What is a mansion good for?

Variations for spiritual and physical wellness in the places of a disappeared social class

MúzeumCafé 51.

The social class for whom mansions were built has definitely disappeared in Hungary. Thus the kind of organic adaptations seen in Italy, Great Britain or even Austria cannot be found. In western Europe the economic infrastructure connected with the buildings has remained, either in part or entirely. In Hungary since the war the functions intended for them by now have been separated from the listed buildings, since monument restoration does not match the desired requirements of today’s educational and health institutes. The characteristically terribly run down, decaying buildings, plundered and standing like a relic in their environment, are now intended by their funding authorities to fulfil functions primarily of a cultural and tourism nature. After the political changes of 1989–90, there slowly began – and continued under each government, albeit with different intensity – the renovation of outstandingly significant mansions, which turned spectacular mainly when EU resources became available. Not long ago the current government launched a mansion and castle project, which according to the latest government decree indicates that 45 mansions are to be renovated by 2020. Thirty-three billion forints of EU support and ten billion forints of Hungarian resources are to be allocated for this. At the same time, according to a statement of the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc., the ownership rights of mansions currently held by the state are being transferred to the Forster Centre. Unfortunately, further details of the project have not been revealed. It is not known, for example, what sum will be allocated to individual mansions. Among the properties administered by the Forster Centre, currently ten mansions can be visited. According to reports, with their mansions the aim is to restore the historical interiors using family inventories and archive photos. Thanks to the descendents of historical families, state public collections, donations from civil organisations and collectors, the furniture and other objects have returned to their old homes. The professional background is ensured by the Forster Centre’s researchers, art historians and specialist staff. In every case the institute aims for human and professional relations with the descendents of former owners. A common form of ‘utilisation’ involves the establishment of hotels in mansions. Looking at the hotels on the webpage of the Association of Mansion Hotels in Hungary, you can generally find references to “walls which can tell stories”, but the mainly comfortable, elegant and not particularly cheap hotels hardly deal with any historical references which are concrete or of a scholarly nature.