Index – Culture – Would get rid of two monuments in the capital for 1.5 billion

The municipality of Budapest would sell 65-67 Budakeszi út through a two-round public tender. Low number real estate complex. This is not the first time they have tried to sell their property, which has become a burden and a nuisance, this is the third offer for sale announced since 2009, the second round of which was viewed by the trustee as an electronic auction. .

The two buildings in need of renovation are located in more than 2.5 hectares of abandoned and abandoned forest, right next to the recently renovated Csendilla, Széher Villa, Heinrich Holiday Home and the Foreign Trade Sports and Leisure Park. The two-story, late Art Nouveau / Swiss Alpine style villa, closer to the street front, was inaugurated in 1916 according to plans by architect János Szuchy. This 957 net square meter villa has 18 rooms, which already includes the penthouse built in socialism.

The smallest 120 square meter holiday home, more precisely the annex to the former Leirer restaurant built around 1850, also received a small fold thanks to Ernő at the time of the first world fire, but unfortunately this monument is now a ruin that could it will only be to save from extinction.

The family with Bavarian ancestry moved from Győr to Pest in 1846. Mihály Gschwindt was initially engaged in the cultivation and trade of tobacco, and his sample shop for “Smoker” operated on the corner of present-day Sándor Petőfi and Párizsi streets. , which closed the blinds due to the introduction of the state tobacco monopoly. It was then that he bought the Pál Günther distillery and yeast production plant, which, with its continued development, made it the second largest alcohol factory and distillery in the country in 1863. The profile of the industrial complex along Üllői út was later expanded with the production of liquor and the production of vinegar. The Gschwindt Alcohol, Yeast, Liquor and Rum Factory also skillfully used hot water left over from distillation.

This spa company also brought financial success to the family.

Due to the construction of the Grand Boulevard, the factory was demolished and moved partly to Ipar utca 15 in Ferencváros and partly to Budafok. It was replaced by the Corvin cinema, as part of which the birthplace of actress Irén Psota on Tömő Street is being demolished as part of an extended walk. The liquor factory was established in Ipar Street, the yeast factory and distillery in Budafok, the pomace and cognac distilleries in Nagykőrös, Eisenstadt and Bánffyhunyad, and much later the canning factory was also established in Nagykőrös. He even ran out of property that in 1882 Mihály, who started the business, was able to take over the keys to his three-story Neo-Renaissance palace at 28 Andrássy út, designed by Henrik Schmahl and frescoed by Károly Lotz.

As with the large competing factory Zwack, GschwindtThe wedges also had a famous liquor specialty attributed only to their name, which was modestly

The nectar, destined for the Unicum competition, was made “using secrets of secrets and special herbs”, but its medicinal spirits, curaçaos, 16 liqueurs with different flavors, as well as its brandies, rums and cherry brandies were products almost as popular. Mihály Jr., a younger doctoral doctor, turned almost immediately to Freemasonry and the occult, completely overwhelmed by the propaganda effect of the “water of life” based on the secret recipe. He had a romantic castle-like tenement house built by the master builder Sándor P. Tóth on the corner of present-day Pushkin and Sándor Bródy streets. The facade of the house, which was delivered in 1901, was also filled with various astronomical symbols, a rooster symbolizing the morning and an owl symbolizing the night, which enclosed a sundial.

The family business was acquired in 1907 by the aforementioned Ernő, who was only 26 years old at the time. His grandson studied philosophy and chemistry in Budapest and Heidelberg. Under his leadership, the factory tripled its production and became a major exporter. The net profit of the company at that time already exceeded one million pengos per year. Of course, the fact that Ernő was also very active as a politician as a senior adviser to the government, and from 1922 he was a Member of Parliament for Törökbálint and Budakeszi, may have contributed to the success. From his fortune, he supported the Ferencváros Tournament Club for 11 years, of which he was also president.

Ernő sold the corner house on Pushkin Street, built by his father, in 1923, even though his youthful bust depicting him still observes the street traffic above the entrance. The family also bought the tenement house Kégl at 8 Döbrentei utca, which was only inhabited in colder times, the family used the cabins in Budakeszi út in the sunniest months, as the younger Gschwindt trained on the tennis courts here : professional player. He then takes over the management of the factory from his father, who died of sepsis in 1932.

After nationalization, the property complex was taken over by the Metropolitan Council, which provided aftercare for young adults in state care here. It was then that the spacious rooms were converted into six-bed dormitories, and the swimming pool and sports courts were also built in the garden.

So now the two buildings that once had the most beautiful days will be sold by the Budapest Capital Wealth Management Center for 1.52 billion. Although it is a fact that the asking price is expensive compared to the real estate offer in the area, anyone who buys and renovates the villas can find Aqua Vitæ, the “life” that was once hidden in the wall, buried in the garden or in the woods. water ”recipe. Bidding files can be purchased from February 18 and submitted until April 20.