Local services
On the evening of the 25th of April 2024, the 30th anniversary of Cívis Ház Zrt. (Cívis House PLC) held a public press conference entitled “We preserve value, we create value!” at the Csokonai Forum Simor Ottó Orfeum. At the same time, the professional and public prizes of the “Cívis Host of the Year” competition were awarded.
At the ceremony, in the presence of the former leaders of Cívis Ház Zrt., the founders and current partners, the management and journalists, Mayor of Debrecen László Papp first welcomed the participants.
The Mayor highlighted that after the regime change, the Cívis Ház was established as a unique initiative in the country to preserve the city’s assets. He stressed that Debrecen is still one of the few cities with a significant real estate asset in terms of urban strategy. He pointed out that the county capital has a number of landmark buildings that are fundamental to the image, townscape and atmosphere of Debrecen. He also stressed that Cívis Ház Zrt. in addition to the utilisation and preservation of Debrecen’s properties, the company also places great emphasis on their enrichment. At the same time, the company carries out exemplary value-preserving and value-saving activities, while continuously cooperating with Debrecen’s chief architect and city protection organisations.
“Success is not decisive, failure is not fatal: it’s the courage to go on that counts.” With this quote from Churchill, CEO of Cívis Ház Zrt. Edit Erdei began her welcome speech. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary, she said that the last five years had been about crisis management, maintaining tenant confidence, managing challenges and property development.
“The sight of a completely empty Piac Street during the pandemic burned into me for life. That was the lowest point. We are proud that despite all the difficulties, we have maintained the loyalty of the tenants, the stability of the company, the assets entrusted to us and the trust of the owner,” she said. She added that over the past five years, dividends transferred to the owner amounted to 4.2 billion forints, with some half a billion forints of revenue foregone to support tenants. “This is a very outstanding performance in terms of our 30 years of operation. With this, Cívis Ház Zrt. has met all external challenges and internal expectations,“ Edit Erdei emphasised.
The CEO of Cívis Ház Zrt. then presented a certificate of appreciation to the company’s 30-year tenant, the Managing Director of the Northeastern Hungary Region of OTP Bank Nyrt. József Barkó.
On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Cívis Ház Zrt. supported the development of the diverse gastronomy of Debrecen and its region with the “Cívis Host of the Year” call for applications, while also placing great emphasis on its three decades of uninterrupted partnership and constructive professional cooperation. The catering venues in the city centre are a fundamental part of Debrecen’s atmosphere and sense of life. In challenging times of the past few years, these places have stood their ground in an extraordinary way and have made a significant contribution to Debrecen’s vibrant and attractive image.
The award of the “Cívis Host of the Year” was preceded by a test run by a panel of professionals and public figures. The jury was chaired by editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration and curator of Budapest Design Week Judit Osvárt, and chef and Bocuse d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award winner of Dining Guide Lajos Bíró.
A total of 13 tenants applied for the “Host of the Year” competition: Altin Pizza Ristorante Debrecen (Széchenyi Street 1), Borterasz Restaurant (Piac Street 19), Bonita Bisztró (Piac Street 21), Café Frei Debrecen Főtér (Rózsa u. 1) .), Ikon Restaurant (Piac Street 23), Maszek Street bar (Simonffy Street 2/A), Panificio il Basilico (Piac Street 20), Pizza, Kávé, Világbéke (Csapó Street 2), Station Bowling (Petőfi tér 10.), Stühmer (Debrecen Brand Shop, Sweet Shop and Cremeria – Piac Street 32), The Macaron Bites (Piac Street 43), Once upon a time café (Piac Street 16) Wellington Coffee & Pie (Piac Street 39).
The title of “Cívis Host of the Year” is represented by a bronze travelling award created on Gyula Betlen’s 1911 work “Women Holding the Globe. The work in a dignified way advertises the outstanding performance of the winning restaurant for one year.
The original work adorns the building on Iparkamara Street, the headquarters of Cívis Ház Zrt. The bronze sculpture group on the dome, a group of graceful female figures holding a globe, can be seen from several points in the city and is a dominant symbol of Petőfi Square. This year’s “Civic Host of the Year” award goes to the 13-year-old Ikon Restaurant Debrecen. Chef of Ikon Debrecen Ádám Thür accepted the award on behalf of the restaurant.
Besides the professional award, Cívis Ház Zrt. also invited the public to vote for the “Cívis Restaurateur of the Year”, so the guests directly contributed with their votes to the public award for the “Cívis Restaurateur of the Year”. A record number of people voted for the 13 restaurants on Dehir.hu in just one week, with thousands of votes cast for each of the 13 restaurants. The public awarded the “Civic Restaurateur of the Year” prize to The Macaron Bites, a restaurant run by a young couple, as the business at 43 Market Street received the most valid votes. The award was presented to the owners, Judit and Csaba Papp-Pajti Papp.
An important condition was that a vote from one IP address and one email address counted as one valid vote. Out of a total of 1980 valid votes, one lucky winner received a voucher worth HUF 50,000 from Cívis Ház Zrt. to spend this year at the public prize-winning restaurant. The winner, who was drawn at the ceremony, will be informed by a separate letter from Cívis Ház Zrt.
The winning restaurants will be awarded the title for one year.
Source: debrecen.hu
