Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt., owned by the Budapest Municipality, carried out unpermitted construction works in the Széchenyi Baths in 2020. As a result, the changing cabins on the first floor – elements of the listed monument – were destroyed.

Curved line of cabins in the Széchenyi Baths (Photo: szechenyifurdo.hu)

Although the CEO of Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt. said after the demolition that the cabins in question dated from the 1990s and were not protected, the government office soon stated otherwise noting: "The women's changing rooms in the arched wing were built during the expansion in 1927, the changing cabins in it were built during the works and fell under monumental protection.

The listed historical monument: the building of the Széchenyi Baths (Photo: szechenyifurdo.hu)

As the government office states in its current announcement, in November 2020, in addition to imposing a fine of 20 million HUF due to heritage protection violations, the government office required that the operator restore five units of changing rooms that were dismantled without a permit. Subject to the provisions of the undertaking, the operator submitted an application for a permit on 8 April to restore the dismantled changing cabins, which the government office approved.

The Széchenyi Baths were designed by Győző Czigler and opened in 1913. The building was expanded in 1927 according to plans by Imre Francsek the younger. The spa was last renovated between 1998 and 2006. 

Source: MTI | Abridged in translation

Cover photo: The building of the Széchenyi Bath (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)