Vértessy-kúria - Vértessy-kúria

Dangerous, crumbling. Moved into a homeless ?

The Vértessy mansion at the intersection of Gázvezeték – Vértesi streets in Debrecen has been empty for years. It is dangerous to enter the windows and doors of the mansion (i.e. in their place) and it is forbidden! They were closed with a wire fence anyway ... Today's shrub was home to a Brick and Tile Factory, and the mansion, built between 1860 and 1870, served mainly as a residential building for the owners. The factory was founded by Mihály Balogh, the city's chief engineer, in 1852, with his relative István Vértessy. Debrecen has a long history in brick production, as until the beginning of World War I, the city accounted for 10 percent of Hungary's total industry. The Balogh and Vértessy Public Limited Company, employing about 70 people, corresponded to a medium-sized factory in the city. The factory has been developing dynamically since its inception, and the Balogh – Vértessy Garbage and Sales Company started operating in 1904, as the huge pits left after the clay extraction required for brick production were an ideal landfill for municipal waste. Urban garbage collection was carried out until the 1940s. However, the huge grooves left behind the clay proved to be suitable for something else. Lajos Vértessy took part in World War I, served on the Dalmatian coast, and when he returned home he found that a saline lake had formed in the cubic pits in the place of the extracted clay. In addition, the healing effect of water was also detectable. Thus, drawing on the experience of the war years, in June 1925 he built the city’s first beach bath. The lake, bordered by a sandy shore, was also suitable for boating, and in winter, those who wanted to skate visited the castle. From the 1930s onwards, however, development was replaced by gradual downsizing. First, brick production ceased, and in 1944, garbage collection also ceased. The property and the structures on it were nationalized in 1952 and everything that was previously needed for brick making was demolished and even the lake was filled up. The building was inhabited by German soldiers during the war, which caused it to be shot when Russian soldiers arrived in Debrecen. The Vértessy descendants lived in the Vértessy mansion until 1955, after which social emergency housing was established in the building, then the destruction began. In the decades that followed, the council ordered the castle to be a residence for socially dependent people, but after they moved out, the city did not utilize the building. Above the windows you can still see the special arch. Based on this, experts think that the building was designed by Miklós Ybl or the architect's office. The Office for the Protection of Monuments therefore placed the mansion under protection in August 2011. This means that the owner must renovate the building to match the condition of the 1860s. It could be heard that an event center would be set up in it after renovation, but the submitted application was first declared a winner and then suspended. And since then, there has been no decision, only destruction. It is easily accessible, but carefully, in a rather crumbling state. Most of all, its story is interesting.