Kiss Katalin: Industrial Monuments - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)

Bridge. The impressive shipways were demolished in order to give place at the abutment of the bridge for the reception of Emperor Franz Joseph and his attendants.

In the 1860s the shipyard was one of the largest industrial plants of Europe. Almost three thousand workers were employed in its Meo-Classic buildings. It was also a spectacle for tourists, and its picturesque environs attracted many visitors to the island, including Ferenc Liszt and Hector Berlioz.

The 1890s witnessed dynamic development in the life of the factory. It was a period of construction and technical investment, which lasted until the First World War. In this period, around 1895, the eastern boiler building was built, in an Eclectic style which evokes the Gothic brick building of the Hansa towns. The brick facade is broken by round-arched windows with brick framings. Cinder the gable a large ceramic ornament can be seen-the emblem of the factory. The assembly hall was built in 1902 with an inner gallery. Its facade is also paneled by brick, its round-arched central projection shows the date of building: MCM1I. The management building was also rebuilt at the beginning of the century.

Between the two world wars no important new building was erected, except for a new power station, tlnsuc- cessful attempts were made to transform the old factory into a modern industrial estate with a new street and service network. But just as a medieval town with tortuous little streets cannot be transformed into a modern metropolis, so the shipyard-which had been under continuous construction from the early 19th century, and which consisted of many chaotic workshops and halls -could not become a well-organized modern industrial centre.

After the Second World War no important technological modernization took place and only minimal investment was made in the factory. Given the guaranteed Soviet commissions there was also no need of it. The appalling obsolescence of the shipyard became obvious only when the managership had to seek new markets. Foreign investors, who arrived with the intention of continuing to produce ships, now cannot see any value in the shipyard other than a possible development site with good properties.

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