Location: Fertőd, Hungary.

Architect: 3h architecture – Katalin Csillag, Zsolt Gunther.

Esterházy Castle is a significant baroque building in Hungary, with a spatial layout that reflects the hierarchy of its period usage. The design task involved the more modest, single-storey part of the building, which was to be changed to fit in with the cultural functions of the Eszterháza Centre. The west wing was to become a venue for temporary exhibitions and house support functions. The entrance hall was created by converting the swimming pool space and features a contemporary light installation and a baroque-inspired reception desk. The picture gallery was earlier used as a sports hall, but its original layout was easy to determine from period descriptions and remaining walls. The barrel-vaulted ceiling was an inspiration for the design, with rectangular coffered panels that hide part of the mechanical ventilation system and the framework of lighting. The horseshoe wing has been restored, with the octagonal porcelain room and three rooms painted with recovered motifs. The aim was to treat old and new as a whole, with a pragmatic approach that continues the story of those who lived before. The new features inserted are similar to the old in concept.

Photo credit: Tamás Bujnovszky.