Civic Centre in Visegrád
- Jakob Schoof
Situated on the River Danube 40 kilometres north of Budapest, Visegrád is a border town that was formerly a royal frontier fortification. Although it has a population of only 1,800, it was accorded urban status in the year 2000, since when it has been what is probably the smallest town in Hungary. The annual palace festival, with knightly jousting in the medieval tradition, recalls the historical significance of Visegrád even today. With the beginning of the new millennium, the town fathers forged bold new plans for the redevelopment of the civic centre in the meadows along the Danube, which form the setting for the festival. In 2008, an architectural competition was held, which was won by aplusarchitects. Within a short time, however, the international financial crisis caused the budget and the construction programme to be drastically cut. Ultimately, all that was implemented was a new pavilion for various events and an extension of the local health centre in the form of an open staircase oriented to what was once the village square. The new structure and the extended health centre match each other in their form and use of materials. Both are elongated, barn-like buildings with double-pitched roofs and larch-clad facades. The staircase cladding consists of open louvres screwed to the supporting structure, while the outer skin of the pavilion varies according to the internal function.
