Csernus Lukács - Triff Zsigmond: The Cemeteries of Budapest - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1999)

The Epstein monument - an early work of Béla Lajta

ately find the vault of the Brüll family, resembling an ancient shrine and ornamented with fine mosaics (the vault was designed by Kálmán Gerster while its two lions are the work of Alajos Stróbl); the vault of the Háy family, with its corner turrets decorated with floral motifs, and with a bulk unlike that of its ancient prototypes, marks the appearance of Art Nouveau.

Next to it is the mausoleum of the Schmidl family designed by Béla Lajta, an exceptional specimen of funeral art (according to art historians, the mausoleum is the result of the joint work of Lajta and his master Ödön Lech- ner, but no other signs of the master’s co-operation can be documented than his immediate influence on the structure’s forms). Its ferro-concrete barrel vault, arched like a parabola or a hay-stack, is covered on the outside with ceramic tiles, made in the Zsolnay factory, while the inside features mosaic surfaces with floral motifs. Expertly renovated, this shrine is remarkable even by international standards, not only because of its unique structure, but also on account of the rich artistry of its ornamentation, which is charged with symbolic meaning. In the vault, across the corner, planned by Alfréd Wellisch for his family, are mosaics of exceptional beauty. Before arriving at the next corner, you find the vault Sándor Heidelberg planned, once again, for his family; its marvellous wrought iron gate with

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