Industrial Heritage Hungary

27/11/2024

Beol.hu, the news portal of the Békés County, also reported about our railway heritage exhibition...

Különleges tárlat nyílt kedden a békéscsabai vasútállomáson. A Vasúti Örökség Vándorkiállítás a V4 országok és a Vajdaság vasúti örökségeit mutatja be.

26/11/2024

Railway Heritage Travelling Exhibition in Békéscsaba

The Railway Heritage Travelling Exhibition has arrived in Békéscsaba, its last venue in Hungary. The exhibition will be on display at Békéscsaba Railway Station from 26 November to 4 December 2024.

The exhibition was launched in September 2024 in Vojvodina and will be on display at 15 locations in five countries - Serbia and the V4 countries - for 1-1 weeks. After the Serbian venues - Novi Sad, Kikinda and Aleksandrovo - the exhibition arrived in Hungary on 8 November 2024. Over the past few weeks, the exhibition has been on show at the Underground Railway Museum and the Railway History Park.

In Békéscsaba the exhibition will be on display in the waiting room of the railway station between 26 November and 4 December 2024. The organisers of the exhibition chose Békéscsaba as the third venue in Hungary for a reason. On the one hand, the unique railway environment of the old station building and the new one, renovated to meet the needs of the 21st century, is unparalleled. Furthermore, the Alföld Industrial Garden Railways (AKGV), an association of enthusiastic young people dedicated to the restoration and presentation of narrow-gauge industrial railways, is based in Békéscsaba.

Both the Békéscsaba railway station and the AKGV are among the 10 Hungarian sites of the Rail4V4+V railway heritage project and are good examples of railway heritage conservation.

The railway heritage travelling exhibition in Hungary will be on display in Békéscsaba until 4 December, after which it will travel to Slovakia.

22/11/2024

V4 Industrial Heritage Project Meeting (14-15.11.2024)

On 14-15 November 2024, the meeting of the project "Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” took place in Bratislava. The Project is supported by the Visegrad Fund. The two-day programme was organised by the Slovak partner Design Factory.

The first day (14.11.2024) was open to the public and was held in the frame of the "Industrial Talk" programme at the "Dve Sypky" (Two Granaries) event space. After the opening lecture presented by Peter Žalman and the panel discussion moderated by Vladimír Hain the 7 selected industrial heritages of each country were introduced.

By selecting the 7 Hungarian sites, the Hungarian partner wanted to showcase the diversity of industrial heritage. Károly Teleki (Hungary) emphasised that industrial heritage does not only mean factories, but also bridges, railways, utilities (e.g. gas works, water towers, radio masts), granaries, market halls, or even workers' housing, which is an integral part of the industrial landscape.

Lukáš Beran (Czech Republic) focused on the promotion of technical museums outside large cities and on industrial heritage that has been given a new function or is looking for one, through adaptive reuse. The Czech heritage sites were selected accordingly.

The Slovak partner presented the sustainability of industrial heritage through the conversion of industrial buildings in Bratislava that serve a public function and can be visited by tourists. Vladimír Hain (Slovakia) underlined that the aim is to encourage visitors to save and actively protect the historic value of Slovakia's industrial heritage and to show how this can be successfully achieved.

At the end of the presentations, on behalf of the Design Factory, Zuzana Zacharova thanked the audience for their participation and opened the exhibition of V4 Industrial Heritage posters and the exhibition of the Student Design Competition posters. The exhibition and sandwich dinner provided an opportunity for direct dialogue and networking between the V4 Industrial Heritage Project and the audience.

The second day (15.11.2024) programme “Industrial Walk” was organised for the Consortia Members. Project team members visited Bratislava Waterworks Museum, Slovak Gas Museum, Spilka Restaurant, PPC Bratislava power plant and Mlynica.

More text about the programmes you find under the gallery pictures.

19/11/2024

The Railway Heritage Travelling Exhibition continues...

The travelling exhibition of the railway heritage of the V4 countries and Serbia continues. This time the venue is the Railway History Park, which opened in July 2000 as Europe's first interactive railway park. The exhibition is located in an authentic setting, in the roundhouse, in the area in front of the maquette of the Keleti Railway Station and will be on display until 24 November 2024. After that the exhibition will travel to Békéscsaba railway station.

It's worth bringing your ice skates, as the Railway History Park also has an ice ring open until 29 November, and the admission price includes use of the ice rink.

11/11/2024

V4 Industrial Heritage project on-site meeting…
…will be in Bratislava 14-15 November 2024

To strengthen our industrial heritage professional networks of V4 institutions personal meetings and contacts are invaluable. Throughout the project, there will be numerous communications between the Consortium Partners by email, phone or online which will be strengthened by a personal meeting in Slovakia.

The meeting will be organised by the Slovak Partner and scheduled for the Industrial Days, which helps the Consortia Partners and participants of the event to build good relationship and professional network within the V4 region.

The program will be two days, the first day will be public. Design Factory the Slovak Partner organises an event „Industrial Talk” where V4 Industrial Heritage will be introduced followed by a poster exhibition.

The second day „lndustrial Walk” will be organised for the Consortia. During the day the Consortia members will discuss the progress of the project and industrial heritage issues in the three countries. During the day the Slovak Partner will organise visits to selected Slovak industrial heritage sites, and facilitate networking with industrial heritage professionals who are also attending the guided tours.

07/11/2024

Rail4V4+V Railway Heritage Travelling Exhibition is touring in Hungary

From 8 November 2024, the travelling exhibition of the railway heritage of the V4 countries and Vojvodina will continue in Hungary. The exhibition, which is part of the Rail4V4+V project supported by the Visegrad Fund, will showcase 10 railway sites or facilities from each country that deserve attention for their history, their role in the life of a country or a region, or their technical uniqueness. The sites presented include railway heritage sites in excellent condition and in operation, as well as derelict and dilapidated facilities.

The aim of the poster exhibition is to raise awareness of the railways as a key element of sustainable development in transport by showcasing this heritage. It also draws attention to the abandoned industrial and railway sites, whose preservation and conversion reduces the ecological footprint and enhances the diversity of our built environment.

The exhibition was launched in September 2024 in Vojvodina and will be on show in 15 locations in five countries - Serbia and the V4 countries - for 1-1 weeks. After the Serbian venues in Novi Sad, Kikinda and Aleksandrovo, the travelling exhibition will be on display in Hungary for the first time on 8 November and will travel to Slovakia on 6 December.

The three Hungarian exhibition venues will be open on the following dates:
- Underground Railway Museum: from 8 to 17 November 2024
- Railway History Park: from 19 to 24 November 2024
- Békéscsaba Railway Station: 26 November to 4 December 2024

For information on how to reach the exhibition sites, opening hours and ticket prices, please consult the websites of the sites.

The exhibition posters are in English. The Hungarian translation of the posters is available by scanning the QR code on the posters, on the exhibition website or can be downloaded from the website in pdf format. Visit this informative and interesting exhibition.

01/11/2024

The canopy of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed...

The canopy over the entrance to Novi Sad railway station collapsed around noon today (01.11.2024). So far, eight dead and several seriously injured have been found under the rubble. Rescue operations are still ongoing.

Thanks to its modern form, its distinctively modernist composition and its imposing dimensions, the Novi Sad station has become a well-known symbol of the city of Novi Sad. Because of its historical role and architectural values, it was included in the first phase of the Rail4V4+V project as a railway heritage site worthy of presentation. It also has a Hungarian aspect, as it was designed by Imre Farkas from Vojvodina.

I had the opportunity to admire the impressive passenger hall when I attended the Rail4V4+V project closing event in mid-November 2022 and visited the station, among other heritage sites.

18/09/2024

The travelling exhibition showcasing the railway heritage of V4+Vojvodina is launched...

In the framework of the Rail4V4+V project, a travelling poster exhibition will promote the railway heritage of the V4 countries and Vojvodina. The exhibition will be presented in 3-3 locations in 5 countries, showcasing 50 iconic railway facilities from the region. The exhibition debuted on 13 September 2024 at the TICCIH Serbia conference in Novi Sad during the European Heritage Days.

In the coming weeks, the exhibition will tour in Vojvodina, followed by Hungary in November. In the following three months it will be on show in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. Dates are being negotiated with the Hungarian venues and we will inform you as soon as the exhibition schedule is finalised.

16/09/2024

European Heritage Days in Hungary…
… will be held on 21-22 September, 2024

European Heritage Days (Kulturális Örökség Napjai) will be on 21-22 September, 2024 (SAT-SUN). In Hungary hundreds of heritage sites, buildings, museums can be visited, including a dozen of industrial heritage facilities. You can find relevant information on tours and programs here.

In Budapest, industrial heritages are open to visit: Underground Museum, Ferenc Transformer, Wekerle Estate. Seems to be a very exciting program to see selected items of the UVATERV archive at Lechner Knowledge Center operating in the former To***co Factory in Lágymányos.

In the countryside our top picks are visiting the Deák Ferenc Lock in Baja or the Tisza Shoe Factory’s office building in Martfű. For fans of railway heritage visiting the small museums at the train stations in Göd or Kapostüskevár can be an exciting programs. Within an hour drive from Budapest you can visit The Mine and Industry Museum in Tatabánya or the BKV Urban Public Transport Museum in Szentendre.

12/09/2024

International Scientific Industrial Heritage Conference…
…organised by TICCIH Serbia

TICCIH Serbia is organising its first International Scientific Conference on 13-14 September 2024. The title of the conference is „Rethinking Industrial Routes and Networks”. The conference will be a hybrid event on-site in Novi Sad Svilara Cultural Station and online. Several members of the Rail4V4+V project will be speakers on the conference.

The conference aims to review various aspects of industrial routes and networks grouped around three thematic sections.

The first thematic section highlights the role of merging industrial historical elements, tangible and intangible, in the context of re-examining mutual memories and cultural values.

The second thematic section reviews the significance of various industrial heritage routes in the context of tourism.

The third thematic part is dedicated to considering the role of digital technologies in transforming existing and developing new industrial directions.

For more details visit the conference website and download the Book of abstracts.

01/09/2024

Eight years ago the Reptár Aviation Museum was opened,,,

Eight years ago, on this day, on 1 September 2016, opened the Reptár Aviation Museum in Szolnok, on the estate of the former Ó-Szolnok railway station. The Pest-Cegléd-Szolnok line was the country's second railway line, opened to traffic on 1 September 1847, so we are celebrating a double anniversary.

The classicist building of the railway station was designed by architect Wilhelm Paul Sprenger. It is Hungary's oldest historic railway station building preserved in its original form. Here you will find the entrance to the Reptár, the ticket office, exhibition halls, a buffet and a gift shop.

The hangar building, connected by a glass corridor, houses most of the collection requiring indoor exhibition space, the 4D cinema and the MIG-29 simulators.

Two other railway monuments can also be found on the 6-hectare site of the Reptár, the Water House, a small water tower used to supply water for steam locomotives, and the Warehouse, which was used to store salt. The latter houses the air defence exhibition and an obstacle course.

The open-air exhibition features military airplanes, helicopters, as well as air defence locators and missile systems. A themed playground has been created for children.

The collection is constantly growing, and fortunately there is still plenty of space in the area. The exhibits are extremely well maintained and cared for. A visit to the Reptár is a must for lovers of technical, military and industrial heritage, and a great family day out.

All photos by Károly Teleki

16/08/2024

Keleti Railway Station is 140 years old

140 years ago on this day, 16 August, the Keleti railway station was opened to traffic. To mark the anniversary, tomorrow (on 17 August 2024), MÁV is organising a number of events at Keleti station, which you can find out about on MÁV's website (see link in first comment), unfortunately only in Hungarian.

In the early years, the main station of the Hungarian Royal State Railways (MÁV) was the Józsefváros station. After the opening of the Connecting Railway Bridge in 1877, however, by the early 1880s, the increased freight and passenger traffic made the railway station in Józsefváros cramped, so MÁV decided to build a new, large-scale, modern railway station.

The design of the new station was carried out by MÁV's own experts, the building was designed by Gyula Rochlitz and the large iron structure of the train shed by János Feketeházy.

Construction works started in November 1881, but due to high ground water, the foundations had to be reinforced with more than 3,000 larch piles, each 15m long. The difficulties meant that the station was opened - after considerable delay - on 16 August 1884.

The imposing main building is built in an eclectic style, with an allegorical sculpture group atop its 43-metre-high façade. It was created by Gyula Bezerédi. The façade also features statues of James Watt and George Stephenson, as well as a group of 4 figures.

An engineering masterpiece of its time was the 42-metre span, almost 180 metres long, iron-framed roof, which is shaped approximately as a catenary. A novelty when the station was built was the electric lighting, provided by 70 arc lamps and 644 incandescent lamps made by the Ganz factory.

A particularly impressive room in the station was the ticket office, decorated with frescoes by Mór Than and Károly Lotz.
The station was initially called the Központi (Central) Railway Station, and in 1892 it was renamed to Keleti (Eastern) Railway Station, which is still in use today.

During the Second World War the station was severely damaged, part of it burnt out, and it took years to restore it. In 1968-70, during the construction of the M2 metro line, the Baross Square underpass was connected to the platform hall, and domestic ticket offices were moved to the underpass level. The number of tracks in the train shed was reduced from five to four.

Between 2002-2004, the central main facade and the train shed of the Keleti station were renovated, and between 2006-2008 the Lotz Hall was restored. On 1 May 2023, the modern and accessible Keleti Passenger Centre was opened on the underpass level.

Despite the improvements and renovations, many parts of the Keleti station are still in a very dilapidated state.

(all photos by Károly Teleki industrialheritagehungary.com)

17/07/2024

“Connected - The history of Bridges of Budapest” exhibition opened...

The Liberty Bridge (formerly the Franz Joseph Bridge) is one of the most beautiful bridges in Hungary. It was built between 1894-96 as the third bridge over the Danube in Budapest, designed and constructed entirely by Hungarians. Although its shape is reminiscent of a chain bridge, it is in fact a cantilever truss bridge. Its beauty and length - or rather, its shortness, at only 333.6 metres - encourages residents and tourists to cross it on foot. Since 1918 they have been able to do so free of charge, but until then they had to pay a bridge toll.

The toll houses at the ends of the bridges lost their function due to the abolition of the bridge toll, and were demolished during the reconstruction after World War II, leaving only two toll houses on the Pest side of the Liberty Bridge. In the northern toll house, the exhibition "Connected - The history of Bridges of Budapest" of the Museum of Transport was opened. Although there were temporary exhibitions here before, the small two-storey building is now open permanently from Monday to Sunday, 11-18. The 2x13 square metre space does not allow for a detailed bridge history exhibition, but the informative bilingual (English, Hungarian) tables and some interesting artefacts give a glimpse into the history of our beautiful Danube bridges that dominate the cityscape of Budapest.

A particularly interesting feature is that with the help of VR glasses you can look at a 3D model of the Danube bridges and quays, see the former Elisabeth Chain Bridge, the Elevator House or the Public Warehouses.

On the ground floor of the exhibition there is a small gift shop with quality souvenirs, postcards and publications from the Museum of Transport. As admission to the exhibition is free, visitors are happy to buy a souvenir, a postcard or even a book.

If you're visiting the Central Market Hall, also an industrial heritage site, or walking across the Liberty Bridge, it's well worth spending a quarter of an hour in this charming little museum, if only for the panoramic view from the top floor.

11/07/2024

The Transport Museum moves to a new location..... the "Idea Contest" has been published

We at Industrialheritagehungary are following the news about the Museum of Transport in Budapest.

Unfortunately, on July 8, 2024, the "Idea Contest" was published, which made it clear that the Museum of Transport will not be built in the area of the Northern Train Maintenace Depot (Budapest, X. District) as a brownfield rehabilitation project, but in the outskirts of Debrecen, as a greenfield project.

The professional and economic rationality of the decision is questionable, but two things are already certain. Firstly, nine years of preparatory work and billions of Hungarian forints of construction planning costs associated with the project will be wasted, and secondly, the Museum of Transport will not open for at least another four years, with the planning starting again from scratch. But if we look at the history of the last few years, we cannot be so optimistic.

On 15 April 2015, the Museum of Transport in the City Park closed its doors. At that time, the Museum was planned to be rebuilt and extended as part of the Liget Project, and the permanent exhibition was scheduled to open in March 2018.

In December 2017, the government decided that the Transport Museum would not reopen in its old location in the City Park, in the former Transport Pavilion of the 1896 Millennium World Expo, but would move to a new site in the closed Northern Train Maintenance Depot, into the Diesel Hall. The decision was welcomed by the industry.

On 9 August 2018, an international competition was launched for the design of the "New" Transport Museum, which was won by the renowned American architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The award ceremony took place on 28 February 2019 at the Diesel Hall. At the time, it was envisaged that the museum could open in 2022.

On 16 July 2021, the first temporary exhibition entitled "Once there was a Northern Depot" opened in the Diesel Hall. The temporary exhibition was a great success, as the Transport Museum had been closed for six years. At the time, the museum's management expected the museum to open in 2026.

Since 2021, several temporary exhibitions have opened in the Northern Train Maintenance Depot, such as the equally successful "Cycling shift"exhibition.

On 27 March 2023, the Museum of Transport received the construction permit, after which the preparation of the detailed construction plans started. At that time, everything seemed to be going well, although a little more slowly than visitors would have liked.

In May 2024, the first rumours of the Museum of Transport moving to Debrecen were heard, and on 8 July the "Idea Contest" was published, which sent the case of the Museum of Transport back to the starting line.

The Minister of Construction and Transport has not given any reasoning as to why a museum that has been operating in Budapest since 1899 (but in practice since 1896) should be moved to Debrecen, why a project that has been dragging on for 9 years but is nearing completion should be stopped, and why nearly HUF 8 billion (appr EUR 20 million) of public money should be burned.
The former Director General of the Museum of Transport summed up the arguments against moving the Museum to Debrecen quite succinctly and well. (see link in comment)

27/06/2024

Results of the Rail4V4+V Youth photo competition …

In the frame of the Rail4V4+V 2023 project, sponsored by the Visegrad Fund, the Faculty of Architecture and Design of STU in Bratislava, in cooperation with Prolaika, has announced an international public student photo competition. The aim of the competition was to involve young people in exploring the railway heritage and developing their photographic skills and creativity.
The competition was open to secondary school and university students aged 16-26 from the 5 participating countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia/Vojvodina).

To the public tender students with an exclusively own series of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 photos could apply.

There were two categories in the competition:
- series of photographs of 50 sites of the RAIL4V4+V project
- series of photos of other railway heritage sites

For the competition, 52 students from 5 countries entered 219 photos.

A 5-member jury with 2 invited experts evaluated the photo series on 16 May 2024:

“We were pleased with the high participation of young photographers and the fact that they did not hesitate to travel to interesting places abroad for photographs, which was the goal of this competition. It was interesting to see multiple points of view of the same places and buildings and the artistic quality of the photographs. The awarded photos represent the goal of the competition and we believe that will help to promote the V4 industrial heritage towards the young generations."

The category winners were:
- Valentova Pavlina (SK) – Tatranská železnice railway station (50 Rail4V4+V sites category)
- Švarcová Alexandra (SK) – Railway station Svit (other railway heritage sites category)

The ceremonial announcement of the results took place at the Faculty of Architecture and Design of STU in Bratislava on 20 June 2024 during the Night of Architecture.

The photos will be on display in “The Gallery Underground” at the Faculty of Architecture and Design of STU until September 2024 and the photos will also be exhibited in November as part of Industrial days at Design Factory.

The President of TICCIH Dr. Miles OGLETHORPE also visited the exhibition in person on 21 June 2024 and congratulated the winners.

Congratulations to all winners and participants.

14/06/2024

Kiválóan szerepeltek a Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem hallgatói a V4 Ipari Örökség projekt arculatának és logójának tervezésére kiírt nemzetközi pályázaton. Az első három helyet az MKE grafikusművész hallgatói szerezték meg. A pályázatnyertes An Zhengxin Tímea igen ötletesen kombinálta a V4 betűit és az ipari épületeknél gyakran alkalmazott V-alakú tartók alakját. Gratulálunk a nyerteseknek!

13/06/2024

Results of the student design and logo competition …
… which showed a high level of creativity (posted 31 May 2024)

Design factory in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the STU in Bratislava, announced a public international non-anonymous student design competition. The aim of the competition was to create a new modern logo and visual style which will become part of building the identity of the project. Special emphasis was on raising young people's awareness of Visegrad cooperation and V4 common industrial history as a regional cultural heritage.

The international public competition was intended for students and young professionals from secondary art schools, art schools and universities, architecture, design and students of related ¬elds from the 3 participating countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary). The maximum age limit for competitors was 26 years.

Attributes that the design of the new "Industrial Heritage V4" logo should meet:

- Attractive, original and eye-catching
- Modern, current and timeless design
- Designed with a high expressive value
- Easy identification and memorability
- Respect for industrial heritage
- Highlighting the potential for the sustainable development and various conversions
- Versatility of using the logo in the international context of all V4 countries

A total of 20 proposals were submitted to the competition, which the jury assessed and selected the 3 best proposals.

Winning proposal: Tímea Zhengxin An – Hungary (23 years)

The Commission emphasized the simplicity and clarity of the proposal - "the author has dealt well with the difficult task and interpreted completely minimalist level, containing all relevant information and colours."

"Graphic clarity allows a high degree of applicability in various forms and scales of presentation in an international context. The logo is clear, legible, and identifiable. Congratulations to the winner."

2nd Place: Dániel István Bibó - Hungary (23 years)
3rd Place: Ádám Bagaméri – Hungary (23 years)

Recognition of the jury:

Recognition of the jury for the high quality of graphic processing: Zsófia Ecsedi – Hungary (23 years)
Recognition of the jury for the growth creativity: Petra Šimonová – Slovakia (18 years)

The competition will contribute to the development of awareness among students and the public about the importance of industrial heritage in the V4 region. Promotion of the results of the competition will be ensured in the form of a curated traveling exhibition under the auspices of designfactory, o.z., which will be held at FAD STU on June 20, 2024 and also during Industrial days in November 2024.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all participants!

13/06/2024

Call for student design and logo competition…
… for project” Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” (posted 15 February 2024)

Design factory (DF), civic association, announces a public international non-anonymous student design competition for the logo and visual style of the Visegrad Fund project.

Background

In January 2024, the Visegrad Fund sponsored project „Promoting V4 industrial heritage for conservation and tourism” has started. The main objective of the project is to raise awareness and promote the industrial heritage of the V4 countries, to preserve it and to promote industrial heritage tourism as an important and growing element of cultural tourism. In the first phase of the project, 7-7 industrial heritage sites and monuments (21 in total) in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be presented. In the following projects we would like to extend the project to the V4+ countries and other industrial heritage sites.

Competition

Aim of the competition: The aim of the competition is to create a new modern logo and visual style which will become part of building the identity of the project. Special emphasis is on raising young people's awareness of Visegrad cooperation and V4 common industrial history as a regional cultural heritage.

Announcer of the competition: on behalf of the project, Design factory (DF), civic association
The competition is announced on:15.02.2024
Application deadline: 15.05.2024
Competition evaluation: no later than 31.05.2024
Applicants: secondary school, university students not younger than 16 and not older than 26 from from the 3 participating countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary)
Evaluation and jury: All submitted proposals will be evaluated and the best 3 of them will be selected by a 5-member expert jury
Language of the application: English
Awards: winner EUR 250, second EUR 150, third EUR 100
Website of the competition: Call for student design and logo competition official website
Detailed information: download „Call for student design and logo competition” link