapest’s iconic horse racing venue. This famous venue kept its fame during the 20th century, and even the war did not affect its operation. The venue was also a well-known place for celebrating New Year’s Eve until 2008. This was the venue where the world-famous Hungarian racehorse Overdose could be seen racing.

Another monumental event was in August 2009 when American singer and pop icon Madonna performed in Kincsem Park for the first time.

Kincsem Park, horse, racing, venue — *Photo: Fortepan (Wikimedia Commons)*

Millennium Industrial Hall (Petőfi Hall)

This hall was built in 1885 and is located in City Park. The enormous Neo-Renaissance building with a dome was truly a spectacular building in Budapest. It also had a magnificent entrance with iron glass decorations. Today, a Gallery commemorates this iconic building. Petőfi Csarnok usually gives place to different kinds of events and exhibitions.

Petőfi Hall, building, city park — *Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Christo*

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons

January 3, 2019

5 legendary Hungarian athletes

We tend to say Hungarians are good at everything. A little bit of this, a little bit of that – the famous Hungarian ingenuity. Joking aside, we could say we have many talented people in various fields. This is true of athletes competing in many types of sports; we have a bunch of professionals to be proud of. The list is so long it would not fit one article, so I tried to choose five of the most legendary figures. Let’s take a look at them.

Ferenc Puskás (1927-2006), Football

sportsman, football — *Photo: Wikimedia Commons*

If you say “Puskás” in any part of the world, people will immediately reckon who he is, but this is the first word almost everyone says when you tell them you are Hungarian. Puskás “Öcsi” is surely the number one football player of Hungarian football, an Olympic Champion and Silver medalist of the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland with the famous Golden Team. He played for Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid during his club career, winning almost everything that was possible at that time, making him one of the most decorated players not just in Hungary but in the world as well:

5 Hungarian League and 5 Spanish League titles, 1 Spanish Cup title, 3 UEFA European Champion Clubs’ Cups.

And who could forget his famous pullback trick goal in Hungary’s 6-3 win over England at Wembley in 1952? See it from 2:40 in the summary of the “match of the century” below:

Unfortunately, he had to emigrate after the revolution of 1956 failed. He was seen as a deserter for a long time, it was even forbidden to say his name publicly, and he could only come home in 1981. His nickname was “Pancho” in Spain, but Hungarians called him “the Galloping Major” as he earned that rank during his service in the military. He died at the age of 79 in 2006.

Alfréd Hajós (1878-1955), Swimming/Football

swimmer, football, athlete — *Photo: Wikimedia Commons*

He is one of the most versatile personalities of Hungarian athletes: he was a swimmer, a football player, a trainer, a referee and he even worked as an architect. The press called him “the Hungarian dolphin”. He swam between 1894 and 1896. He took part in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

He won both the 100 m and the 1200 m freestyle, thus winning the first and second Olympic gold medals of Hungary.

As a football player, he signed for Budapest TC in 1898 and played there until 1904, winning two Hungarian Leagues (1901, 1902). After finishing his university studies at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, he worked as an architect and opened his own office in 1907. He was quite successful in his profession as well, winning an Ybl Miklós Award and a silver medal in architecture at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He died in 1955.

Krisztina Egerszegi (1974-), Swimming

swimmer, athlete — Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Egerszegi, or “Egér”, as everyone calls her, is a five-time Olympic Champion and multiple time European and World Champion swimmer. She became the youngest Olympic Champion at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games at the age of 14. That win in 200 m backstroke is one of the dearest victories in the history of Hungarian swimming.

She did not stop there and won four more Olympic golds: three in 1992 in Barcelona (200 m backstroke, 100 m backstroke, 400 m medley) and one in 1996, Atlanta (100 m backstroke). Egerszegi also won a silver in Seoul (100 m backstroke) and a bronze in Atlanta (400 m medley). She was the second of only three swimmers to win a gold for the same event in three consecutive Olympics. The other two are called Dawn Fraser and Michael Phelps.

She held many records both internationally and in Hungary as well. The best time for the 200 m backstroke was the oldest European record until 1 August 2009 when Russian swimmer Anastasia Zuyeva broke it at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships. She set up the Olympic 200 m backstroke record in 1988, but she improved it in 1992. This record was broken by Kirsty Coventry in 2008 in Beijing.

Kornél Dávid (1971-), Basketball

basketball, hungarian, player — *Photo: facebook.com/nba1hu*

He is the first and only Hungarian basketball player to play in the NBA. He had 127 appearances in the Hungarian international team, and now he is the chairman of his former Hungarian club, Alba Regia. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1997, but was loaned out to the CBA side Rockford Lightning and then to Alba Székesfehérvár (now Alba Regia). He won the Hungarian Championship with them in 1998. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons as well. He moved back to Europe with 109 NBA matches behind his back, but he was a starter only 11 times with a 5-point-average and 2.8 rebounds/game.

After coming back to Europe, he played in France, Lithuania and Spain as well. He played a crucial role in TAU Ceramica’s second place in the Euroleague. After retiring in 2008, he was appointed as the head of the international scouts at Phoenix Suns.

László Papp (1926-2003), Professional Boxer

boxer, famous, youth — *Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Bálint Urbán/Fortepan*

He is one of the most famous boxers around the globe. Papp won three Olympic gold medals (London 1948, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956) in middle and light-middleweight.

Even though he was neither black nor American and not even heavyweight, he is still considered as one of the best boxers in the world, alongside Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Joe Louis and Iron Mike Tyson. Unfortunately, he could not fight for the world championship title due to political reasons, but he could win the European championship title. He fought as a professional 29 times from 1957 and won 27 times and tied twice, which means he remained unbeaten.

Fun fact: Hungarian international football players Ferenc Puskás and László Kubala paid the unemployed Castilians to cheer for him at his 1963 match in Madrid where he defended his European Championship title. When the Budapest Arena was built, they named it after Papp. The arena is the biggest closed sports venue in Hungary, the location of many cultural and sports events as well.

He died after a long illness in 2003.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/puskas.legenda

January 2, 2019

Secrets of the 100-year-old Gellért Hotel – what’s underneath it?

Gellért Hill, together with the Liberty Statue and the Citadella on top, is a sight not to be missed by tourists visiting Hungary. The Hotel Gellért has an imposing presence at the bottom of the hill, and even though locals might think there is nothing new we can say about that area, let me assure you that this article contains some pretty unique and interesting information, so it is a perfect read for tourists and locals alike.

The history of the area

Today, it is hard to imagine that the hill was once covered by a vineyard. However, the street names and the fact that there is a statue of Saint Vincent, patron of winemakers, behind Gellért Baths, are all proof of this – reports Origo. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why, from the 17th century on, the hill was considered to be the meeting point of witches. There are references to the witches of Gellért Hill in both court cases and poems of the time.

The Citadella has become an important symbol of the Buda Hills. Well, how many of you knew that there used to be an observatory in its place?

It was officially opened in 1815, with the Austrian emperor, the Russian tsar and the Prussian king all present for the ceremony.

observatory, uraniea, gellért hill — *Plans of the observatory*
*Photo: wikipedia.org*

The building was the scene of important research, but it was significant in determining the correct time, too, as all the clocks of the town, all clock towers and pocket watches, were based on the observatory’s bell. The observatory operated until 1849; however, it was severely damaged during the uprising. A few years later, they built the Citadella in its place.

Hungary is famous for the many hot springs and the thermal water supplies of the country. The area around the present Hotel Gellért has been especially significant throughout history.

There are sources saying the waters were used for healing as early as in the 13th century, and during the Turkish occupation, the water and mud from the springs were used to treat at least eight different kinds of ailments.

The construction of the current building of the Gellért Baths started in 1911 but was finished only in 1918 due to the First World War. So, the building celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

What is underneath it?

First of all, there is a tunnel running 1000 meters underneath the building. It was established between 1969 and 1978, in the hopes that they could get to the hidden streams of the Danube and thus supply additional water for the baths since they discovered in the ’60s that the original spring probably gets mixed into the river. The tunnel connects Gellért Baths to the Rudas and Rác baths. Over the years, there were attempts to make use of the tunnel.

There were plans to open a tropical plant collection here, with cafés and confectionaries set up by opening up the sides of the tunnel which would thus overlook the Danube.

Or, at one point in time, it was supposed to be an air-raid shelter.

*Gellért Baths today, Photo: gellertbath.hu*

The original spring supplying the thermal baths until the 20th century can be found about 20 metres below the Buda opening of the Liberty Bridge. It used to be above ground; however, when the bridge was built, the quay needed to be raised, causing the spring to end up underground. Today, the baths are supplied by two other springs whose water does not get mixed with the water of the Danube. The springs are 43-degrees hot and get cooled to 35-40 degrees before being delivered to the baths.

A glorious past

In the 20th century, especially in the ’20s, the Gellért Baths was an important scene of social life. Besides the famous Hungarian actors and writers visiting it, people came from abroad as well. European princes, Indian maharajas and world-renown artists were all guests of the famous bath in Budapest.

plane, danube — *Seaplane station*
*Photo: fortepan.hu/*

In fact, some guests arrived by plane, as there used to be a seaplane station on the river right outside Gellért Baths. However, it was economically not successful, so it only operated until 1926. Today, only a memorial plaque on the side of the quay reminds us of this spectacular moment in history.

In 1896, for the Millennium, a sort of party district opened on the shore of the late Lake Lágymányosi; the biggest one in Europe, in fact.

It was advertised as Constantinople in Budapest, and it had a real Eastern atmosphere, with all sorts of bazaars, minarets and Turkish cafés built in the area.

Business went very well, until the mosquitos living by the lake chased all the guests away, and, by the end of the summer, the initiative failed, and the lake gradually got filled up.

Until March 3rd, you can visit an exhibition in the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism, focusing on the 100-year-old Hotel Gellért, click here for details.

For more news, check out this article about the most beautiful castles of Hungary, and this one about the best forts in Hungary.

January 1, 2019

PM Orbán soon moves into luxurious office – Photo Gallery

The historical Karmelita Monastery at Buda Castle will soon get a new function in the future. It is going to be Viktor Orbán’s brand new workplace where he will continue to lead the country from January, along with his personal staff as well.

According to Magyar Idők, the office mostly has a puritan style, and some rooms have a size equal to Medieval monk cells’. It has been reported that, although the monastery is old, it has been reconstructed and got a new heating system and an elevator as well.

Every room has all the necessary equipment the prime minister and other politicians need during their visit or stay.

Boardrooms can be found in the northern part of the monastery where the monks’ main rooms used to be. The government’s meeting room is in the same place where monks used to eat and cook their meals. The building also has smaller boardrooms, offices and a small kitchen.

Outside, nothing has been changed, except the fact that the building got a new balcony from where you can see the River Danube.

Hungarian architect Gábor Zoboki oversaw the reconstruction works and had to find the balance between keeping the 18th-century building’s historical style and value and build the prime minister’s new office.

prime minister, office, new — Photo: Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister

prime minister, new, office — Photo: Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister

Featured image: Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister

December 28, 2018

Budapest Liget Project to continue next year

Several construction projects will be completed with new ones getting under way in City Park under the Liget Budapest Project next year, the director-general of the project company told MTI in an interview on Thursday.

Describing the project which will transform City Park into a museum quarter, Benedek Gyorgyevics noted the completion of the National Museum Restoration and Storage Centre (OMRRK).

The complex will provide world-class art storage warehouses and conservation-restoration facilities covering a total area of almost 37,000 square metres.

He further noted the completion of the Olof Palme House‘s restoration in the first half of the year and the complex’s reopening with exhibitions presenting “The First Golden Age of Budapest and the City Park”.

The construction of the House of Hungarian Innovations, “one of the Liget‘s most exciting elements”, will at the same time begin, Gyorgyevics said.

He said work on building a New National Gallery will also get under way and called the possibility to work on the gallery’s design with world-class architect firm SANAA “an outstanding opportunity”.

Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk/

December 27, 2018

Norwegian architect invites Hungarians to design a metro station in Oslo

Sporaarchitects earned international fame thanks to their design of two Metro line M4 stations in Budapest (Fővám Square and Szent Gellért Square) which were both acknowledged by the best architects of the world. Now they were invited by a Norwegian architecture office to design one for them as well, although it will most probably stay only a plan for a while.

Building a metro line is never an easy task: it took 42 years from the designing phase to the realisation of M4, but it was still not the longest wait in the history of subways. According to Forbes, Oslo plans to add two more to its existing five lines; this would not sound that interesting, but the fact that the new line number six is waiting to be built

since 1917 makes it a rather eyebrow-raising plan.

This means the idea is so old that Olso was known as Kristina at that time. This line will travel 11 kilometres in 12 minutes from the peninsula of Fornebu where it will join the common tunnel of the other metro lines. This area is not too frequented at the moment but, thanks to the enormous investments, it will turn into a densely populated area of Oslo.

The Norwegian-Hungarian team applied for the station of Skøyen, and finished 2nd in the competition, hence it is almost sure their plans will not be realised, but Ádám Hatvani, the co-founder of Sporaarchitects, claims they will carry these ideas forward to one of their other designs. The Hungarian team was invited by Tor O. Austigard (Austigard Arkitektur), and they created the design together.

On the one hand, they referred to the continuous flow of people with the arches while, on the other hand, they wanted to express the Norwegian landscape, the fjords and the waves of the coastline as well as the expressive paintings of Edvard Munch who lived and painted nearby.

To construct them, they would have used Norwegian pines; Tor insisted on using this material,

claims Ádám Hatvani. The other great idea of the design is the enclosure of nature in the rigid, artificial space of concrete walls. Two-thirds of the city is made up of woods, lakes and groves, but this will be erased due to the construction. They intended to retain some of it by opening the ceiling of Skøyen.

This method would let light coming from low angles in – especially in the morning and early at night – and partly the rain as well, but no one would get soaking wet on the platforms. People could see the change of the weather, and the plants would not require any care either. The ceiling would be covered with 80cm of soil, so a new generation of redwoods would not grow there, but it would be perfectly enough for the typical Norwegian mountain pines. It was also a requirement to plant a B+R bike rack for 1000 bicycles at every station, which would have been installed in the headroom of Sporaarchitects’ and Austigard Arkitektur’s design.

Have you heard about the recent successes of Hungarian architects at the International Property Awards? If not, then make sure to check out the superb designs of Moscow’s new quarter and the New Ethnographic Museum.

Featured Image: facebook.com/sporaarchitects/

December 22, 2018

CNN: Buildings that will shape Budapest’s look in the future

The architecture of Budapest is not only rich in different styles but magnificent and beautiful as well. A big part of the capital city got is form and buildings in the 19th century when major developments transformed Budapest into Hungary’s biggest city.

Unfortunately, Budapest skyline largely remained the same after these developments and the historical events of the 20th century (World War II, Revolution and uprising in 1956 and the Socialist era).

“It has been brought up that the changing systems cannot be seen architecturally in the city. This means that certain iconic contemporary buildings are missing.” – said Andor Wesselényi-Garay, an architect and professor at Budapest Metropolitan University.

Over the past few years, Budapest’s architecture to take on a new lease of life and beautiful new buildings started to grow in the Hungarian capital city. Luckily, a huge number of different kind of architectural projects are currently under construction.

CNN collected seven new and upcoming structures that will transform the city in the coming years.

MOL Tower

Budapest is a city without skyscrapers, and the Hungarian government even banned buildings over 90 metres. Although they still made an exception, which is the 120 metres high MOL Tower on the south side of the city. The tower will include indoor greenery, with trees planted in the atrium on the ground floor, sky gardens on every floor, and a public garden on the building’s roof. It will act as a business space for the Hungarian oil and gas company, the MOL Group. It is estimated to be ready by 2021.

Central European University

CEU announced not so long ago that they move to Vienna as the Hungarian government refused to sign the agreement in favour of keeping the university in Budapest. This is a topic everyone is talking about. A lesser-known topic might be that the building of the Central European University has been named one of the four finalists for the prestigious RIBA International Prize.

CEU, building, architecture — Photo: www.facebook.com/ceuhungary

The Museum of Ethnography

Budapest’s most anticipated project is the Museum of Ethnography in the City Park. With a grass-covered roof that slopes into the ground, the building is meant to illustrate the harmony between urban and natural landscapes. The museum is estimated to be opened in 2020 and it is planned to operate as a community space as well.

The Balna Building (The Whale)

The most exciting thing while designing a new building is to mix the elements of old and modern architecture. This is what the Dutch architect Kas Oosterhuis did with the glass Balna Building, a commercial space and event venue that sits along the Danube. It was opened in 2013.

Bálna, building, Budapest — Photo: www.facebook.com/balnabudapest

The new Puskás Ferenc Stadium

The original and first Puskás Ferenc Stadium (People’s Stadium) was opened in 1953. Now construction is underway for a new Puskás Ferenc Stadium, which will open in 2019 when Budapest will serve as one of the host cities of the 2020 European Cup. With modernist, minimalistic curves and the capacity to hold more than 68,000 people, the new stadium will also include several references to the former stadium.

Puskás Stadium, new, building — Photo: www.facebook.com/UjPuskas

Metro Line 4

Budapest is famous for the European continent’s first underground, the Millenium Underground, which was built in 1895. The Hungarian capital’s newest underground line was opened in 2014 and earned international recognition. For example, earlier this year, the Hungarian architecture firm Palatium Studio’s stations for the underground line won a Royal Institute of British Architects Award for International Excellence. This is Budapest’s only driverless public transport line.

metro 4, station, underground — Photo: Wikimedia Commons – Ralf Roletschek: Fahrradtechnik und Fotografie

Millennial Cultural Centre

This cultural centre in Budapest consists of two buildings: the National Theatre of Hungary and the Hungarian Palace of Arts. Although these buildings may not be the most architecturally daring, they remain significant as Budapest’s first high-profile, modern buildings in the 21st century. The National Theatre was opened in 2002 while the Palace of Arts in 2005.

building, theatre — National Theatre (Wikimedia Commony by Andor Elekes Derzsi)

müpa, building — Palace of Arts (Wikimedia Commony by József Rozsnyai)

MÜPA, buildings, night, budapest — Wikimedia Commons by Tamás Thaler

Featured image: www.facebook.com/miligetunk

December 22, 2018

Hungary’s first smart apartment house is being installed

smart home, intelligent, future, technology

A Hungarian startup company, called Chameleon, will soon start to install Hungary’s first smart apartment block in Szeged (Csongrád County). The apartment block is going to have 54 flats and a unique and futuristic computer system which is going to make it the smartest building in Hungary.

According to uzletresz.hu, the apartment house in Szeged won financial support in the campaign of OTP Bank to be installed with a smart-system. This means that a complex computer system will control the apartment’s heating, cooling and electricity system and even the operation of the security system and the audiovisual devices in the apartment.

Architectures reported that this new system is the only one in Hungary which can control separate systems in one platform. For example, if someone rings our doorbell, our mobile phone will get a notification, and we can see who came to visit us. The house’s safety is already secured by eight security cameras.

The company would also like to install an IP network system, which means that residents of this apartment could use one Wifi in the apartment, and not only in their flats but in the house’s garden as well. This new Internet system will be useful in the future to set up a solar energy system for the apartment. Residents would get notified if there was something wrong with the system through this IP network. The solar energy system would provide energy for the security cameras and the doorbells.

This is not the only smart thing in Hungary. For example, Hungary’s first smart road will allow drivers to drive safely during the winter months. You can take a nice nap and relax on Budapest’s first solar-powered smart bench, but you can also examine the Hungarian capital’s first smart lamp. Last but not least, we will soon have the opportunity to go shopping in Hungary’s first smart mall.

December 19, 2018

Environmentally friendly kindergarten to be built in Budapest

nursery school, kindergarten, institution, architecture

A significant development will take place in District two of Budapest. This modern institution would like to decrease the lack of kindergartens in the Hungarian capital, and also would like to offer environmentally friendly methods to protect nature.

According to magyarepitok.hu, the district’s local government would like to build this new institution from the financial support of the European Union, which is approximately 400 million Hungarian Forints (1,200,000 Euros), but the estimated amount will be the double of the original sum. Investors and architects reported that the kindergarten would be 1,167 square metres big.

This district is the most popular one among families. The number of children who are applied to kindergartens increases rapidly every year and there are not enough institutions in the district. Although the government expanded the institutions’ space, it is still not enough and improvements are constantly needed.

The place for this new kindergarten is provided by the district’s local government and its maintenance will be cheaper than that of other regular nursery schools’.

This brand new institution will be environmentally friendly, as it would use solar energy to produce electricity and rainwater to create fresh water. The building would also have a cellar and one floor, as well.

The location of this institution is favourable as it would be built next to a sports centre and a swimming pool. These institutions will cooperate with this nursery school and provide sports facilities and physical education classes for children.

kindergarten, architecture, plan, institution — Photo: www.dns-muterem.hu

Featured image: www.dns-muterem.hu

December 14, 2018

International Property Awards: new building of Budapest Zoo wins Best Leisure Architecture of Europe award

Pannonia Park Biodome, the new building of Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, was awarded the Best Leisure Architecture of Europe at this year’s International Property Award

The building will serve as a social area with a subtropical climate and it will be populated with animals and plants reviving the ancient flora and fauna of the Carpathian basin, Index claims referring to the announcement of Paulinyi-Reith & Partners, the designer of the new unit.

„The Biodome is a piece of ancient wildlife migrated to the city. With its mild arches this artificial hill perfectly bends into its environment. Creeper plants will cover it on foothill level, while the roof of the building will be mostly light-transmitting,”

says the announcement. The 1.7-hectare biodome is only a part of the 5-hectare area of Pannon Park, highlights Budapest Zoo on its website. The average height of the building will be 17 m, while its highest point will be only 36 m – in comparison, the Great rock is 34 m high without the lightning conductor on the top of it. The construction will be carried out by Market Építő Ltd.

„Visitors will be able to view the animals walking through the paths, but there will be a more adventurous option as well, since there will be a winding little river under the dome, where they row a boat while discovering the wildlife,”

states the zoo, which will have a new aquarium as well. Take a look at their designes in our gallery:

This was not the only success at the International Property Awards as another Hungarian building, namely, the all-new Ethnographic Museum has been chosen the best public service architecture first in Europe and then in the world as well. This was the first time during the 25-year history of the award that a Hungarian building won its category.

Featured Image: Paulinyi-Reith & Partners

December 8, 2018

Hungarian architects design award winning new quarter in Moscow

After the success of the new Ethnographic Museum and the Pannon Park Biodome, the plans of Group Dryer were awarded, too, at the International Property Awards.

It has been all over the news for days that the blueprint of the new Ethnographic Museum was awarded the best in Europe and then the best in the world. Two days later, it turned out that the Pannon Park Biodome won in its category as well, and now, as Index referred to Építészfórum, another Hungarian nominee celebrates victory at the International Property Award as the plans of Group Dryer take home the Best Residential High-rise Architecture award.

“The dream of every architect is to work with such a client who also prefers quality. When this simple but rare occasion comes, you can sense at the very beginning of the creative process that the new building will be special,”

says Tamás Deilinger, lead designer.

Prime Park will be a new quarter of Moscow, constructed in accordance with the plans of the Hungarian group (Philip Ball, Tamás Deilinger, Balázs Domokos). It is a similar expansion to BudaPart in Hungary, although it will have a smaller footprint and higher buildings – the highest residential will be 150 m.

“It was an honour to design such a unique building complex. Taking its scales into consideration, the whole construction required a different vision. However, one thing was sure from the very beginning: we are not just planning buildings but defining a new lifestyle.”

states Balázs Domokos, the lead designer.

They will build flats with one, two and three rooms on 310 m². Of course, there will be luxurious penthouses with a marvellous view from the top, to the legendary Seven Sisters skyscrapers, among others.

Featured Image: groupdryer.com

December 8, 2018

New Ethnographic Museum design receives gong at International Property Awards

The design for Hungary’s new Ethnographic Museum, part of the Liget Project in Budapest, has been awarded the prize for the best public service architecture in Europe at the International Property Awards held in London.

The award was presented on Monday evening to Benedek Gyorgyevics, Managing Director of Városliget Zrt, which is responsible for implementing Liget Budapest.

Judged by the world’s top eighty international experts, the award was an important recognition of a public investment, Gyorgyevich said.

The prize, he added, is a commendation not only of Hungarian architecture but of Hungarian innovation and culture, too.

The new Ethnographic Museum, designed by architecture firm NAPUR, will be located in Budapest’s Liget, one of the oldest public parks in Europe.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/LigetBudapest

December 4, 2018

The history of Christmas fairs and Vörösmarty Square – Photos

Europe’s most beautiful Christmas fair in Budapest is held at Vörösmarty Square every year since 1998. This unique and spectacular fair attracts approximately 800 thousand tourists from November until the beginning of January. Usually, the quality products (ornaments, traditional Christmas foods, cakes, sweets and drinks) are being displayed and can be purchased at the market from 120 different craftsmen. It is truly a spectacular event. But how much do you know about the origin of Christmas fairs and the history of Budapest’s most famous and beautiful square?

In 1296, Albert I of the Habsburg House gave the opportunity to craftsmen in Vienna to organise a fair in December where they could sell their products to the public. During the 16th century, the name of these fairs became Thomasmartk which was held usually between the period of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Besides the craftsmen’s products, they also started to sell different kinds of traditional Christmas cakes, sweets and drinks. After 200 years, the name of the fairs changed to Saint Nicholas Fair. The tradition of holding this kind of fairs became permanent at around this time. People really liked these fairs not only because they could enjoy its atmosphere but also because they could buy food during the harsh winter season. The name ‘Christmas Fair’ was coined in the 18th century. In the next decade, the tradition of organising Christmas fairs became known and popular on the entire European continent.

fair, christmas, Germany — *Christmas Fair in Frankfurt, 1876 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)*

Hungary also took up this habit and started to organise different kinds of Christmas fairs, although it was forbidden during the Socialist era. The most famous one is held every year at Vörösmarty Square since 1998.

Vörösmarty Square is an important part of the Hungarian capital city. It was built in 1812, and its first name was Theatro Piatcza. Theatro comes from the fact that, in the 19th century, there was a theatre on the square. From 1830 on, the square had many different names: Játékszín Square (also a reference to the theatre), Promenade Square, German Theatre Square, Theatre Square and Old Theatre Square. In 1874, the square took up the name Gisella, who was the second daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph, then, in 1918, it briefly became Mihály Károlyi Square, who was a Hungarian president (1918-1919) after World War I.

In 1926, the square got its final name from Mihály Vörösmarty who was a famous Hungarian poet and dramatist. Besides many beautiful poems and dramas, he also wrote Hungary’s second national anthem titled Szózat, and also translated some of Shakespeare’s finest dramas.

old, square, Budapest, building — Photo: Wikimedia Commons

square, old, Budapest, building — Photo: Wikimedia Commons

old, square, winter — Photo: Wikimedia Commons

old, architecture, building — Gerbaud Coffeehouse around 1890 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

old, statue, Vörösmarty, monument — The statue of Mihály Vörösmarty in 1908 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

At the centre of the square, we can find the statue of Mihály Vörösmarty. Behind the monument, there is a fenced-off park. The square is also famous for its fountain which is surrounded by stone lions. We can also find one of Europe’s most famous and oldest coffeehouses, called Gerbaud, some casinos, the former building of the British Embassy and Hungary’s only Hard Rock Café and possibly a Hard Rock Hotel in the future. The square is also the end station of the continent’s oldest underground line, the Millenium Underground Railway operating since 1896.

Hungary’s most famous Christmas fair at the historical Vörösmarty Square is definitely worth visiting. The atmosphere, the Christmas scents and the square’s beauty are truly amazing, especially with a glass of hot wine punch. This unique event is waiting for you!

Christmas Market Budapest — *Photo: www.budapestinfo.hu*

Featured image: www.facebook.com/budapestchristmasfair

November 14, 2018

The foundation-stone of Budapest’s first smart mall has been laid! – Photos

According to magyarepitok.hu, the new shopping mall called Etele Mall will have approximately 180 stores and will attract 40 thousand customers every day.

We have reported before that a brand new shopping mall has been dreamt up to be built in the Hungarian capital city. Now it has become a reality. On Wednesday, the foundation-stone of the mall has been laid not far from Kelenföld Railway Station. The project is supervised by the Pedrano Construction Hungary Building Company. The project costs an estimated 100 billion Hungarian Forint (300 million Euros).

The developer group called Futureal recently reported that the mall of 137 thousand square metres is going to be the third biggest one in the Hungarian capital and the first one on the Buda side.

Investors estimate approximately 40 thousand visitors every day. This number is based on the statistics that the end station of metro line four, Kelenföld Railway Station, and the bus station in Kelenföld have 165 thousand passengers every day. It is also a strong factor that Kelenföld is one of the most populated areas in Budapest, with an estimated 235 thousand residents, and has fewer shops than any other part of the capital city.

Gábor Futó, the founder of the Futureal Group, emphasised that their group is working on 30 different projects at the same time, which includes the improvement of estates and buildings on 700 thousand square metres, from 1 billion Euros.

“One of the gems of this project is the new shopping and entertainment centre in Buda” – said the founder.

Etele Mall will have approximately 180 stores. This includes the biggest fashion brands, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, cinema, gym and several other facilities. The mall will provide 1300 parking spaces for customers arriving with cars. Above the mall’s main entrance, a 30-metre high and 30-metre wide curtain wall will be built. Inside the mall, a 200 square metres LED wall will be established.

mall, inside, architecture — *Photo: www.facebook.com/eteleplazaofficial*

Futureal Group held a press conference on Wednesday where, in a special room with touch screen devices, everyone could explore the whole structure of the mall.

See more pictures in this article.

celebration, mall, architectiure, investors — *MTI*

Featured image: www.facebook.com/eteleplazaofficial

November 9, 2018

Interactive adventures at the mysterious György Ráth Villa

As Funzine reports, besides their permanent and temporary exhibitions, the recently renovated György Ráth Villa, which opened on 13 September, offers family-oriented events and some others related to museum education as part of the Year of Families program.

The permanent exhibition titled ART NOUVEAU – A HUNGARIAN PERSPECTIVE is brough to life with 600 precious artifacts by an audio installation, a museum education room, and a hands-on table of objects. The atmosphere of Art Nouveau and the turn of the century can be seen, touched and heard wandering aroung Ráth Villa.

Additionally, children may explore the exhibition halls with the help of a custom-made creative book on decor and furnishing.

Along with the family-friendly tools, the exhibition is completed with an exciting program series and museum education activities. Family days are monthly held on Saturdays, and a family picnic will take place during the spring.

The Mystery in the Villa interactive adventure, which is organized in cooperation with Mare Temporis Foundation for Historic Traditions that aims to inform all about the historic traditions of 9-19th centuries in an interesting and fun way, will be held on 27 October. The venue will take you back to the Budapest of the previous century, where not only art and poetry boomed but also lawbreaking.

In the rapidly developing city the life of the residents was filled with bank robbery and art heist news.

The goal of the adventure is to solve the art heist case which is not an easy job to do, as everyone seem suspicious, including the myterious restaurateur, the know-it-all butler, the talkative housemaid and the rigid soldier.

Venue: 1068 Budapest, Városligeti fasor 12.

Date: Saturday, 27 October 2018, 10am-12am, and 1pm-4pm (with a one hour break)

Ticket information: The tickets can be purchased online or at the scene. In advance registration is not required.

For further information, click HERE. Join the Facebook event HERE.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/IparművészetiMúzeum

October 22, 2018

Historic arcade to become luxury community hub in Budapest!

Finally: the renovated historic shopping arcade, Paris Court (Párisi udvar), will await visitors in a few months. As Azuzlet.hu reports, the passage will give home to the Paris Court Hotel Budapest, part of the Hyatt hotel chain.

The magnificent Paris court will re-open its doors thanks to an investment by the Hyatt Hotels. The court, built in the 20th century, originally served as an art deco shopping passage and is located at Ferenciek Square.

It was named after Paris because the passage was constructed as the Hungarian ‘Passage des Panoramas’ in Paris.

*Wiki Commons by unknown photographer; photo by Szilas in the _Kiscelli Museum – Kiscelli Museum, Közkincs, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17419011*

However, during socialist times, the court could not shine in its original state, and just as the square was renamed, the building has lost its romantic features too. Nevertheless, the time has come when the building can have its original role back: it can serve as a passage and a luxury community hub in the city.

According to the plans, a 5-star Hyatt Hotel called Paris Court Hotel Budapest will be opened in a few months.

The hotel will be part of ‘The Unbound Collection’ by Hyatt hotel chain, which has special historic buildings in its focus. The hotel will be the second European member of the chain, although the opening has been slightly postponed due to the unexpectedly poor static state of the building. We have already written about the fact that there are more and more luxury hotels in the city and, in another article, we shared the main target groups of the industry.

párisi udvar hotel — *Photo: https://www.facebook.com/BpLocal*

The building has been reconstructed by the Archikon architecture studio based on the original plans and archival records. The hotel will have 110 rooms to offer, out of which 18 will be suites, and will have several conference rooms, elegant spa and wellness facilities and an executive floor for special guests.

One of the main features of the hotel is the ‘Bedding Concept’ that aims at providing the most relaxing sleep for visitors with the most comfortable beds and best quality duvet.

While there will be shops on the street side, the inside of the rooms resembles the architectural peculiarities of the Paris Court, including marble surfaces and extraordinary ceilings. The patterns used make the rooms reminiscent of historical stylistic features. The lobby will be situated in the passage, as well as restaurants and cafes, serving as a central community hub in the city.

If you are interested in Hungarian architecture, you definitely have to check out the historic baths in the city, all of which have gorgeous architecture. Also, sometimes there are opportunities to visit exhibitions about the architecture of the city.

Featured image: Wikipedia

October 10, 2018

Budapest Design Week: Innovative Tools & Approach – Frfom today!

With an attempt to visualize design as a set of innovative tools and approach, Budapest Design Week is striving to present the diversity of genres and the great variety of design. Here is our selection from this year’s exhibitors!

About Budapest Design Week

As the official site of Budapest Design Week says, launched in 2004, Budapest Design Week was initiated by the Hungarian Design Council with the objective of contributing to raising social awareness of the economic and social role of design, enhancing trust in design and facilitating communication between the actors of this field. This series of events is supposed to call the attention of economic policy-makers and Hungarian businesses to the potentials of design: design integrated in business processes and corporate culture creates new quality and by adding value to the products and services, it raises competitiveness and provides a competitive edge over peer companies. Budapest Design Week is already a 10-day festival of programs, which marks a strong position in the long line of European festivals. The festival offers more than 150 programs in 2018 and four partnering cities: Debrecen, Győr, Sopron and Pécs.

Apart from social usefulness, the festival attempts to place an emphasis on the economic role of design: it aims to draw the attention of economic policy-makers and Hungarian entrepreneurs to the potentials of design, the importance of a design-conscious way of thinking, which supports the competitiveness of Hungarian businesses and provides them with a competitive eadge over rivals by delivering more added value.

Tipton Eyeworks

1056 Budapest, Irányi utca 20.

Initially, Zachary Tipton started making eyeglasses in Washington, United States. Handcrafted since 1998, his collections – made from special raw materials and the best lenses (Hoya and Zeiss), using special technology – have conquered the world. In three words, Tipton’s products are unique, handmade and completely Hungarian. The creator of Vinylize and Cinematique collections not only allows visitors a peek in their workshop in downtown Budapest on 9 October, but he also offers a special workshop on 11 October to interested visitors. Take a tour and discover Tiptop Eyeworks’ unique space that houses design offices, an assembly workshop and a showroom.

MadeByYou

1053 Budapest, Királyi Pál utca 11.
1122 Budapest, Városmajor utca 28/A

MadeByYou’s workshop opens its doors to the public between 5 and 19 October, encouraging design lovers to turn into designers themselves for a day. As part of Design Week Budapest, five thematic sessions are held that welcome everyone who is eager to work with glass, ceramics and clay to create jewellery and pottery with the help of experts.

Paint a Frida Kahlo-inspired pottery with the vivid colours of Mexico and learn about how the Latinos celebrate Día de los Muertos, aka All Saints’ Day on 15 October, or design a glass ring and use the glass cutter to take it home with you on 5, 17 or 19 October. Don’t forget to register at in**@ma*******.hu before visiting MadeByYou’s centrally located venue on11 Király Pál utca. For more information, check out www.madebyyou.hu.

LumoConcept

1115 Budapest, Bartók Béla út 133-135. (available at pre-agreed appointments only)

LumoConcept has been designing and building custom lights since 2002. The manufacture develops its constructions in an intense collaboration with well-known architects and interior designers, providing them with thorough background information on all kinds of luminaires. Popular gastronomic venues of Budapest like Dear Budapest, Töltő, Mazel Tov and Padron are decorated with LumoConcept’s lamps. The company also provides business centres, shopping malls, public places and private homes with custom-made installations. It’s a great chance to get an exclusive sneak peek inside the life of LumoConcept by visiting their open studio at Budapest Design Week, as they do not own a showroom or a retail store.

My Day Collection

1026 Budapest, Rózsakert Shopping Center, Gábor Áron út 74-78/a

My Day Collection opened its doors back in 1998, since then it has been a flagship store of unique Italian fashion brands, known for its outstanding selection of clothes, women’s accessories, shoes, bags and jewelry. At My Day Collection, they believe that the perfect harmony of colours, fabrics and cut lines speak volumes about each piece of garment – this belief is reflected wonderfully in the items they sell. Besides brands like Sandro Ferrone, Imperial, Please, Vicolo, Kontatto and Ovyé, the shop also features the fashion lines of a number of contemporary Hungarian designers, including Konsanszky, Cukovy, Vanda Ferencz, NYD Design and Ilyés Juli.

NON+

1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 20.

One of the most prominent figures of 20th century architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s quote „Less is more” is the main source of inspiration for Hungarian brand NON+ that’s taken the national fashion scene by storm 9 years ago. Characterised by steamlined minimalism, a muted palette and the idea of “comfortable functionalism above all”, NON+ begs to differ: the brand’s designer, Sarolta Kiss does not follow fast-changing trends but aims to be a reliable constant for those opting for comfort and refined style.

Created with simple lines, the sporty, still cool and comfortably stylish garments represent consistent permanence. The most intimate exchanges in the art world happen during open studio visits; experience fashion in its native context from 9-16 Otober at Sarolta Kiss’ showroom in Andrássy út. Registration is required: ki***@no******.hu.

Hello Wood at the Zichy palace

1088 Budapest, Lőrinc pap tér 2.

A dream has come true for Hello Wood, the team responsible for Sziget Festival’s Colosseum, Aquincum Museum’s Hadrianus installation, or Müpa Budapest’s Christmas tree, made entirely of sledges. Finally, the creative architecture and design studio will move into their new home at Óbuda’s Zichy palace, and they want you to celebrate with them! To this end, they’ll organize three events during the October Design Week. On 12 October Hello Wood will present the winner of this year’s Építész Mustra, together with a grand party and the opening of an exhibition showcasing the woodworking collective’s summer projects. The next day, on 13 October, the Hello Wood team will open up their workshop for the public eye, premiering Technika #1’s brand new work space. As Hello Wood’s final programme organized during the Design Week, on 18 October the group will introduce their third book, entitled Children of the Wood, with a ceremonial launch party, chronicling their international architecture festival.

October 5, 2018