Faurest, Kristin: Ten spaces - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2010)

Kós Károly tér

■ Detail oh house on Kós Károly tér

rounded by mixed-use buildings of fairly uniform sizes and shapes, with traditional Transylvanian motifs. The square is the very epicentre of life in this insular community. The buildings around the square, in keeping with its scale and importance, are taller, more imposing than the others, richly varied in architectural elements and motifs. The eastern and the western sides are connected by ornamental gates, and the ground floors contain businesses that were originally rented by various trade associations. The estate’s only pharmacy was sited here too. It was originally called Fő tér, later Petőfi tér, and then its current name from 1987.

Recent developments to the estate have not always been faithful to its original spirit; the Hungarian Chamber of Architects, in a declaration issued on the estate’s centennial in 2008, called for stronger preservation of the architecture and spirit of the place, and for the entire site to become a protected monument. It noted that until the Wekerle was built, only the English garden cities were considered exemplary models. Noted the group: It ii such a national and European treasure that its preservation and development, as well as keeping the respect tor its creators alive, are the tasks our society has the honour to have.

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