The Károlyi-Csekonics Palace in Budapest has been handed over and will now serve as the new centre of the Faculty of Humanities of Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary.
As previously reported, the restoration of the palace to its original condition was carried out by a consortium consisting of West Hungária Bau Kft., Épkar Zrt. and Build It Mérnökiroda Kft.
One of the most beautiful buildings in Budapest’s Palace District, the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace Complex, built in 1885, has façades facing 17 Múzeum Street and 6 Reviczky Street. In the Múzeum Street wing, a full period-accurate reconstruction and restoration were carried out, while in the Reviczky Street wing, a new educational building structure was created with the preservation of the façade.
The ornate carvings of the ground-floor hall bear the craftsmanship of master carpenter Endre Thék.
In addition to the palace decorations, similar decorative elements in the Hungarian State Opera House and the Parliament Building are also among the works of the applied artist. In the ballroom on the upper floor of the building, a fresco by Károly Lotz was restored based on period photographs.
A Modern Educational Centre Built Behind the Historic Façade
In the wing built with a modern interior layout, a conference hall with a capacity of 198 people and a lecture hall accommodating 120 people were created in the basement and ground-floor areas. On the upper floors, smaller lecture rooms, classrooms and teachers’ offices were developed.
The renovated building will serve as a venue for everyday university life, as well as for ceremonial occasions of both the church and the university. Students will be able to pursue their studies in a modern technical environment.
Education in the renovated building will be supported, among other things, by digital boards, projectors, a large lecture hall, seminar rooms and a library.
Together with the medical university buildings on Mikszáth Square, the neighbouring Catholic university and the central building of the Szabó Ervin Library, the completed palace can function as an academic city centre worthy of the capital.
