Debrecen4U October 14, 2024

Mayor of Debrecen presented the renewed Old Town Hall

Since its construction, the Old Town Hall building has not undergone a reconstruction on the scale of this one. 

Mayor László Papp guided the press through the completely renovated building on the 9th of October 2024.

As mentioned, the renovation started a few years ago. The exterior of the main building was renovated in 2014-15, and in recent years, the rear part of the building, the Orbán House (the part of the town hall facing St. Stephen’s Park), has been renovated inside and out. This included the renovation of the spaces used by the Town Hall civil servants, mainly in terms of mechanical and energy installations, using European Union funds from the TOP programme, and the renovation of the representative spaces of the Town Hall as part of a separate investment from own resources. The Mayor stressed that the traditions of the Town Hall had been respected in all respects and that they wanted to see these traditions become even more prevalent.

An important conceptual element of the renovation concerning the representative squares was to show the historical importance of this building, which is of great significance in the life of the country and the nation. Debrecen has twice been the capital of Hungary, and today, it is still one of the most important cities in the country, a tremendous economic, educational and cultural centre. This house has a beautiful history. As soon as it was completed in 1843, during the Revolution and War of Independence in 1848-49, it was of great importance, as from January to May ’49, the government of the War of Independence met in Debrecen together with the Parliament, and Kossuth was the first occupant of this building.

In addition to Kossuth, the building was also occupied by Franz Joseph, Queen Elisabeth and István Széchenyi. Still, if we look back to recent decades, I could say that prime ministers and party leaders have handed over the door handle to each other in Debrecen, and this building has a vibrant history. This building has been the centre of the Debrecen administration for 500 years, and we wanted this building to tell the story of this beautiful city, and it was renovated accordingly, the mayor added.

As he mentioned, the reception area is a beautiful part of the town hall. The colonnade and the arrival area serve as a symbol of the building’s connection to the city. A mock-up of the city has been created for 2024, showcasing the historic city core and most of the districts of Debrecen, from the Great Forest to the southern part of the city. He also noted that this part of the building could be transformed into an event space in the future. Speaking about the inner courtyard, he highlighted its future role as a significant place for the city’s cultural and social life in the coming decades.

The mayor pointed out that the renovation has been carried out with such a high standard that it will be able to serve the life of the city, the work of the assembly, the representatives and the citizens of the town, even if it is untouched and without renovation, for decades to come. He stressed that the public areas of the building, the staircase, the corridors and the formerly known main council chamber have been renewed. He said that the former large council chamber, now called Simonffy Hall, will be used to welcome councillors and the work of the assembly. László Papp drew attention to the fact that the light sources and chandeliers in the building have been renewed and carry essential messages from the history of the city, the text of the oath of the Chief Justice, and some of the light fixtures display important dates in the life of the town.

“Book printing is one of the most important parts of Debrecen’s economy and history, and if book printing is important, then so is the book. The house has a very close connection with book printing, as the printing press was located in the town hall building for a very long time. We have also created a library space in the Kossuth Hall, which the assembly will decide. The branch library, which is part of the Méliusz Juhász Péter Library network, will be open to the public and called the Citizen’s Reference Library. The library will contain books and publications on contemporary times, politics, social science, law, the gems of Debrecen’s culture and literature, and, of course, publications related to the history and historicity of the city, as well as the masterpieces of book printing. Above the bookshelves, you can see portraits of the city’s former mayors on paintings deposited from the Déri Museum,” the mayor said. 

Source:debrecen.hu