Szablyár Péter: Sky-high - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2007)

Some special Towers

■ The Minaret and the Houie of Pachyderms

help of a few surviving photographs and the Photogrammetrics Department of the Technical University. Tiles for the roof were manufactured on the basis of original specifications preserved in the archives of the Zsolnay Factory. The tip of the minaret is 31 metres, the "muezzin’s” level 17.86 metres above the ground.

The general constructor of the building was the Hungarian Builders Co. directed by László Felföldy; the site manager was Pál Komár. The minaret of the Elephant House is once again a major attraction of the Zoo. From this lookout tower, which can be accessed free of charge, one can admire a fine panorama of the capital. Looking around from the observation terrace, which is protected with a close- mesh net, one may feel tempted to pay a visit to the nearby Fun Fair, and the visitor can glimpse the pools half-hidden between the reconstructed turrets of the Széchenyi Baths, too. This is also a fine opportunity to survey the small perimeters of the Zoo itself complete with lake, Monkey House and all. Don't miss it!

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