budapesti muhely regenerates the castle garden bazaar of hungary

budapesti muhely regenerates the castle garden bazaar of hungary
photo © tamás bujnovszky
all images courtesy of budapesti muhely ltd.

budapest is often called the queen of the danube, the most characteristic feature of its bank-side scenery is the buda castle, which has been subject to major reconstruction works in recent times. an important stepping-stone in this process is budapesti muhely‘s regeneration of the ‘castle garden bazaar’ (also known as várkert bazár) in hungary. wedged between the fortified residence and the river, the complex originally consisted of a neo-renaissance garden, the castle walls and 19th century constructs.

some buildings are conceived to please the eye, functionality is secondary to their aesthetic purpose. the iconic site, which opened in 1883, was originally developed as a consequence of a particular urban development policy: its function was to provide an elegant framework to the royal grounds, giving further emphasis to the conspicuous castle complex that dominates the hill and provides a visual advantage to the cityscape. the facility, designed by prominent hungarian architect miklós ybl, catered to these expectations. ‘although beautiful from the distance and magnificent on a closer look, the building was already commercially unviable upon its conception in the 19th century: despite its central location, the bazaar does not connect with the city’s pulsating center,’ says the studio.

the complex lacked use from the beginning and was completely abandoned by the 1980s. it was feared that decay would take its ultimate toll. by 1996, its state became so dire that the world monuments fund listed the bazaar amongst the hundred most endangered monuments in the world. despite this, it was not until 2011 that hungary’s government finally issued a resolution to salvage the architecture and fill it with new functionalities.

the multifunctional event hall
photo © tamás bujnovszky

the rehabilitation project was completed in october 2014. at its core, is the objective that the structure would become the buda castle’s principal entry point, aligning the building with the city’s bloodstream, filling it with programs whose primary goals are to serve the bustling tourism. to achieve this, passageways were created using lifts, staircases, and escalators, costing approximately 36 million euros. the planned art galleries, event halls, service, and catering facilities are expected to generate sufficient trade to give a sustainable life to the communal hub.

the stalactite-like lighting fixtures in the bar areas are analogies to the caves in the inside of the castle hill
photo © tamás bujnovszky

a large-capacity car park and multifunctional event hall were added at underground level to the rebuilt, 5000 m² neo-renaissance garden. the firm describes that ‘behind the grandiose, 19th century strip that runs parallel to the river danube, unfolds the architecture of the 21st century.’ the 900 m² multifunctional event hall and the adjacent imposing foyer are the works of hungarian architect and interior designer tamás dévényi. the access to the underground complex is through the original bazaar. the intricacies of the foyer (with its clear lines and choice of materials), plus the stalactite-like lighting fixtures in the bar areas are analogies to the caves in the inside of the castle hill.

the foyer
photo © tamás bujnovszky

these elements feel rather restrained against the sprawling neo-renaissance architecture of the original exterior, but maintain a close tie with the historical surroundings. by leaving the lateral side of the undulating buttress exposed, an exciting tension is achieved between the scenographic quality of the outer surfaces and the contemporary manner of the interiors. nonetheless, to avoid the dominance of the revival-styled details, a set of austere concrete supporting walls accompany from a distance the playful motion of the brick partitions, signaling the beginning of a new architectural time and space. similarly, neither the visible concrete ceilings nor the whinstone mosaic floors make contact with the extant walls of the building, while battlements pierce the brickwork along the apertures. none of these are eccentric design elements, but are poignant indicators of the division between old and new.

concrete supporting walls accompany the playful undulation of the brick walls
photo © tamás bujnovszky

the boundary that separates the foyer from the auditorium gives an opportunity for further historic insight. on this division, facing the main entrance, is the first known accurate depiction of buda, dating from 1496. due to the homogenous illumination, visitors can feel as if they have entered a life-size engraving of alice in wonderland. the experience is further reinforced by six-meter-tall doors cut into the mural, which open into the multipurpose function hall. here, yet another optical sensation awaits us: tiny LED lights have been inserted into the somber, black cladding of the acoustic walls, at a precise distance from each other so as to allow our minds to make out a picture without the interruption of blurring lights. the computer-controlled LED lighting system allows for a tailor-made visual sequences, creating a uniquely personal ambience for each event. amongst the space’s special features is the colorful, flexible seating arrangement, the movable stage, and mobile walls that allow the room to be segmented.

the walls of the lavatories carry unique typographic engravings, listing the most prominent stages of the castle’s history
photo © tamás bujnovszky

at sites with historic importance such as the buda castle district, the fusion of historic and contemporary architecture can create problems. smart solutions that overcome this complex issue are found all around the castle garden: a winding staircase where weathering steel and visible concrete were used to set apart the building elements from different eras; circular openings on the wall that house large stone spheres allude to canon balls lodged into a war-torn castle. the design reminds citizens of the location’s past even where they least expect to receive a lesson in history. the lavatories carry unique typographic engravings, listing the most prominent stages of the facility’s lifetime. the previously highly fragmented interior was joined up to form clusters of open spaces. the change in function dictated the radical restructuring of the original architecture, which, however, has not disappeared completely. the once three-dimensional structures are present in two-dimensional imprints visible on floors and walls, in the changes in the flooring, marking the place of the existing partitions and reminding us of the activities that once took place within.

project info:

project: castle garden bazaar
leading interior designer: tamás dévényi
architect firm: budapesti muhely ltd.
photographs: tamás bujnovszky
text: akos nagy 

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