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ARCHITECTURE AS PHILOSOPHY
THE WORKS OF IMRE MAKOVECZ
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ARCHITECTURE AS PHILOSOPHY
THE WORKS OF IMRE MAKOVECZ
Edited by Jnos Gerle
Introduction by Imre Makovecz
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Translations by Maya J. LoBello
and Adele Eisenstein (Chapter Drawings)
Layout: Benjamin Makovecz
Copyright
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CONTENTS
Introduction 7
In the Beginning (interview)12
Explanation 16
The Essence of Organic Architecture 20
Eurithmy 28
The Importance of Symmetry32
A Study on Folk Patterns 36
The Spiral 39
The Message in Folk Art 50
Building-Beings 56
Reflections on Hungarian Words of Construction 64
On the Loss of Presence 68
A Question of Lack 70
The face of God 74
Interview, 1985 78
What Happened and what Could Be Happen 88
Drama: The Story of Hungarys Community Centres 96
To the Visitors 103
Whas Should a Church Be Like? 110
Inner Landscape 122
November, 1989 140
Nigel Hoffmanns Interview with Imre Makovecz 148
Piranesi and Borges 160
The Drawings of Imre Makovecz 210
Address 222
Chronological List of the Main Works 241
Selected Bibliography 248
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Special thanks to the photographers: Mikls Csk, Lszl
Geleta, Jnos Gerle, Benjamin Makovecz, Ferenc Olasz, Lszl
Sros, Tams Sznt, Ger van der Vlugt, Tibor Zsitva and in
a few cases to unidentified authors.
Under the descriptions of projects the abbreviations mean:
(I. M.) Imre Makovecz, excerpts from building descriptions,
different interviews and catalogues
(D. E.) Dezs Ekler, essay in the catalogue of the exhibition in
Vc, 1983.
All other descriptions were written by the editor.
Dates near by the projects give the beginning of the planning
and the completion of the construction.
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Introduction
Thefirst publications about my work to appear in England werewritten
by Jonathan Glancey in thebeginning of the1980s. I haveno idea how
hecameto know about me. Perhaps his curiosity was piqued by the
articles that had already been published in Finland. I do know that Charles
Jencks and Dennis Sharp had someknowledgeof what was going on in
Hungary at thetime. What I am sureof is that Glancey had never before
travelled in Eastern Europe. Hetook thetrain from Vienna and, upon
his arrival at theEastern Station in Budapest, was immediately stam-
peded by a crowd of Arab and Gypsy money-changers. Out of despera-
tion hefinally called us and begged us to comerescuehim. My wife,
Marianne, went to pick him up in her Renault 4. Shebrought him straight
home, but even then hewas obviously still in a stateof shock about the
condition of things here.
Jonathan, this interesting young man with shining eyes and flowing
locks of hair, was convinced that I was a national hero intent on oppos-
ing thecommunist system. Moreover, this hero produced his works as a
kind of intuitional reaction to his surrounding social conditions. Whether
it is dueto a lack of knowledge, information or thetangled web of mis-
conceptions that exists between theEast and theWest even today, Jonathan
believed hewas talking to a strange, Eastern, political revolutionary who
dabbled in shamanism. It was a very long timebeforeI succeeded in
convincing him that this was not true. Later on hepublished articles
about my work in architectural journals. Despitethefact that thesear-
ticles werefilled with a variety of misunderstandings, I still considered
this relationship to besomething positiveand valuable. This relationship
was theonly way interested Western intellectualsfor whom it otherwise
would havebeen impossibleto surmount thedifferences in culturesto
comein contact with Eastern Europe. Dennis Sharp displayed a similar
set of misconceptions concerning my work; heconsidered my work to be
a decidedly individualistic activity, and as such a statement against the
communist systems aggressiveattempts to mould a unified society.
I havelong been intrigued by thesystem of symbols found in tradi-
tional Celtic culture, especially when examined in connection to Hungarys
traditional folk art. I havespent years studying thesymbols seen in folk
art. I wanted to know why, for example, certain patterns used in the
traditional art of Kalotaszeg (Transsylvania) arecalled written patterns,
even though they do not bear theslightest resemblanceto letters. No
matter how onelooks at them, they appear to contain nothing more
than ornamental elements and different motifs. Then, after years of draw-
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ing and pondering, I discovered that thesepatterns areessentially all com-
posed of onebasic symbol and its variations. I finally realised that these
arewritten patterns becausethey usethis symbol in order to commu-
nicatevibrant, living messages and ideas about thestructureof theworld.
Whether peoplecan read it or not, folk art allows us to understand a
messagedating back to a timethat occurred several thousands years ago.
OnceI had reached this point it was not difficult to discover that this
symbolwhileit may takeon alternateforms when in thecontext of the
unique, spiritual and intellectual structureof other culturesmeans the
samething throughout theentireworld.
Needless to say, I found thesamemessages not only in ancient Celtic
patterns, but also in traditonal Scottish dances. Thesedances tracethe
samepattern of lines as thosedrawn or carved into stoneby their ances-
tors. Hungarian danceforms aresimilar in that they also express a set of
basic structures. Thesestructures contain thedoublemeaning implied by
therelationship of opposites seen between maleand female, light and
dark. It is not difficult to unearth theseconnections, especially if one
looks at them as works produced by a high cultureinstead of as the
results of so-called primitiveart. When examined as such, their content
does not contain any hint of a nationalistic or tribal message, but is rather
far deeper, moreuniversal and significantly easier to comprehend than
any manifestation of nationalism could ever be. This does not mean that
theCelts and theHungarians arerelated peoples; instead, a common,
ancient culturevoices itself in thedifferent tones of their folk art. This is
why theenlarged figures bearing two facesrepresenting theCeltic and
Scythian culturesI planned for theexhibition pavilion in London are
ableto speak to oneanother.
This exhibition was originally supposed to beorganised in Covent
Garden. Wesoon discovered that thepavilion could not bebuilt there
becausethearea was under construction. Then Westminster Embank-
ment was selected as thesite. After theexhibition closed, thepavilion
would havebeen reerected on theborder between Wales and England,
whereit would haveremained permanently. In theend nothing cameof
any of theplans.
As can beseen in thepavilions drawings, thework of Sir John Soane
had a great influenceon me, especially after I visited themuseum estab-
lished in his privatehome. I do not know to what extent his work is
representativeof English thought, but thereis no doubt that his work is
held in great esteem. At thetimeI was very intrigued by a question that
I could seealso interested Soane. Except for Soane, Piranesi and Borges
I haveto admit that I find this morein literaturethan anywhereelse
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weretheonly ones I knew of who posed thequestion of, When is now?
I do not know why this now did not happen the day before yester-
day, or a thousand years ago, or why it will not occur a thousand years
after my death. A man finds himself facing this question more and
more as he investigates his own, personal existence. It gains even more
importance when he reaches the point where the end of his life on this
earth grows ever nearer. What is this perishableeternityin which we
live? What of it passes on to the next world? That is, if anything does at
all. If there is a next world at all. Does anything exist in the emptiness
suggested by Heidegger? Or is this nothingness actually an existence
beyond human life? That is, if something so absurd could be true. What
remains behind of an individual after
death? As far as we are capable of under-
standing, how much of thecreated world
can beconsidered total? Does theresome-
whereexist a gateway through which the
other world can beheard? This is oneof
thebasic questions found in Rilkes works.
His Elegies of Duino discuss thepossibilty
of whether or not therecould bea con-
nection between thetwo worlds. I believe
that thereis, only it is not outward, but
rather inward in personal existence. If this
is true, then I haveevery right to hypo-
thesisethat my existenceis not determined
by time. If it is not determined by time,
then I haveevery right to believethat I am
present as Diocletianus builds his palace
in Ancient Rome, just as I havetheability
to livethrough Borgess description of how
on arainy afternoon in Carthage, oncede-
stroyed for ever, a littlegirl is asking for a
cup of water in a perfumed garden where
thebushes bend to theground in suppli-
cation. Rudolf Steiner speaks of a picture
in which everything that has ever hap-
pened or will ever happen in this world
is present at one time. This is the
Chronicle of Akasha. Thus Rudolf
Steiner resurrects a thought from theEast
and turns it into something European.
Celtic cross in Fishgard by the
Irish Sea, built by ImreMakovecz
and his children, 1978
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This is why Soanes housefilled as it is with Piranesis engravings,
wrong turns, mirrors and glass that together madethis exciting world
apparent to mewas so extremely important. Yet at thesametimeit can-
not besaid that any kind of stylistic or formal connection exists between
us. It is simply a matter of a similarity in interests. This is a far moredirect
kind of relationship than stylistic connections. I personally believethat if
a sitewereto bebuilt using a variety of architectural styles, as long as the
result achieved a certain standard of quality, theresult would still bemore
harmonious than if I wereto commission a group of architects subscrib-
ing to thesamestyle. In thelatter casethestructurewould not shakeup
thevery existenceof thoseparticipating in theexperience. Whether or
not someonefollows a certain styleis a question of taste. This has noth-
ing to do with themeaning of architecture.
Here, in continental Europe, Great Britain is thought of as aunified
world, and consequently treated as such. Theexperiences gleaned in the
courseof my travels arethat Great Britain is in fact an extraordinarily multi-
faceted, colourful nation. I discovered theexistenceof entirely different
worlds in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. In England, for example,
onecan find even today theremnants of an ancient Saxon culture. While
this is also interesting, I am moredrawn to theCelts. Theimportant thing
is that I found avery diverseworld in thelast placeI had expected it. I
merely regret that Great Britains ambitions and hidden diplomacy con-
cerning therestructuring of society and thefateof humanity is not on par
with thesheer variety of hues seen in thelives of its citizens. To me, when I
think of theUnited Kingdom, small villages tucked into thecorners of
Welsh mountains cometo mind. I think of thepeopletherewho appear in
green costumes and green masks at summer dances. I seetheir carved fig-
ures placed on gates, nestled among grapearbours. I think of thecomplex,
seemingly endless, whirling dances of theScots. Last but not least, I think
of theextraordinarily sensitiveinterest in theworld of theEast, which I
havealways experienced when meeting with this part of theworld. Yet
when wesay theword, Great Britain, noneof this appears herein our
minds. Noneof this exists as apart of our common knowledge. Tolkiens
world, which touches thedeepest part of our existencetoo, is not included
in our everyday thoughts concerning theBritish.
It is therefore a great pleasurefollowing the earlier volume written
by Edwin Heathcoteto be able to satisfy the curiosity of all those En-
glish-speaking readers in Great Britain and the wider world interested
in my work with a new book including a more comprehensive selec-
tion, more of my own writings and details concerning my latest works.
ImreMakovecz
Montagewith forest people, 2002
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WRITINGS AND PROJECTS OF 40 YEARS
1964 2004
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In theBeginning
Theevents of 1956, a shining dream that ended in an unforgivablede-
feat for thenation, aretheinvisiblebackdrop to thebeginning of my
career as an architect, in the60s. It is still a kind of inexplicablemiracle
how thenation managed to stay on its feetno matter what sacrifices had
to bemadeafter 1956. Many areof theopinion that Hungarians area
spineless, traitorous, aggressive, lazy bunch who spend their timearguing
and blustering. Many liketo arguethat, despitetherevolution in the
autumn of 1956, when May 1
st
rolled around, at least half of thecountry
turned out to celebrate. After all, nothing less is to beexpected from this
spineless, worthless group of peoplewho lack all signs of character. This
is just theway Hungarians behave. Fortunately, far morepeopleareof
theopinion that thematter which forms our nation stands on a peak far
abovethemachinations of thepolitical scene. Politics thereforehas little
say in how this matter is formed. A nation cannot betouched. A nation
can only bewiped out. It cannot bemolded into something new. The
fact that theHungarian working class marched in theparades on May
1
st
as if a revolution had never happened a few months beforecan per-
haps beviewed as an exampleof spinelessness. Yet I still say
that thethereforms of 1968 would never havebeen madeif
things had not happened this way. And thesereforms were
indeed made, despitethefact thatand few peoplearewill-
ing to mention thisafter 1956 thenation had to look on in
silenceas its land was onceand for all wrested away from
theHungarian farmers, turning Hungarys agricultureinto
an impersonal, centralised system.
Two massivedefeats thereforeform thebackdrop to the
60s. Any other nation would havebeen incapableof sur-
viving even oneof thesedefeats. Onedefeat led to the
nations roots being torn out of thesoil, whiletheother
led to thenation being beaten down with riflebutts. Fear
of thecensor keeps many peoplefrom mentioning this
when they talk about the60s in Hungary. Thesetwo facts
stand likelooming shadows in thebackground, but they
werealso sacrifices. This, in any event, is how I view them.
Both of thesedefeats aided thedevelopment of a new eco-
nomic system. In thefaceof sacrifices likethese, our lords
and masters wereforced to admit that changes had to be
made. Otherwisethenation would, onceand for all, fall
to its knees and never riseagain. ()
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TheTechnical University was, in my opinion, an eclectic conglomera-
tion, a palaceof wonders into which it was an honor to beincluded. I
was happy and proud to havebeen accepted into theTechnical Univer-
sity. In my second year I discovered theuniversitys documents office, a
placeI am grateful for to this very day. In thedocuments officeI found
piles and piles of articlesall in manuscript formthat werecompletely
unavailableto therest of thecountry. Therewerea lot of translations to
befound theretoo. Thanks to Professor Weichingers recommendation
for which hehad to accept full responsiblitythepeopleworking there
werewilling to let meread them. Thus I cameto befamiliar with the
persona, thoughts and work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Think, for a mo-
ment, of what this meant! In 1955 therest of thecountry had just ab-
sorbed theZhdanov school of socialist-realist architecture. ()
Then, in my third year I received thetask of designing a halszcsrda, a
traditional, Hungarian kind of fishermens pub and restaurant. I tried to
solvethis problem by bending a fish-likeshape. This was to bethebuild-
ing. Another fish-shapewas then placed upright, thus becoming thechim-
ney. This was my attempt to design my buildings around living forms. As
kindly and patiently as possible, my advisor, Csaba Virg, mademeput
this drawing aside. Instead hehad medesign somekind of littlehouse
with a thatched roof. His comment was that if I haveto bethis way, this
should sufficefor now. Out of this camea design for which I received
high marks, yet it still was not what I had wanted thebuilding to be. In
thenext semester I was told to design a public bath. I took all kinds of tall
domes of different sizes, lined them up besideeach other and used a flat,
shapeless sort of form to tiethewholething together. ()
These, in any event, weremy first childish attempts to createliving
forms in architecture. They caused quitea stir, to put it mildly.
After 1956 theTechnical University was quitean unusual place. The
first movement toward rationalisation had already swept through the
university, resulting in thedismissal of Professor Pl Csonka as well as
other teachers. And now wehavecomefull circle. Wefind ourselves once
again at thesubject of therevolution. To mepersonally, and to my entire
generation, which was in its twenties at thetime, therevolution was the
most important timein our lives. Therevolution, together with thelight
it brought to us, lasted a very short time. Theyoung peopleof today find
it impossibleto accept thestrength of that light. But this light is exactly
what sustains my generation, even today.
Excerptsfroman interview with MrsMtSzab
for theOral HistoryArchivesof theNational Szchnyi Library, 1987
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Berhida, Restaurant, 1963-64
Velence, Cpa restaurant, 1963-64
ImreMakoveczsfirst work characteristic of hisown style, therestaurant in Berhida,
manifestsastrong relationship to Rudolf Steinerssecond Goetheanum taking on a
similar expressiveform. Thebuilding appearsto havebeen shaped by forcesexploding
outward from thestructuresinner core. Thedesign elementsalso increasetheviewers
awarenessof thestrangely human characteristicsevident in thebuildingsstatic forces.
With hisapplication of aconcavefaade, Makovecz succeedsin enlarging thebuilding
into onegrand gestureof embracement, thereby transforming it into thesurreal image
of an enormousbeing. (D. E.)
Thebuildingopensout toward thesurroundinglandscapelikeamedieval helmet with
itsvisor pulled up, or ahalf-open eye. TheCpa (shark) Restaurant displaystheinfluence
of thefirst Goetheanumasmuch asthat of traditional Hungarian folk architecture. My
Western architect acquaintancesviewed it asan exampleof organic architecture, while
my Hungarian friendsthought of it asarevival of Hungarian folk architecture. (I. M.)
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Szekszrd, Si FishermansInn, 1964-65
Thesurrounding vineyards cover thewholemountainside. Therowsof grapesare
punctuated by vinecellarswith whitewashed wallsand thatched roofs. Thebuilding
itself consistsof apub and arestaurant, aswell astheusual serviceareas. Thebrows
abovethewindowsand thebottomof thewallsaredecorated with pebblespressed into
thebuildingssurfaceon both theinsideand theoutside.Thisisthesameimageasin
Velence. Theopen roofsshift away fromeach other alittle. Similarly, thestructurefor the
serviceand cateringsectionsaredistinctly divided accordingto how their function changes.
Thesamekind of metamorphosisof aright angleinfluenced by thedemandsof func-
tioncan also befound in thework of Alvar Aalto. (I. M.)
Budapest, HerdsmansInn, 1966-67
Theroofsstructureisreminiscent of an open umbrella. Two columnsstand in the
two focal pointsof thepolygon, which approachesan elliptical form. Theslanting
strutslean against thelower third of thecolumns, whiletheceiling beamsrest on the
columns capitals. Thekind of thatching used in theSouthern-Transdanubian region
of Hungary wasused to cover theroof. (I. M.)
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Explanation
Many think of architecturepurely from thepractical point of view of
function. Someemphasizestructure, whileothers appreciatethestyles
placein art history; in other words, they makeit a matter of taste. Most
peoplehere, in this crushed Central Europeof borders and wasteland,
relateto architecturewith a kind of social sensitivity. That is, they wallow
in details, losing sight of thearchitectureitself. Theresult is an almost
neurotic rejection of thebuilding.
At thesametimemoneyowned by an international industry which
has gained control of theforces governing military budgets and thenet-
work of military supply agencieshas replaced local values, local ways of
thought, as well as theconcept of a human identity belonging to a certain
place, family and nation. Among other things, it has also replaced that
typeof architecturewhich, for thousands of years, appeared in thepublic
sphereas an intervening force: themother of thearts, with all thecosmic
dignity and beauty such a roleimparted. Whilehumanity still thought of
itself as a part of theworlds godly hierarchy, hovering between angels
and animals, whilehumanity believed itself to bea mereguest hereon
this planet, it also thought it natural for cultureto supply everything,
from thearea of agricultueto dress to architecture.
I livein an agein which a hidden and organised anti-culturedesires to
replaceculturein its freeand open form. Graffiti on grand old buildings,
thelifeof homelessness, organized crime, theproduction, selling and
consumption of drugs, thepresss loss in stature: theseareall accepted,
legitimate, basic parts of a militant anti-culture. This cultureurges people
to believethey arefrom animals and merely exist as a biological unit
among theearths many accessories, with no existencebeforeor after
birth. This anti-culture tells us that lifeis to beenjoyed, and that afflu-
enceand consumption arethemost important conditions for this.
Here, in Europe, wehavelived through almost acentury of destruction.
It is thereforevery difficult to speak of just oneareaof cultureor even of
onenew buildingwithout feeling that every thought, every connection
must beexplained from thebeginning. This world hardly (or still) seesor
does not even admitthat cultureis merely acontinuaton of nature. Art is
nothing elsebut theunravelling of ancient pictures hidden in nature, dor-
mant and never to becompletely realized by pen and paper.
It is difficult to understand that knowledgeis a landscape, a meta-
naturein which wemust travel. Wemust cometo know theconnections,
thethoughts of great thinkers and how thosethoughts intertwinewith
thethoughts of other great thinkers or schools of thought.
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Thewritings and drawings in this book arenothing morethan the
continuation and thebeginningof other peoples thoughts. If they arenot
familiar to usand not just from thepoint of view of thepast, but of the
futureas wellwewill not understand, wewill not see, for wearenot in
themeta-natureof knowledge. In other words, wehavenot entered the
secret garden. By walking in cultures garden wecometo a higher level
of existence. In other words, wecomecloser to a world which could be
described as uplifting. Theancient Greeks called this stateof rising up
estetiko.
Thefollowing quotation, spacewindstorm, illustrates what I am say-
ing. R.M. Rilkeused theimageof spacewindstorm in his work. Its
presencehereis not accidental, for Rilkes lifeand goals affected not only
Hungarian poets likeRnay or Pilinszky, but myself as well. (Just as Bla
Balzs and Bartk havetoo.) But this windstorm contains more: hereis
Bergson, von Hartmann, the19
th
Centurys William Morris, together
with theintellectual revolution of Kleist, Gza Csth and theAustrian
Trakl, social equality, gates opening in thesky, thecracking open of
Goethes glass domeof classicismtheseareall found here, from thoughts
concerning nativeplants to theeyes pondering human misery. Theword
spacewindstorm is thereforea dangerous word, and onepregnant with
significance. It is theword of a new pantheon which is ready to act. It is
R.M. Rilkes word, rising in the21
st
Century.
Thewritings in this book contain many words and sentences similar
in meaning to that of spacewindstorm. They arethereeven if I did not
always surround them with quotation marks. Bcklin, Blake, deC sar
andhorribiledictuMax Ernst and Bergmann also inspireme, just as
Italo Calvino, Umberto Eco and Mihly Babits do. I could continueto
list thenames of thinkers who, on thebranching paths of my life, have
provided new perspectives and significant elements to that landscapeand
environment in which I journeyed. Of course, I too shall sharethefateof
theChinesepainter ordered by theemperor to paint something that
looked as real as thereal thing. Theonecondition was that if theemperor
did not find thepainting to bereal, hewould havethepainter executed.
When thepainting was complete, theemperor shook his head no. A
pity, thepainter replied, then stepped into thepicture. Hestarted off on
thepainted road up thepainted hill, walking until hewas lost from sight.
Nobody ever saw him again.
Foreword to thevolume
rsok (Writings) epl 2000
Drawing to aChristmas
greeting card, 1988
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Kaposvr, Shopsand Library, 1968-69
A library and acafwerecombined with theintent that recreation and intellectual
enrichment could occur in within onestructure. At thesametime, our goal wasto
createatypical small townor rather village-typebuildingthat would refrain fromusing
traditional, heavy-handed meansin an attempt to createtheappearanceof beingmod-
ern. Instead, weworked to reach thekind of scalethat would fit in with thesurrounding
family homes. It hasbeen our experiencethat theflat-roofed, single-story, so-called
modern buildingsconstructed in villages(such asstores, banks, servicecentres, apart-
ments, etc.) introduceaconfusion in scaleto their environment. (I. M.)
Similar to therestaurant constructed in Tatabnya, theinnsfaaderesemblesaface.
Simultaneously, theterracereaching out toward theTiszaRiveraswell asthebuildings
entireground planismuch softer and looser in comparison to theformer. Concrete
supportsalso sprout forth from thecolumn standing in thecentre.
Szeged, FishermensInn 1968
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Kecskemt, Motorists Inn, 1969
In thecaseof thedesign for thisrestaurant in Kecskemt, thecombination of aspatial
formation that shiftsand opensoutward with amain body of massthat seemsto em-
bracetheviewer resultsin auniquetypeof spatial form: atunnel-likespacethat out-
wardly increasesin size. Thedeliberatesplit found at themeeting-point of thebuildings
two functional elementsisan exampleof thesamekind of solution. (D. E.)
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TheEssenceof Organic Architecture
Organic architecturein Hungary wishes to providean alternativeto Eu-
ropean architecturein thelast third of the20
th
Century. This alternative
has existed in our nation since1964, when such buildings werebuilt by
designers who brought back to lifeand madeactual theideas and prac-
tices of folk art and thehumanities. I usethephrasebrought back to
life becausethesetwo areas wereforced into a stateof slumber for a short
time. Forty years, to beexact. This forty years was all architectures inter-
nationalistic period of purist-cubism lasted.
Theoriginal goal of our kind of architectureis to createa connection
between thesky and theearth, while, at thesametime, interpreting and
expressing themovement and placeof human beings. A building should
bemagic. A building should havea secret effect on its surroundings. We
areworking toward a mythical period in architecture. It is our goal to
balanceout theimperceptible, magical strengths of a technical civilisation
with other imperceptible, magical forces.
Theindividual, thecommunity, thenation, theworld are, for us, over-
lapping layers of flower petals swirling out from onestem. Liketheleaves
of a rose, they cannot betorn from their placeor replaced by some-
thing else. This is why our kind of architecturemeans buildings
that areconnected to people, to place, to thelandscape, to the
nation, to Europeand to theEarth.
A buildings ties to people, landscapeand nation re-
quires arethinking of intermediary systems, an equality
between form and material. Finally, it also requireswhat
I believeto bethemost important part of architec-
ture: thedramaof work. In other words, this in-
volves whereand what kind of commissions we
takeon, whereweplaceourselves on theintel-
lectual map of Hungarian architecture, what
story lies behind theplanning, construction
and lifeof each of our buildings. Last but not
least, it concerns thefateof our buildings and,
in theend, our own fateas well. For I believe
that here, in Central Europe, wehaveastrong
need for anew and freefate. Weneed anew life, alife
infused with our traditions and uniquehistory so wemay do
what must bedonein Europein order to survive. Our houses often
bring an ancient, sometimes gloomy atmosphereto mind. Disap-
peared peoplecan beheard chatting in thewalls. Our domes block
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thesky aboveus whilewall designs used in thefolk art of scattered ethnic
groups becomea part of spatial structure. Our ancestors, banished from
our consciousness, arethronging for speech. They do so in order to help
build that which is apt and correct, as dictated by our belief and vision.
Weendeavor to rejuvenatedestroyed, abandoned towns and villages. This
storythefeeling of recognition, of finding oneanother, thedifficulties,
thebattlefor our nations futuremust by all means beconcentrated into
thewalls, theroofs, therooms, thehalls, thehouses, theplots and even
into thevery matter of thestreet itself. Otherwisethebuilding means
nothing.
Here, in theCarpathian Basin, wheretheScythian and Celtic empires
onceruled, a uniquelight shines forth from theground. This is the
motherlands inner light, that midnight-day which is theday of a spirit
forced underground. Thelight of this day turns our houses into special
beings. Here, between Sky and Earth, they exist as elements in a meta-
nature, as a continuation of natureitself.
Foreword to theexhibit catalogue
l ptszet (LivingArchitecture) Budapest, 1985
22
Balatonszepezd, Summer Cottages, 1965-67
Gyulavri, Restaurant 1969
Thesethreelittlebuildingsareplaced oneabovetheother, gradually climbing up the
sites natural incline. Weattempted to fit their character into thesurrounding
environmentscliffsand forests. Thebuildingspossesstheir own faces and pro-
files, all turning in thesamedirection. Their massisconnected through theuseof
wallsthat flow into oneanother, thereby creating theimpression that thethreebuild-
ingsarevisually aswell asstructurally inseparable. At thesametimewealso went to
great effort to useonly natural materials, such asstone, wood and pebbles. Symmetry
wasanother important factor, together with theideathat themassand thedetails
should coexist in away that reflectsan organic interdependence. (I. M.)
Thisbuilding ushersanew period into ImreMakoveczscareer. Itsstructurecan al-
most beinterpreted asan illustration of ametamorphosisin theorganic supporting
frame. Thesolution of having slanting strutsand rafter beamsbranching out of a
columnasseen in earlier worksisunited into arib-likesystem of supportsfor the
first time. Thissolution doublesasspatial support in thecaseof theterrace, covered by
aquarter-sphereform. Theconfining skin surrounding thebuilding isthusunited
to thesupporting frame. Asaresult, organic architecturestectonic approach to con-
struction reachestheclimax of itsown metamorphosis. (D. E.)
23
Tatabnya, Csknyosi Inn, 1966-68
A chimney standsin themiddleof thebuilding, thefloor plan of which comescloseto
beingaperfect circle. The chimney also functionsasthesupportingcolumn for theroof
structure. Two largeeyesopen up theotherwiseclosed buildingin thedirection of the
best view fromthesite. Theinn ispart of aseriesof plans, but it wastheonly oneto be
realized out of five, different designswhich in fact istheaverageratio between realized
and unrealized plans. In any event, theinn in Tatabnyawould haveliked to havebeen an
architectural exampleof theimageof ahuman face, includingtheskullsclosed nature;
but no better exampleof thisformcan befound than in ayurt or ahelmet. (I. M.)
24
Srospatak, Cultural Centre, 1972-83
25
TheU-shaped School of Education planned by Jen Lechner standsoppositethe
cultural centre. Thecultural centreisalso U-shaped, and thecourtyardsof both build-
ingsliealong thesameaxis.
A dissection of theyin and yang symbol resultsin aface-likepattern. Theupper,
visiblepart of thebrooch displaysthissamestructural design. Symmetry providesthe
organizing principlethat, in turn, also givesform to theyin and yang symbol. Symme-
try iswhat bringsall anthropomorphic formsoriginating out of cosmic, formless
sourcesto life.
To describethefloor plansbasic design: thelargehallsform thehead, theneutral
zoneisfor everyday use, whilethelower stemsarewherethesmall roomsand their
subordinating functionscan befound.
Thesethreeprinciplescreateaseriesof hierarchical, organism-likeconnectionswithin
thebuilding. Vertically, thebuildingconsistsof two, very distinct parts: thefoundation
and thebuildingsupper structure. Thefoundation ismadeof concreteand turnsinto
thecapitalsof columnsthat also providetheendsof thewalls. Thejointsareanalogiesof
themetamorphosisthat occursin thedevelopment of plants. Columnsgrow out of the
earth, liketreetrunks. Theupper structure, likeatreesbranchesand increasingly smaller
network of twigs, mimicslifesloveaffair with thesun. I attempted to makethedetails
asfineand asfresh aspossible, at least finer in comparison to thefoundation and the
upper structure. I wanted themto replicatehow thesun drawsunbelievably colourful
and almost animal-likeflowersout of thestemof aplant.
In conclusion
Thebuilding isacreature-likeexpression of asymbol, or system of symbols.
A metamorphic relationship existsbetween thepart and thewhole.
Thebuildingsfunctional system isnot democratic in nature, but rather hierarchical.
I. M
26
27
Srospatak, Cultural Centre, 1972-83
28
Eurithmy
I learned from Rudolf Steiner theconcept that ideas put into motion
could beput to good use. A littleafter theturn of thecentury a branch of
art developed around Rudolf Steiners work. This branch cameto be
known as eurithmy. Theguiding concept behind eurithmy is that speech
and music can beexpressed through motion. Theseareexpressed by the
order of certain sounds following oneanother. Each sound possesses its
own motion. Theintellectual knowledgeand content which occurs be-
tween sound and motion is theonly proof that thetwo arelinked. For
instance, an A must beexpressed with outstretched arms. Thetwo
outstretched arms point upward in, lets say, a 45 angle. Thesound U,
on theother hand, is madeby a persons moving both arms upward, in
theshapeof a tuning fork. And so on. Every sound has its own motion.
A new form of art was conceived out of this, and at thetimethey believed
this to betheorigin of dance. In truth wearetalking about a dance, an
intellectual process exposed with a magical kind of power. This dance
was a constellation madevisibleat times of celebration, an event which
didnt just havesimply microcosmic, but also macrocosmic import to
thepeopleof that time. Eurithmy was therejuvenation of an ancient art
form, taking placeat theturn of thecentury. I myself saw a similar pro-
duction in Goetheanum in 1964. Shakespeares Tempest was performed
using eurithmy and Sprachgestaltung. Thedrama was staged in a half-
spiritual, half-physical way. Thewholething was almost likea Welsh
ghost story. Thestagewas fantastic.
The figures moved behind about
thirty layers of curtain. Each layer
was illuminated with different
coloured lights. To tell the truth,
something similar to Gesamtkunst-
werk took placebeforeour very eyes.
Ivenever seen anything elselikeit.
I never expected my experiments
in motion and form to reap any kind
of practical benefit. I was morein-
terested in seeing if something ut-
terly unexpected would happen
when wedid this. Something, for
example, we never would have
thought of. Theentiregoal of my
experiments was to produceunex-
29
pected results. Onesimply had to becareful not to go
beyond therealistic combinations chosen according
to ones best knowledge, nor to form prematuretheo-
ries based on what was already known.
If I wereto tell you how thesephoto sessions took
placein thedark of nightwhen, for example, weper-
formed an etudecalled On theSlopeor if you wereto
seesomeof thesefor yourself, it would bequitean
experience. Weworked under extremely primitivecir-
cumstances. Wedidnt haveautomatic cameras, so
wehad to find a spot in completedarkness, open the
lens and flash away as quickly as possible. Meanwhile,
wehad to keep moving according to theplan. The
human eyeretains a pictureof themovement thats
already happened, and notices thedevelopment of
form in empty space. Then, with eyes closed, or in
total darkness, thewholething comes together. The
forms created by this typeof motion wereincredibly
beautiful. And, even though theexperiment provided
nothing that could beused in architecture, it still taught
mea lot about thekind of forms human motion is
capableof producing, as well as thecharacter of these
forms. Nonetheless, it proved impossibleto makesomekind of ideology
out of this or put any of it to practical use. It was equally hopeless to try
to turn thesemovements into somekind of mathematical formula, as we
had amateurishly wished in thebeginning. Wetried and did not succeed.
Themathematicians claimed thesemovements contained far too many
intricatecombinations. What wewereaiming at was to translatean intri-
cateproblem into a lower mathematical level, thus achieving measurable
surface, as Otto Frei and Gaud did. This proved to beimpossible. I do
not believewewill continueour experiments. Yet, I still think weshould
concentrateour wholebeings on this. Given ten years or so, theperim-
eters of such an activity might berevealed. Or maybesomething even
more, something that would requiresomeones completeattention.
Excerpt froman interview with Dezs Ekler
in Makovecz Imre, Bercsnyi 28-30, 1981
30
Velence, Youth Recreation Centre, 1973
ImreMakovecz spent morethan ayear developing theplans for this structure, one
of his largest ever. Unfortunately, it was never actually realized. Thearchitect,
however, did preparea set of blueprints for theyouth and athletic centremeant to
beconstructed in a corner of VelenceLake. Thecentrecontains a hotel, a swim-
Sopron, Nagytmalom, Recreation Centre, 1970
31
ming pool, shops, an open air cinema, restaurants and other entertainment facili-
ties. All structures aredesigned in reinforced concreterings differing in height
and curvature. Theensemblereminds theviewer of enlarged skeletons of petrified
amphibians at thelake.
Velence, Youth Recreation Centre, 1973
Sopron, Nagytmalom, Recreation Centre, 1970
Therecreation centrewasplanned on theunbuilt shoreof alakein thesuburban area
of theWest-Hungarian town Sopron. Different shops, acaf, arestaurant, aboat-
house(thecolored building), ahotel and changing and washing roomsfor theswim-
mersarebelonging to theensemble(theface-likebuilding). Theplastically formed
concretebasementsarecovered by reed roofs.
32
TheImportanceof Symmetry
From thetimeI started planning housesand it was this way even while
I was still attending universityI havedesigned every building of mineto
besymmetrical. Earlier on I did not know why I did this; certainly not
becausesymmetry is a characteristic trait of classicism. Nor was this some
kind of eclecticism on my part. It was, as I havebeen realizing bit by bit,
therevelation that symmetry is a dominant characteristic in theworld.
Thehuman faceis symmetrical, even though therewereperiods when
peoplestressed its assymetry in an attempt to discover assymetrys spiri-
tual meaning. A treeis symmetrical. Its trunk grows symmetrically if one
looks at its axle. At thesametime, trees show another, moreimportant
kind of symmetry: they areas symmetrical growing upwards as they are
growing downwards. Oncein thelatesixties I designed an enormous
hanging polealthough I was never ableto haveit constructedwhich
could havesupported a tree. A revolving axis placed in themiddleof the
polewould haveenabled thetreeto revolein theair so its roots would
sometimes bein theair, sometimes on theground. I wanted to provethat
trees dont just grow from theground. Trees grow downwards, in the
world of darkness, as much as they grow upwards, in theworld of light.
Obeying thelaws of two poles, trees perform both activities at once. This
is why trees are, to me, fantastic living creatures. Ever sinceI realised this,
I feel likeI am strolling on theborder of two forests when I takea walk in
thewoods. Theforest of darkness stretches downward, whiletheforest of
light reaches toward thesky. I thereforefeel that theconnections I make
concerning themeaning of symmetry arevery important. They arejust
as important in architecture, although not from a traditional sense, but
rather as something without which it is impossibleto build a good house.
God builds likethis too. This seems to beHis way of maintaining the
world. I myself am symmetrical.
Experimental analyseof symmetry
and asimmetry on ahuman face.
Thetwo sidesof extremities
and thebalancein themiddle(1970)
33
Theother important influenceis motion and its various forms. All
human movement, at least when expressing theentirehuman structure
and not performing somekind of utilitarian purpose, is instinctively sym-
metrical. When either blessing or cursing, I lift both arms and hands.
Thefact that I roughly knew what kind of houses Id liketo build, yet
found myself confused by all kinds of ideological architectural methods
that only allow oneto put up additions, not build a real house, upset me
terribly. I wanted to buildand I am referring to methods used by Wright
right nowan integration
of theinner soul. To this
day I believethis is what
architecture is meant to
be. Theremust bean in-
ner meaning to every
building, a kind of mean-
ing which cannot be
named, yet reveals itself
during theplanning pro-
cess. I dont trust archi-
tects who claim thepro-
gram must belearned as a
function, the elements
must beput together, and
then we will arrive at a
very clever and modern
building. Either thesearchitects arelying, or they haveno senseof imagi-
nation. In any event, they arent real architects. A real arhcitect learns the
program and goes out to thebuilding sitefor thepurposeof discovering
just what kind of househewants to build. Oncethis has been revealed,
its his duty to work with his idea until it finally unfolds, turning into an
issueof structure. Thus, in its origin, architectureis not really architec-
ture. Architectureis simply theresult. A person doesnt begin planning a
houseas an architect. I do not wish to deny theexperience, knowledge,
etc., I haveemassed over theyears, but thetruth is really this: this in-
spired inner meaning is not a product of either knowledgeor tools.
Excerpt froman interview with Dezs Ekler
in Makovecz Imre, Bercsnyi 28-30, 1981
34
Gyr, Duna Department Store, 1969-71
Srospatak, BodrogDepartment Store, 1968-72
My dream wasalwaysto build with reinforced concrete. I wassoon forced to realize
that thisisimpossiblein Hungary becauseof theexisting poor quality of execution. In
order to beableto createbuildingswith thekind of formsand structuresand souls
that I wanted, I had to find another kind of building material. I would haveliked to be
ableto createbuildingsthat might havetaken their placeamong Steinersor Speers
works. (I am thinking of thebunkersSpeer designed for thedefenseof Normandy
Beach when I mention thisarchitect.) (I. M.)
Thedepartment storesdifferent levelsconsist of rowsof poured, reinforced concrete
ringssupported by Vierendeel trusses. Thesideplatesexpress, aswell asbear thenegative
stressand compacted forcesthat arearesult of thedoublesupports. Thisflower-like,
enormousbody showsitsinner lack of balancein theparapetschangingheight. The
interior consistsof galleriesthat giveaclear view of thebuildingsinsidespaces, for a
country department storeshould bemorelikeaforumthan asupermarket. (I. M.)
35
Szentendre, Art Gallery, 1970
Tatabnya, Restaurant, 1971
Theplan consists of a central space, symmetrical and anthropomorphic in nature.
I believethat thisisan instancewhereuniaxial and circular symmetry areableto reach
asuccessful partnership. Lifeand society, however, arenot capableof thesameaccord.
Thisplan wasnever realized and never will be. (I. M.)
Thecaressing U shapeis acharacteristic form of theearly constructions. Theter-
raced exhibition rooms aremirrored back by thestepped jumps of thebuildings
body, but themost widerooms havethebiggest height. Theplanned structureis a
row of inclining reinforced concreteshells in thefunction of thewalls and theroof.
36
A Study on Folk Patterns
A few of thepeoples living in Europewereableto combinean ancient
knowledgeknown as folk art with theknowledgeimparted upon the
Western world by Hebraic and classical traditions. Then, in seven or
eight hundred years time, this colourful and always uniquemixturede-
veloped into what wethink of today as European culture.
Thosepeoples, however, who wereeither not willing or unableto ac-
complish thissuch as theNorwegians, theCelts, theHungarians, the
Bretons and theBasquesadopted European culturein thebelief that it
represented ahigher form of culture. This process of acceptancetook
place, yet thepeoples attempting to adapt to thenew culturenever gained
areal understanding of what it means to beEuropean. As aresult, theidea
of European culturehas always been alittleforeign to thesepeoples. To
them, European culturehas always carried thetaint of imperialism, which
means they go through lifefeeling that they havesomething to hide. This
something to hide takes many forms and embraces many languages, yet
contains aremarkably similar world of symbols that havebeen preserved to
this very day.
Thesehidden manifestationsincluding ghosts or fairies and dwarfs, as
they appear in southern Germany and Northern Franceappear in virtu-
ally every form possiblein thear-
eas whereAustrians, Romanians
and Hungarians dwell. In Hun-
gary they areapparent even in the
20
th
Century, whether wearedis-
cussing thefolk taleabout the
wailing iron-brideraking her fin-
gernails down thewall, theelabo-
ratedesigns in textiles, or thepo-
etry of thepoet, EndreAdy.
Nowhereelsebut Hungary do
wefind folk art asit standspoised,
aching to beborn and longing for
thesunlight. Thesedays it mat-
ters so much whether aperson
subscribes to theschool of folk
art, or rather to theschool of high
culture. Yet nobody admits what
a serious problem this division
presents. Instead webelievethat
37
this condition of either-or is theonly way intellectual activity can exist in
Hungary. This mass of good and bad, open and secret, blessed and cursed
alternatives is what has engendered acertain kind of mentality found not
only among theHungarian intelligentsia, but among thegeneral public as
well. It is without doubt that this mentality was thecausebehind fivehun-
dred years of lost wars, not to mention thefact that wehavealways lived on
afrontier between East and West. Or West and East, depending on which
way it is looked at.
What I mean by this is that our existenceon theborder between East
and West is and always has been apart of our nature. Perhaps this is our role
in life. Whether in themidst of darkness or light, good or bad, blessings or
curses, wehavealways stood on aline, whether that lineexisted or not. In
other words, wewereeither that lineor endeavored to beit. It is therefore
not surprising that wehavetaken sides with both theEast and theWest, or
that wesometimes think dark is light or viceverse. It is not surprising that
wesometimes thought our cursed path toward self-destruction was ashin-
ing path to thelight, yet at other times buried ourselves in bitter self-accu-
sation whileother, moreobjectivepeoples looked upon our deeds with
wonder and praise.
TheHungarians never really becamecompletely Christian. And, as
quickly becameapparent, this situation developed into theusual stateof
division between Hungarian Catholics jeered at as being
Papists and Protestant Hungarians called hard-
heads. On apersonal level, does not everyonein
this country havehis own opposite?In truth,
theones who truly suffered werethosewho
wanted to providesolutions, asenseof unity.
Vrsmarty, Szchenyi, Ady, Latinovits and
many of our other great thinkers wanted to
bring Europeto Hungary, and this is the
key to understanding their unusual and
tragic lives. Liveslikethesewould not
becomprehended thesameway
in theEast or West.
It is my opinion that the
sun of an ancient, secret un-
derworld shines under the
brilliant sun of European
culture. In thefolk arts of
Eastern Europe, in Celtic
ghosts, songs and clothing
Written pattern of asaddle-bow
from therpdian Age
(X.-XI. Century)
38
wefind another kind of cultural spirit. This cultural spirit is not nationalis-
tic in nature, but rather possesses thepower to createand connect peoples.
I feel it is my mission to bring this cultural spirit to consciousness as
much as possible. I do this with my life, my architectureand my research.
Pursuing agoal likethis is virtually impossiblein acountry of borders such
as Hungary. In any other country, however, it would never benecessary.
At thesametimeI do not seemyself as either apreacher for ancient
Asian studies or as asupporter of theoccult workings of thefreemasons,
who exert their influenceall over theworld. I haveno desireto oppose
anyone. I would simply liketo achievethekind of knowledgeand insight
which allows meto understand and seethings as awhole. Without this, my
vision would always bedouble; everything would bedueto themove-
ments of opposites, and nothing more.
I believethat thedoubleworld symbolised by ancient Egypts priests and
pharaohs, Arthur and Merlin or theHungarian rpd and Kurszn offers
us thecontours of atypeof lawthat applies in general to theentireworld.
I would liketo understand this. I do not, however, want to takesides. I
stand asidewhen it comes to debates about whether something belongs to
folk or urban, Hungarian or Jewish, master or slave Yet I haveno illu-
sions: I know that among my listeners only thosewho possess amodicum
of tolerancewillunderstand me.
Excerpt fromImreMakovecz:
Napl (Diary) I. Dombvr, 1978
Spiral pattern on aCeltic grave
39
TheSpiral
Thedoublespiral with its lines of dark and
lightas is shown by StoneAgeartifacts as
wellrepresents the changing values of
near and far. Sometimes thelight part
of thespiral is close, whilethedark sideis
far, or viceverse. Upon seeing this, my first
thought was that theoneend of thespiral
extends into infinity whiletheother end is
boring into my eye. I tried many times to
makea model of this endless, doubleline
out of wire. At first I just madea simple
spiral, onewith decreasing amplitudes at
both ends. This simplespiral was not what
I wanted, for it had two centres and did not
bear any resemblance to a symbol. The
drawing and photo included show that I
was eventually ableto createa figuresome-
what liketheinfinity sign in mathematics.
When I twirled this spiral, thewireappeared
to bespinning not only up, but down as
well. Suddenly thespirals (usually unseen)
40
point of origin becamevisible. Now
I knew wherethis twisting motion,
working in two directions, was com-
ing from.
This spiral is nothing morethan a
spatial illustration of the double-
centred spiral always seen on a plane
in thesymbol for yin and yang. As
weknow, yin and yang represent life
and death, attraction and repulsion
in other words, it shows thedouble
natureof everything. This is thein-
flexiblepoint wheretwo points con-
vergetoward zero. This is thepoint
that cannot beapproached either in distanceor in quality, liketheseed that
gives birth to motion in either an upward, or downward direction.
Next, I spun thewirein theoppositedirection. Now I was ableto ob-
servehow thetwo lines, coming out of infinity, flowed directly into one
another. They never met, even though thewireitself was acontinuous line.
Theform of thewireexactly likethemathematical sign for infinityturned
this continuous lineinto two lines destined never to meet. I seethis as an
exampleof both pre- and post-existentialism, which I cameto understand
(at least on somelevel) with thehelp of this exercise.
In itsown uniqueway, thisspiral illustratestheempty, yet still anguishing,
issueof wherehavewecomefromand whereareweheading?In other words,
weall comefrom two directions, for thecombination of our fateand our
inner selves is what makes us into awholeperson. Wecross an impercep-
tiblepoint and enter thequality hidden within thesign. In theend, the
thoughts posed by my wiremodel of thespiral proved inadequate. What
this object suggested was simply abit too unbelievable. To tell thetruth, the
thoughts I havewritten abovewerewhat forced meto continuethinking.
Therest of this thought was an orangethat I divided into two half-
spheres. I was ableto createareproduction of theyin and yang symbol out
of thepeel from each half. Theresult was two spirals lying in asymmetrical
planes. At thesametime, thesurfacefor thewholespherewas created by
theaction of thetwo planes flowing into each other. Thespiral on oneside
of thespherewas in thewhiteposition, whilethespiral on theother side
looked black if viewed from thewhiteside. This was truefrom theother
sideof thesphere, only theblack was now whiteand thewhiteside, black.
I suddenly realised that thetwo spirals contained, within themselves, a
sphere. And weall know what acosmic, physical form thesphereis. By
41
halving thesphereI rediscovered aform that was as ancient as it was new.
This was in completeopposition to what I had learned in school. It even
opposed thenonchalant way I had sliced apples in half until then.
I measured theinner length of thepeel I had madeinto aspiral. Follow-
ing this I was then ableto comparemy measurements with thosetaken
from spirals decorating, for example, thepommel of asaddlefrom the10
th
Century. My measurements coincided. And I discovered this pattern by
making orangepeels into spirals. Now I understood alittlebit moreabout
thepopular palm-leaf pattern, not to mention thepatterns found on an-
cient, runic stones in Ireland. In other words, formsexistingin a planecon-
tain a spatial, imaginarymessage. This lesson was truefor theaforemen-
tioned saddlepommel, but it was also trueof runes, and of thedragon
design traditionally seen on pillowcases in Hungarian embroidery.
This fact mademereconsider thefollowing questions: how had this sign
I was studying managed to influencetheworld for thousands of years?
How had this signalways growing in richness and significancemanaged
to remain aliveduring thelast two thousand years, despitetherelentless
faceof European individualism?
This is abasic question even today: how can weseetheworld as one
when our natures aredouble?Lifeis created by thedoublespiral of idea/
observation, inner self/ fate, man/woman, death/life. Yet this truth means
nothing to us in this form. It takes agreater, morecompleteunderstanding,
deeper observation and morethought for it to mean something. It is not
thewords that shine, but that which illuminates them. It is not themulti-
plication of basic parts, but thedivision of higher systems that results in the
meaning of basic, elemental things.
After all: atennis ball or an orangecan only behalved through themeta-
morphosis of theoriginal form.
Excerpt fromImreMakovecz:
Napl (Diary) I. Dombvr, 1978
42
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Tourist Lodges, 1977
A seriesof plansfor tourist lodgingsweredesigned at therequest of therecreation and
tourist centre. All structureswerearranged according to ahexagonal ground plan and
constructed with curved, glued wooden beamscovered with layersof planksthat lent
thestructuresatent-likeappearance. After experiencing thefailureand construction
problemsinherent to working with plastic-formed reinforced concrete(especially in
thecaseof theSrospatak Cultural Centre), theselodgingssignal therebirth of the
architectsstylein wood.
43
A variety of servicestructureswerebuilt on or around thecamping site, located in
clearingsof theforest. Thereareseveral washrooms, cooking and dining facilities, a
boiler room, bath and storage. Thebuildingsareall wooden structurescovered with
planksand, asbefitting their surroundings, areminimal furnishingsof natural cathe-
dral: theforest. Thebuildingshousing thewashroomsareborn out of thearchitects
analysisof signsof folk art. Thisexpression later returnsin alarge-scaleversion in the
Roman Catholic church, Paks, with itsheart-shaped ground plan.
Thereception building, together with itsattached dwelling, wasalso built with curved,
glued, wooden beams. Theglued strutsbend down to thegroundwherethey then burst
into aseriesof sidesupportsfromthekingpost standingin thecentre. It islikeawillow
or linden treestandingin ameadow. Thetreesbranchesbend all theway to theground,
and whoever crawlsunder themfindsahouseinside, ahouseof green leaves.
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, CampingComplex and Recreation Centre, 1978-79
44
45
46
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, CampingComplex and Recreation Centre, 1978-79
47
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Restaurant, 1980-82
48
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Restaurant, 1980-82
49
Therestaurantsground plan followsthesamebasic linesasseen in thecamping sites
other hexagonal structures. It isan enormous, tent-like, wooden building sided with
wooden planks. Therestaurant hasagallery; thekitchen can servevisitorsdirectly
acrossthecounter. Thebuilding issurrounded by dining areashidden under curved
planking asaway to providecomfort and privacy.
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Restaurant, 1980-82
50
TheMessagein Folk Art
In my opinion thephrase, folk architecture, doesnt exist. Architecture
is a profession, an activity pursued by professionals. Folk architecture, on
theother hand, is an entirely different thing. Today it either doesnt exist
or, in therarecasethat it does, belongs to theworld of kitsch. Many like
to sneer at kitsch, but I happen to likeit. Kitsch analyses everything that
is missing from theconfused, barely understandableart of this half of the
20
th
Century. Sincemoreand moreis missing in art, theworld of kitsch
is becoming moreand moreinteresting and rich in variety.
In thebeginning of the20
th
Century a revolution swept across most of
Europe, deeply affecting theintellectual lifeof thetime. This revolution
would haveliked to havecompletely renewed both intellectual lifeand
society. This revolution occurred in our country too, leading to extraor-
dinary results in my profession as well, such as thework of dn Lechner
and Kroly Ks, among others. It is without doubt that from thevery
beginning I also participated in this intellectual revolution.
It was dueto this revolutions influencethat I began a morethorough
study of theHungarian peoples origin, character and intellectual con-
struction. Folk art was a natural exten-
sion of thesestudies. I becameincreas-
ingly eager to know what exactly Hun-
garian folk art containswhat is its mes-
sage? After thework of many years, I re-
alized that, in contradiction to what many
havesaid, Hungarian folk art bears abso-
lutely no resemblanceto nationalism. On
thecontrary, it is a universal, intellectual
messagefrom themodern worlds prede-
cessors, a messagewhich is utterly unique
and exists in a pureform. At thesame
time, I also realized that in terms of cul-
turealot moreties us to our neighbouring
countriesnot to mention Celtic and
Scythian traditionsthan a superficial ex-
amination of folk art would first lead one
to believe. It should also bementioned
that my styleof architecturedeals just as
much with discovering possiblebuilding
and structural designs in human motion
as it does with folk art. Theseparallel in-
51
terests led meto discover certain simi-
larities between theelemental, pictorial
conformations in human motion and
theconformations in folk art. And now
it is perhaps appropriateto mention
how thekind of architectureI practise
is related to folk art. For example, I am
not by any means interested in conserv-
ing folk art in somekind of higher form
of art; theimportant thing was for me
to immersemyself in folk art so I could
cometo understand it. In my opinion
architecturehas its own language, its
own way of communicating. For me
its enough if the buildings I design
speak this language.
According to my beliefs, this language
speaks for thepresent, as an equal. At
thesametimea several thousand-year-
old past is there, as well as thepossibil-
ity for thefuture. It is my heart-felt con-
viction that buildings must bebuilt in
a humanemanner. This is possibleif
wepay attention to that which our an-
cestors created morethan a thousand
years ago in the Carpathian Basin.
Modern architecturemust befounded
on theseuniqueconditions, conditions which know no borders. A building
should behuman, centering around thehumans it contains. It should be
a placewhereeverybody can becomfortable. This is why my opinion of
my completed works is thatalthough it is very likely that other, more
important architectural works wereborn in the20
th
Centuryminedefi-
nitely help slow down theunbelievably quick and overpowering process
of forgetting that is so characteristic of this century.
Excerptsfroman interview with Dvid Bognr,
in Heti Magyarorszg, 09.12.1994.
52
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Farm, 1980-82
Another part of thehiking centre, which containsthestewardsliving quartersand a
caf. Thecentreof thebuilding echoestheform of atraditional, peasant courtyard. In
aconceptual gesturethehouseitself issliced on both sidesin half along theaxisof the
pediment where, facing outward, theterracessurrounding thebuilding wereplaced
under aroof upheld by supportsresembling branching treetrunks. Thusagradual
transition iscreated between thetraditional built environment and thetreesof the
surrounding nature.
53
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Farm, 1980-82
54
Graz (Austria), Installation, 1984
Orwell-year 1984, A Messageto theSurvivors
In themiddleof Graz, aconnectingsystem of cavernswascarved
out of theSchlossberg. Theseunderground pathways were
brought to lifeby fear, and thecavernswerefilled with thefear
of thosewho fled hereduring theWorld War II. How isa
person to fight against theterror biting all theway through the
layersof theEarth, especially when histask isto shed thelight
of truth on theshadow world of lies?Thesolution isto dig
down into thedepthswherethedark forcesreside, down into
theworld beyond our senses. Thisistheplacewherethean-
cient imageof dynamic balance, thetreasurethat istheworlds
spiritual basis, must beplaced. A cupola-likewideningcan be
found in themiddleof thecavern I wasassigned. On oneside, an
enormous, egg-shaped boulder jutsout fromthaewall. I covered
thissurfacewith runesof evil and good, for onecannot exist
without theother. I wrotethesesignsin themost powerful colour
possible, with human blood. Amongtherubbleleft untouched
in thecavern, stoneglobesliein thedust. Theseglobesareetched
with thesymbolsof truth, in such away that they can beunder-
stood by everyone. In thecavernsshadows, thesewordsof bal-
anceprovetheexistenceof what cannot bedescribed. Candles
light theentrance. Only oneperson can enter thecavern at a
time; our inner fearsareour only company onceinside. (I. M.)
55
Graz (Austria), Installation, 1984
56
Building-Beings
Folk versus urbane: ridiculous alternatives in my opinion. Intellect in this
world has no need for doubleforms of realisation. Theproducts of folk art
arenot about thekind of nostalgic changes begun in the19
th
Centurys
Romantic period and continued today. Thereis no such thing as folk-
inspired high art. Thereis, however, folk art, also known as Pop Art, kitsch
or any of theother kinds of human activity reduced to undefined catego-
ries. I am also afolk artist, if someonehappensto ask. I am also aHochknstler,
if themood is upon me. I can remember peasant forebearers; dirt floors
and wooden beams form thelandscapeof my memory, just as others re-
member acolonial bedroom or prefabricated cabinets.
I acceptwhat is more, I supportthefolk school of architecture, yet I
also look down upon thosewho try to hidetheir lack of talent behind an
isolated, bitter-sweet kind of romanticism. I feel thesameway about the
kind of lust for power hidden behind an arrogant affectation of being Eu-
ropean. Both mistakes feed off oneanother. Thoughts flood through the
world likeground water: in layers. Water in afive-meter deep well is differ-
ent from water in athirty-meter deep well. Thewater in an artesian well is
different onceagain. I dont drink water from wells that weredug only five
meters deep. On theother hand I very much likethearchitectureof Ven-
turi, Leon Krier, Goff, Bhm and Csete. In this list of names onecan
equally find thepresenceof urban and folk influences.
Folk customs bear an ancient, univeral message, amessagewhich exists
in other forms besides music. It is therein all kinds of forms of expression.
It is amessagethat binds peoples together and gives their lives order. Since
theturn of thecentury every attempt at analysisisout-of-date, every attemtp
to break freeis doomed to failure. Theideaof living in agiven order is a
very old one. To methought is adramain process. If this dramais trans-
lated into words, it becomes thesynonym of ancient laws. A song, the
patterns drawn on objects, thelocation of avillage, therouteof roadsthese
arenothing less than thethought-out worlds language, as spoken by the
peoples spirit.
Organic architecturesprings from two sources. Onesourcecomes from
Wright, who developed theideaof buildings organically fitting in with the
surrounding landscape. Therelationship between detail and whole, build-
ing and landscape, person and building must develop into something more
than Duchamp would haveus believewith his exampleof theforgotten
snow shovel and thestreetsweeper. Organic architectures second source
must beexplained in moredetail.
Tatabnya, thenew
Csknyosi Restaurant, 1980
57
My kind of architectureishumanized architecture. Itsinspiration isalways
human in nature. I alwayspay attention to afacesfeatures, itsphysiognomy.
I not only find thefaceto bethesourceof expression, but also itsform. The
world, in my opinion, isan interesting placebecauseI seein it what God has
left behind. Thehuman faceisthegeography of theimagination. Thisiswhy
my buildingsresembleapersonsfaceand theroof lookslikeaskull. I call my
buildingsprobably dueto theinfluenceof aChagall paintingseeinghouses.
Yes, they haveeyebrowsand something of anose. With thisI would liketo
expressacertain inner truth: buildingsarebeings.
Thehuman face, body and system arranges itself in asymmetrical fash-
ion. As anecessity, symmetry thereforearranges thefunction and structure
of my buildings according to its own rules. I haveyet to experiencethat
something unnatural or forced has comeout of this concept.
Thebasic law guiding thearrangement of matter is symmetry and
assymetry. Assymetry finds its placewithin symmetry. In other words, this
is ahigh-level system which, when in astateof entropy, results in assymetry.
Themost important vision to meis symmetry. When sitting on thebank
of astill lake, I seethemirror-imageof themountain behind mein the
water. Thelineof thebank provides thelandscapes axis of symmetry. If a
boat happens to pass by, destroying themountains mirror-image, symme-
try doesnt ceaseto exist; this absurd world merely provides us with asur-
prise. In symmetry, thedirections of right, left, up, down mean something.
Symmetry is not ruined by thefact that my heart is on theleft side. This is
not amistake, but means something.
My father was originally acabinetmaker, but healso did carpentry. Fol-
lowing thewar hetook on alot of carpentry work becausealot of de-
stroyed roof trusses needed to befixed. I was big boy by then and went
along to help. I watched and learned how to work with wood. Perhaps this
is onereason behind why I likebuilding with wood. My buildings are
organisms. Wood is aliving material. Hard woods live, breatheand per-
fumetheair fiveto six years after being cut down. A cut-down, milled tree
smells good. A corpse, on theother hand, stinks.
Wood is resilient. A wooden house, if inhabited, remains strong. Even a
run-of-the-mill, soft, pinewood lasts 150 yearsand then only needs re-
pairs. Six-hundred-year-old, five-storey, wooden-framed buildings can be
found in Western Europe. Peoplelivein them even today, although they
also takecareof them. If abuilding isnt taken careof, it will fall into decay
whether of wood, or of concrete.
Excerpt froman interview with JnosFrank
in ImreMakovecz, Corvina, Budapest, 1980
Budapest, Richter-house, 1983-85
58
Budapest, Farkasrt, Funeral Chapel, 1975-77
Theoriginal building was built in thebeginning of the1930s. Thechurch was
bombed in World War II, and acolumbarium was madeout of thewalls that re-
mained. Weredesigned themiddlepart of thebuilding, which contained fivemortu-
aries. Theoutsideof thebuilding remained thesame. I wanted thechapel to resemble
theinsideof ahuman ribcage. Theribs wereconstructed of wooden panels. The
coffin containing thedeparted stands in theplaceof theheart. (I. M.)
59
60
This structureis theclearest il-
lustration of thearchitects at-
tempt to differentiate func-
tions by formal means. This
approach can even becalled an
exampleof conceptual art. The
restaurants interior, an organi-
cally shaped quarter-sphere
reminiscent of apieceof fruit
(with furniture designed by
Gbor Mezei), contains araised
gallery section. Thepart hous-
ing thekitchen is arranged ac-
cording to strict right angles,
covered in tiers that echo the
sites natural characteristics.
Szentendre, Restaurant, 1973-76
61
Vc, Funeral Chapel, 1981-84
Thechapelsspatial configuration isbased on theshapeof araised heart, similar to the
church realised later in Paks. Theribcage-structureisformed by thebuildingsspine
and ribsover thehall wherethefuneral riteswould beperformed. Insidethishall a
bordernot only symbolic, but also architecturalseparatestheareasof lifeand death.
On theoutside, akind of earthen rampart surroundsthebuilding, serving thedual
roleasawall and asaplacefor funerary urns. Pairsof treeswith alternately light and
dark brancheswould havebeen placed in thechalicesdesigned to decoratethetop of
thechapel.
62
Tokaj, Shelter for Summer Workshop, 1977-79
Thebuilding isacentral, wooden cupola. A king post standsin thecentre, topped by
a wooden bird over theroof. A hearth can befound directly under theking post. A
gallery is supported by thelineof theinner columns. Thecupolasentranceissitu-
ated toward thesouth. Gatekeepers, or protectivespirits, guard it on both sides,
whileadividing column supportsthemiddleof theentrance. Thestructuresdiam-
eter isonly aquarter of that for thecircleweraised out of earth around thebuilding.
Threetreesstand in thecentreof thisearthen ring. To thewest isaliving alder, in the
middleweerected acolumn designed by thesculptor GzaSamu, and to theeast isa
woven creature-tree, madeof freshly-cut willow branchesthat will takeroot and
bloom after completion.
Thebuilding isneither anostalgic exampleof somekind of folksy house, nor isit
somekind of fashion statement. Far morethan anything else, it resemblesaliving
being whoseopen mind and spirit preservessomething of thosewho built it (mem-
bersof an annually organized folk-art workshop), whilesimultaneously accepting
thosewho believein thepossibility of ashining, consciouscommunity life. (I. M.)
63
Tokaj, Shelter for Summer Workshop, 1977-79
64
Reflectionson Hungarian Wordsof Construction
Thefollowing words areused in connection with thetops of buildings:
konty(bun, as in abun of hair), tarj (comb, as in aroosters comb), szarv
(horn), haj (hair), gerinc(spine), far (backside). This group of words ex-
presses two ways of looking at things. Thefirst four words all suggest the
imagethat thetop of abuilding is likethehead of somemassivebeing. The
last two words then fill out this comparison with theimageof thehump
formed by thebeings back. This unusual imageis madeeven moreinter-
esting by thewords used in Hungarian to describeabuildings internal
structures. For example, ahousethat possesses acoxcomb, aspineand a
backsidewill also haveapair of eyebrows (szemldk) under its forelock, or
stk. Underneath theeyebrows thehouses eyes (szem) arenaturally found.
At thesametimethis housestands on its own soles. Thelegs (lb) and
knees (trd) areformed by thestuds supporting thehouses walls. Its eyes
look out upon theworld from under its forehead (homlok), also known
as thefaade. Thehorns, or rafters, areconnected to each other with an
ear (fles), or a connecting joist, abovetheshoulder (vll), wherethe
ceiling meets thewall. Entranceto thehouseis guarded by a gate. The
columns supporting each sideof thegateareeagles (sas). Thetwo halves
of thegateareknown as wings (szrny) in Hungarian.
Whilemany words aremissing from this list, it is still enough to makeus
realisethat thesewords tend to createavision of aunique, surreal being
morethan they describetherealistic, commonplacepictureof an ordinary
house. This being stands at afixed point on aplot of land known as let in
Hungarian. Thismeanslife. Thelegsof thebuilding arethen grounded,
meaning that earth is mounded up
around thebaseof thebuilding.
Thefireplacestands in thecentre
of thehouse, under thetrumpet
(krt), also known as thechimney
flue. Just think of all thestories that
centrearound this place! Think of
all the stories about the fire, the
hearth, theinner Sun, thesmoke
and thedesignated road for good
and bad spirits to leaveor enter the
house.
This building-being, within
which thefamily lives, thebeing
whoseeyes glow with fire, thebe-
65
ing whoseeyes allow us to look out upon or gazeinto theinner world of
another being, lives on in our words.
TheservicehouseI built in Szentendreis a reflection of this tradition.
Thebent spineof its roof, its forelocked faade, thetwo, naturalistic eyes
peering out from under its forelock, as well as theempty, glass facebor-
dered by two walls spark thesewords into a living, architectural reality.
Describing a building from this point of view alonemay seem too simple.
After all, I havenot mentioned theother factors that work to createa
building, such as thebuildings function and thematerials used in its
structure. Thesefactors arealso important. I rarely speak of all theideas
used in turning a building into a work of art. Yet even a small portion of
theseideas general principles or systems is enough to develop our cre-
ated environmentand without having to worry that, dueto a lack of
original ideas, an empty world will bereflected in our buildings. These
days a significant percentageof designed buildings aremerely empty as
they attempt to beeclectic or technological.
This is precisely why theoverhang I built in Nagyvillm was designed
to crawl out of theearth gradually. By doing so it does not block theview
from theterraceaboveit, yet it also grows taller so that peoplecan walk
under it. Thecanteens kitchen can also befound under theoverhang. At
thesametime, theterrain and theoverhangs ultimatefunction werenot
theonly factors to affect its form and structure. Its spine, forelock, legin
other words, its beingaretherealisation of thething that appears to me
during thebeginning stages of thedesigning process. This thing is the
buildings inner meaning, searching for theroad toward reality. This is
how Frank Lloyd Wright described this process: buildings becomereal
Dobogk, ski-lift house
66
from theinside-out. Each building can bebroken down to thedetails of
its inner meaning.
Thereality of thebuilding-being is, from thepoint of view of architec-
ture, still just apicture. Architecturemust thereforemakeuseof theoppor-
tunities presented by thespirit that lives on in this picture. To methis
opportunity can besummed up as aproblem between borders, to bedealt
with in arealistic manner. I am talking about theborder between thephysi-
cal world and theworld that exists beyond our senses. Thewords tradition-
ally used to describeconstruction havelost their real content. Thetechnical
synonyms for thesewords havechanged throughout thecenturies. The
rafters areno longer horns. Thedoorjamb is an eagleno more. Yet these
words still exist in theliving structureof language. Teetering on theborder
of understanding, imagination and reality, thesewords havegrouped them-
selves into theshapeof apowerful building-being for thepurposeof creat-
ing anew kind of reality.
In architecturethis new reality is born out of theunknown, revealed to
us in signs.
Excerpt fromImreMakovecz:
Napl (Diary) II. Zalaszentgrt, 1980
Dobogk, ski-lift house
67
Thebuilding housesthemachinery for aski-lift, whilealso acting astheterminal for
therideup themountain. Spacefor aconcessionsstand and an areafor gueststo warm
themselveswerealso included. Itssurprisingly lifelikeappearanceisareflection of
ImreMakoveczsdiscovery of theway archaic wordsused to describeconstruction
connect structurewith thebody partsof living organisms. Theskin or shell on the
ski-lift housesimilar to thehouseconstructed in Tokajislent theappearanceof hair
through theuseof slanting layersof plankscovering thebuildingssurface.
Dobogk, Ski-lift House, 1979-80
68
On theLossof Presence
Wearemoreprepared to put our faith in adventure, or a trip to the
unknown, than wearein our own work. This is perhaps becauseweare
longing for thekind of challengethat will finally changeour souls. We
believein thequick reshuffling of characters, in physical and spiritual
unfaithfulness, becausein cases such as thesewecan act out in advance
thechanges weso desireto achieve. In other words, wecomfort ourselves
with theevidencethat wearenot theonly ones changing: our environ-
ment is changing too.
Wespend hours sitting in front of thetelevision in an attempt to sub-
stitutefor our own inner lack of storming pictures. It is as if that long
history of battles wehavefought in order to gain possession of our iden-
tities has recently becomefar moreserious. It is as if a new world has
arisen out of forgotten memories and lost opportunities. This new world
is theorganised world of appearances, thekind of world that does not
requireour personal participation. What is it wehaveforgotten? Wehave
forgotten how to greet oneanother. To stand up straight. To look one
another in theeye. To makeroom for thosewanting to pass us on the
sidewalk. To shakehands. To tell our children stories. To sing. To work.
Wehaveforgotten how to bealonebecauseour homes aredesigned to
makeit impossibleto bealone. In other words, wehaveforgotten how to
bepresent. This lack of presenceis perhaps themost characteristic symp-
tom of our age. In my opinion this almost physical senseof forgetting is
no different from death. Thepictureof a humanity that has forgotten
itself is no different from thepictureof a dying Earth. (I cannot free
myself of thethought that thevast oil fields still locked within theEarth
arenot only theremnants of prehistoric forests, but also contain the
remnants of people, animals and cities that fell victim to someancient
tragedy. Today theburning bodies of this ancient humanity riseout of
our automobiles exhaust pipes in theform of smoke. Who can say that
this tragedy, this ancient situtation, had not been brought about by a
general loss of presence?)
When oneforgets, onedoes not forget his own personal memories.
Instead oneforgets all too easily that thought is what makes theworld a
real place. Thehuman intellect exists in us as theliving organ of an inde-
scribableunity. At thesametimeit is forgotten that a personal memory
brings onecloser to thewhole. Forgetting, however, is when thesememo-
ries areleft unrecognised and moldering, ignored by theconscious.
Birth is preceded by theword, which gently awaits its turn on the
borders of existence. Thosewho havealready crossed this border stand
69
beforetheword. Thus memory, in theform of a familiar body, is un-
knowingly waiting for theword, whilea new lifeis also waiting for the
word to beuttered. Thebody is our link to memory. Memory is our link
to theword. And theword is our link to thosewho havealready crossed
theborder of existence.
Forgetting thereforeendangers thefutureof a previous body. Denying
theexistenceof our personal ancestors (and hereI am not thinking of the
kind of physical existencethat is theresult of loveand multiplication),
erasing them from of our lives, must makethespirit world feel thesame
way as theaccused feel when facing thefiring squad. Bodies linked to the
indescribablethereforebecomethemagical instruments for a friendly
relationship with thosewho havegonebeforeus.
Excerpt from ImreMakovecz:
Napl (Diary) II. Zalaszentgrt, 1980
Externsteine(Germany), and as it
could havebeen or could be, 1999
70
A Question of Lack
In Hungary architectureis not thought of as an art. When theword archi-
tecture is mentioned, peopleusually think of houses. In other words, ar-
chitectureis equated with privateand public problems that need to be
solved. Other than this architectureis also atechnical issuein theareaof
technology. In no way is it aform of art. In Hungary it is considered natural
for art historians not to befamiliar with or even understand modern archi-
tecture. I do not want to discuss thereasons for why thepolitics of educa-
tion has allowed this situation to evolveduring thelast few decades. I am,
however, positivethat it was not by chance. According to our leading facul-
ties and committees, architecturebelongs in thecategory of industry, ser-
vices or provisions. It does not belong anywhereelse. TheMinistry of Cul-
ture, for example, does not includearchitectureamong its tasks.
No matter which category it is put into, no matter how peoplelook at
it, architectureis still theembodiment of our social myth. If thearchitec-
tureto beseen in our country is boring; if our homes areall big clusters of
flat-topped high-rises; if it is easy to mistakeonehousefor theother; if
thereisnt any kind of community lifein thehigh-rises becausethereisnt
any placefor residents to meet; if our villages arelosing their identity,
even though hugehouses arebeing built there; if construction and archi-
tecturein Hungary has lost its national identity, resulting in a neutral sort
of character, then this is our social myth.
Theconcepts surrounding architecturetoday aremuddled and scanty.
If a renowned poet or sculptor were to build a house for himself, the
resultmost likely not of the same quality as its occupantwould not be
due to lack of funds, but to a
lack of knowledge. Yet how
many architects aretheretoday
who design empty boxes for
their clients, then buy a beauti-
ful, old peasant housefilled with
antiques for their weekend re-
treat? This is why I do not view
the general dullness, lack of
character and professional schi-
zophrenia so typical of todays
architectureas a complete lack.
A lack like this has to be cre-
ated first; this lack is therefore
nothing more than a result.
Zalaszentlszl,
Community Centre
71
Thosewho arefamiliar with thecurrent condition of education in
schools of architecture; thosewho haveheard theempty words uttered in
secondary schools when thestudy of historical objects is mentioned; those
who haveheard about thekind of relationship that exists between indus-
try and skilled industrial designers; thosewho arefamiliar with thestruc-
tureand atmosphereto befound in architectural firms all know that
architectureand theroleof objects did not fall into this condition by
chance. Weareliving in theageof materialistic individuality. Theonly
thing powering this myth is lack itself. Thereis a lack of homes, lack of
businesses and a lack of day-care. Thereis a lack of trueidentity and a
lack of freely practised community life. Surroundings occupied by face-
less, nationless objects has robbed later generations of their elementary
ability to develop their own characters. Lacking their own senseof iden-
tity, they arehelpless when it comes to developing their environment and
theobjects around them.
If wewereto travel across a few European countries, wecould observe
someinteresting changes when approaching theborders. Among other
things, thehouses changeeven though theplants and hills remain the
same. When wecomehomeit is not thepoverty, theneglect, that is so
striking to us. Wearestruck instead by therealisation that our architec-
tural environment is lacking in character and national feeling. And I will
not accept anybodys explanation concerning Hungarys need to riseeco-
nomically, thedifficulties involved in making up for hundreds of years of
backwardness, or all theresults that havebeen madein improving the
nations economy.
What I miss themost in architecturetoday, as well as in other aspects
of our society, is thepower of theindividual. I miss thesenseof an indi-
vidual, uniqueand very special identity. I miss thesequalities becauseit is
only with their aid that a communitys special facecan arise. Thepower
of each individual, as well as his natural senseof vocation, is turned into
soulless (and thereforepoorly done) work and activities only completed
for money at his workplace. Architectureis no exception. A schizoid
social myth is no good for anyone.
Yet westill adapt our lives to this schizophrenia, all thetimereferring
to laws, orders and what not. Wesimply forget that which is most impor-
tant to us: ourselves, our lives, our children, our gardens, our homes, our
prized possessions and all theother things that welive. Weforget what
webring up. Weforget thethings that wehaveto do becausenobody else
can do them. This responsibility cannot bebrushed away or forgotten.
ImreMakovecz: Foreword in
Makovecz Imre, Bercsnyi 28-30, 1981
72
Zalaszentlszl, Community Centre, 1981-85
Thevillagecentreissituated at thevillagesmainand onlystreet, wheretheroad wid-
ensinto aplot of land largeenough for thebuilding. Thecommunity centrecontains
transformed old houses, whiletheempty areabetween thebuildingswasenclosed. The
inner courtyard islined by thetreesthat werealready growingon thesite, aswell asby the
branchingtree-columnsused to support theverandasroof. Insidealibrary, club rooms,
apub and guest roomsmay befound. Thecentral hall isalso used astheschools
gymnasium. Most of thebuildingsconstruction wasdoneby thepeopleliving in the
village, who had no previouspracticein construction. In spiteof thepolitical philoso-
phy at thetime, which thought that cutting off small villagesfrom government sup-
port would enablethecentralisation of community life, constructing thevillagecentre
locally meant that thevillagecould retain faith in itsfuture.
73
Zalaszentlszl, Community Centre, 1981-85
74
TheFaceof God
I firmly believethat theworld is theimprint of God, theplacefrom
which Hehas withdrawn.
Even though this opinion makes it morecomplicated to understand the
world, questions theworth of individualism and renders it moredifficult
to withstand thedemands of parents, I still believethat it leads to mistakes
that aremoreenlightened than thesupposedly indisputableproof gleaned
from scientific discoveries. I believethis becauserecognising theshape of
God in any event always leads oneto seethewhole, and not just apart. If
thetrees aremotionless at dusk, agroup of ancient peoplebreaks thespell
it was under and comes back to life. They stand beforeus with apples
hanging from their hair and arms, and wefeel that their characteristic si-
lenceis actually aslow, continuous murmur. This experiencetells us far
moreabout historys mysterious beginnings than if wewereto definethe
samegarden by its measurements, or by how many of its trees areproduc-
ing fruit. I find it an impossibleventure(I do not know what elseto call it)
to livewithout considering this experience, which, after all, is what differ-
entiates us from everyoneelse. I find it impossibleto livewithout discover-
ing theuniquefact that our reality lies within this difference. As such it
should takeprecedenceover everything else, for this is what enables us to
lovetheworld and feel that weareonewith it.
It is precisely this inner dilemma that draws peopleto God. Gods
existence(or lack thereof) is only questionabledueto a singular trick of
time: Gods existenceonly appears provableafter Hehas already with-
drawn from events, or even from people. Things and beings only become
material and visibleif they havecomeout of God, for it is God and the
faceof God that is visible in them.
Jszapti, Cultural Centre
75
When a building has been completed, this is themoment that wehear
themusic that is thesound of God withdrawing. When thebuilding is
still under construction, all of theproblems, upset and worries do not
leavetimefor us to think of themagical timewhen everything will be
ready and wewill finally beableto stand in thebuildings centre. In the
end westand aloneas themusic resounds around us, abandoned in Gods
wake. Wegather together, making speeches and leading guests through
thebuilding, in vain. In spiteof all our efforts thereal beauty is in His
dead image, in all thework and conflicts that wereHim.
In theend weareleft without even thesatisfaction of knowing whether
it was really God who left us, or somebody else. But this Somebody is my
works meaning and purpose.
To metheother great mystery in architectureis thequestion of depth.
Whilethis is a quality that appears truein space, it can bemisleading
from thepoint of view of time. What happened a long timeago always
seems distant. Prehistoric times, however, arelost in thefog, even though
wehaveevery reason to look at thepast with theeyes of a child, as if it
werenew. Times chasm can only bebridged with thehelp of a new
approach. I learned this approach and method from Rudolf Steiner and
folk art. According to this, timeis morelikea performanceof Wilson
only slowed down and endlessthan it is a long hallway wherememories
arestored in warehouses and theend is always lost in thedistance.
Thefutureof European architecturedepends on whether or not it ever
takes into account its past, its partial successes and unfortunatemissed
opportunities. Arethey still fresh or havethey becomeobsolete? (Will
our spiritual knowledgeof theworld ever cometo thelight, or will we
persist in obeying theblack powers manipulations?)
It is absolutely imperativethat westop practising didactic architecture.
Instead wemust present our clients with everything that is themost
beautiful, themost celebratoryand thereforethemost dangerousin ar-
chitecture. Thearchitectural realisation of social ideals has caused enough
unhappiness.
I hopethat others arealso ableto seetheslow movement of our ances-
tors in my architecture. I hopethey seetheir faces as they stareout at the
surrounding world. I hopethey areableto seetheplacethat God left
behind, cooling beforeour eyes. This is theface, this is themap for every-
thing that has already happened or will happen.
ImreMakovecz: Closingwords
to theexhibit catalogue, Vc, 1983
76
Jszapti Cultural Centre, 1983-87
Thiscultural centrebuilt in asmall town containsastagesuitablefor many uses, acafe
and numerous, small club rooms. Thegallery section found on thefirst floor displays
thesameforemat schemewhether seen from thetheatreor thestreet. Itsstructureis
organised according to similar principles as thosefound in thecultural centrein
Srospatak. Theroof isaframework of beamssprouting forth from thecapitalsof
concretecolumnsextending out of brick walls.
77
78
Interview, 1985
Judit Ossk: No matter wheretheyare, your housesalwaysappear to beat
home. Theviewer alwaysfeelsthat thesehouseshavealwaysbeen there, that
theybelongwheretheyareand areconnected to theplacewheretheyare
situated. Then thereisthefact that thepublicusuallydoesnot travel to see
modern worksof architecture; manyhowever go on pilgrimages, so to speak,
to seeyour housesin Srospatak or Zalaszentlszl. What kind of architec-
tural toolsor intellectual processliesbehind thesehouses?
ImreMakovecz: Wehaveno ideahow long theland wherewelivetoday
has been inhabited. Peoplehavelived here. Animals, plants and trees have
lived here. A long timeago asealived here. Every land is filled with all kinds Visegrd, forest learning centre
79
of tales and, most of all, ghosts. Yet therearestill places whereaperson feels
that something special was necessary for certain events to occur right there
on that spot. I thereforebegin every new project with an attempt to be-
comeconnected to that places special story, its special history. This special
quality could begeological, it could berelated to theplants, to thepeople
who used to livethere, or to thesurrounding structures. It depends on alot
of things. In what direction, for example, does thewind blow?This, among
other things, is how my buildings start out. This isnt avery conscious
world. It takes someimaginativeconsciousness in order to beableto think
in context likethis, and in away that brings someresults.
It takesa kind of heavenlyinspiration.
WellI supposeit does. It really does seem likea blessed moment
when something happens to occur to you at a certain spot. At thesame
timewell, I build in Hungary and my family has lived in this country
for a very long time, perhaps even longer than thetimeperiod recorded
in our written history, which left a lot out, I might add. Mysterious and
not-so-mysterious graves cover this country. Therewereancient settle-
ments herethat werelost without a trace. My family has lived hereand
lives heretoday. Despiteall thedifficulties, wethrivein a way that the
surrounding world does not really understand. Therereally isnt any logical
explanation for how theHungarians managed to survivethis long. After
all, our existencenow at theend of the20
th
Century is far from being
logical, especially in comparison to what wehavelived through during
thepast few hundreds of years. But hereweare, and to methis fact is
immeasurably important.
If a building has to bebuilt in a definiteplace, with a definitegoal in
mind, then this wholeprocess must fall together so that even thebuildings
function is imbued with thesekinds of ideas. This way wediscover what
thebuilding really is. If it is to bean apartment house, then thesethoughts
must surround theconcept of what an apartment, what a homemeans.
After all, thehomewill naturally havea largeeffect on thelifeof the
family and thepeoplewho will beembraced by this building. Thesame
thing is trueor perhaps even truerwhen it comes to planning a village
centreor a cultural centrebecause, as everyoneknows, theHungarian
feeling of community has been very damaged. Wehaveto learn how to
lift up thecommunity. Weneed uplifting spaces, dignified spaces, where
peoplecan openly discuss theproblems of thecommunity instead of
huddling together on small, iron chairs twisting thelacetablecloth on
thetable, likein somedark, dingy Soviet cafwherethey whisper as they
discuss their problems over their pastry. Weneed places whereopen dis-
cussion and vision should bethemark of our identities. And if this vision
80
should happen to look out on living trees, which remind man of his
godly origins and dignity, then this is theway things should be. Some-
thing likethis is far better in a villagethan, say, peering through a mass-
manufactured aluminum door.
In myopinion it would bea verysimplified explanation to saythat your
architectureoriginatesfromfolk architecture.
Of courseit would be. Perhaps themost important thing to remember is
that ahappy, new kind of Hungarian thought cannot bemadeout of
searching for our roots or indulging in nostalgia. At thesametime, Hun-
garian folk architecturehas preserved alot of its ancient, international and
high-quality culture. In fact, this is probably all it preserved. If someone
finds his inspiration in folkloresuch as peoplemuch moreimportant than
I, likeBartk or Kodlythen this is not becauseheenjoys strolling among
dirty peasants whiletaking down afew notes on how very nicely thepeople
sing here, but becausean elemental strength can beheard in theold, Hun-
garian songs sung in pentatonic scale. This elemental strength, I might add,
is not about being Hungarian, but about theworld. If modern architecture
in Hungary happens to contain aschool of thought that recognises the
structureof an ancient culturein folk architecture, in certain building parts
or in stucco decorations, then it uses this as asourceof inspiration because
an unbelievable, truestrength exists in it.
Thesedays it is common to think that buildings haveto bebuilt using
modern technology. By modern technology, wemean that certain parts
areconstructed in a factory somewhere, then theseparts areput together
by peoplewho really dont know what they aredoing. This mentality can
befound not only in Eastern Europe, but in Western Europeas well. I
think thereis a moremodern alternativethan this: onemust put the
intelligenceof thepeopleworking on thebuilding to test. And not just
their intelligence, but their loveof work, their excitement too. This may
appear shabby, but I dont believeit is. Thecultural centrein Jszapti
not a small building at all, and onewith a fairly complex roof structure
and glued supportsis not being built by a singleprofessional carpenter.
Instead thelocal railroad workers, masons and other citizens arebuilding
it. Theway it works is when two slanting support beams areproving
difficult to put together, they call meup and ask meto comedown
becausethey arehaving problems. I go down and seethat they havecut
two versions of theconnecting junction out of foam board. I ask them,
Which onedo you think is better? They point to oneand I say, Then
do it that way. Both versions werecorrect but theonethey choselooked
better. This kind of building method is far moremodern and progressive
than thekind of methods that do not exercisetheworkers intelligence
Bakonyszentkirly, primary school, 1984
81
and desireto work during construction. If this does not happen then the
only thing motivating theworkers is their paycheck. I can also list a few
workers unions in theWest that arent fighting for higher wages, but for
work that is equal to their abilities.
Theonlyproblemisthat methodsliketheseno matter how appealingthey
arecannot beemployed when building, for example, theSouthern Budapest
Hospital. Manyhavesaid that your kind of architectureisonlyappropriate
for smaller buildings. If you wereto build a largehotel or a hospital, how
would your intellectual approach or thesemethodsof construction beapplied?
I cannot answer this as an architect. My first question in thecaseof the
Southern Budapest Hospital would bewhether or not thousands of people
should betreated in a half-automatic system of healing. Can weeven call
this healing? On thevery first day of planning, I would ask thequestion
of whether it would bebetter to divideup thehospital into pavilions
wherethepatients might havea better chanceof being cured.
In Western Germany I haveseen hospitals that looked morelikea
sausagefactory than a hospital. Only it was not obvious to methat an ill
person went in on oneend and a healthy person cameout of theother.
Thewholething resembled an enormous machine. And this is exactly
how everything worked. A computer system directed everything. Natu-
rally, things can berun this way. But I doubt this can becalled healing.
Unfortunately, if I wereto start work on a hospital I would beham-
pered by questions liketheseright in thebeginning. I would most likely
suggest that my clients allow for other kinds of therapy. And I am not
saying this simply from thepatients point-of-view. Im saying it from
thedoctors point-of-view as well. I cannot imaginebeing a physician
and only doing onekind of thing from morning till night. It is impos-
sibleto heal when you only think of yourself as an employee. If this
hospital is going to suggest that this is wherepoor employees aregoing to
bemadeinto better employees by other employees so that they can be-
cometruly good employees, then in theend wearelooking at a 19
th
Century utopia in which any kind of evil can occur.
Thereforemy approach to architectureis not simply architectural in
nature. It is not a matter of stylealone. In any event, themost important
thing is not whether thehouseis small or large, or whether a small house
can bemadeout of hugeblocks of concrete, or viceverse. In my opinion,
architectureis mainly a matter of drama. In other words, in my profes-
sion it matters whom I work for, whereI am working, how theconstruc-
tion will takeplaceand how thebuilding will beused. It also matters
what kind of placeall of this will takein my life, as well as in thelives of
thepeopleusing thebuilding. All of this unfolds as if according to some
Kaarncslapujt, extension of the
village, masterplan and projects for
family houses, 1984
82
kind of unwritten play in which wearetheunwitting actors. In theend
what weget is architecture, if wecan actually call it that. Im not really
surewecan call it that. This, in any event, is what I do, instead of concen-
trating on what kind of stylethehouseshould bedesigned in. Although
I do not deny that what thehouseis likeis also important.
Yet in order for thesebuildingsto beconstructed, a certain willingnessto do
battleisalso necessary. I havewatched you quitea few timesduringnegotia-
tions. You alwaysmanaged to convincetheclient and thecontractorsin a way
that wasappropriateto their personalities. This, of course, took an enormous
amount of energyon your part. Thiswillingnessto go into battleisjust as
much a part of your houses, isnt it?
Yes, in that you areright. But what is this willingness to do battlemade
of? For thefirst part, a person should never think that hepossesses some
kind of power, or that heis so wonderful heknows a wholelot morethan
thosewho areasking him to design a building. Secondly, hehas to notice
thepeoplearound him. If this is then put together, do you know what
comes out of it? A very overused word: love. Loveis thepower to notice
things. It is not a feeling, but thepower to recognise. Hateis likethis too.
Theonly differenceis that theend result is completely different if one
recognises out of lovethan out of hate.
Duringoneof our earlier discussionsyou mentioned that you intend these
housesto besignsfor thenext generation, so theycan remember.
Look, wearenot living in easy times. Themost horribledanger of all is
theprocess of losing presence, as well as theprocess of forgetting that is
part and parcel of this. Yet weall know how it used to bea sacred tradi-
tion for each generation to build its activities upon thoseof theprevious
generations. It is very possiblethat, given another thirty years, all the
basic objects and elements that would guaranteethis senseof continuity
will disappear. Weknow plenty of examples of cities disappearing. We
areexperiencing this even today. A largepercentageof our villages are
falling to ruin, together with all thetreasures they contain. Villagers are
fleeing their homes as a result of an impossiblesituation that our nations
leaders cannot seem to do anything about. But if someoneis ableto leave
behind housesor anything elsefor that matter, therearea lot of profes-
sions out therethat can act as signs for someyoung person coming along
thirty years from now who will then beableto connect to this tradition
as if a link in a chain, I say that this is not a small thing. And I think that
my buildings might really accomplish this. My kind of architectureis not
similar to Kroly Kss, or dn Lechners, or Zrumeczkys, but it can-
not bedenied that it is a continuation. If wecan recognisethefact that
weareableto continuethework of our grandfathers, and that our great-
83
grandchildren will beableto continueour work, then I say this is not a
bad thing. In other words, wewould beableto livein this world in a way
that is worthy of God. Without this, what point would therebe? With-
out this, thereisnt any point in talking about theprofession of architec-
ture. This is not a matter of which houseis prettier than theother.
Thekind of architectural viewpoint and styleyou havebeen producing
duringthelast ten or fifteen yearsisrather different fromwhat you were
doingfromthemiddleof the60sto thebeginningof the70s. Take
Srospatak, for example; herewecan seean earlier Makovecz buildingas
well asother buildingsdesigned by you later on. Thesehousesarenot in
quitethesamegenre, so to speak.
Well, of coursethey arent. First of all, think of thefact that when I began
my career I was theonly person doing organic architecturein all of Hun-
gary. Me, alone! Then thereis thefact that I had to begin my work in avery
distinct kind of atmosphere. It took alot of long, hard and careful work. I
considered it to beacompletevictory if theauthorities let meleaveeven
onelineof my original design in theblueprints. When I began to built the
CpaRestaurant in Velence, well, to meit was an absolutemiraclethat I
was ableto do anything in that kind of atmosphere. Thosewho havejust
started their careers as architects haveabsolutely no ideawhat theworld
was likethen, when thosebuildings werebuilt. Things aredifferent today.
I dont say this simply becauseI am older, but becauseI seehow theyoung
architects working in my officecan design any kind of building that suits
their ideas and taste. Thank God that my generationand lets not forget
thiswas ableto haul architectureout of theholeit was in, just as certain
members of my generation brought international alternatives to lifeat a
timeand in aplacewhereit was not at all easy to do this.
Excerptsfroman interview with Judit Ossk
for theHungarian Television, 1985
Visegrd, forest learning centre
84
Visegrd, Forest LearningCentre, 1984-88
Thebasic function of thisbuilding isto allow peoplearriving at thevisitors centreto
form acloser, moreconsciousconnection to nature. Thusthebuilding makesacon-
sciouseffort to reveal how peoplearerelated to nature. Thesturctureitself isamound
that appearsto emergefrom theEarth, breaking through theEarthscrust. Shining,
bronze-coloured metal scalescover theroof. Underneath theselayersof earth and
metalwhich istopped by acrownadoublespherecan befound. Thetwo spheres
intersecting oneanother areupheld by twelvecolumnsstanding in acircle. Thediffer-
ent astrological signsof thezodiac appear on thecapitalsof thecolumns. Thebuilding
itself wassituated so that thetwo main entrancesliealong theaxisthat pointsto the
rising sun on 21 March. Thustheopeion becomesasundial, and timesmovement
can betraced acrossthebuildingsinterior. Everythingthat I haveperhapscontrib-
uted to architectureisexpressed completely and without inhibitionsin thisbuilding.
85
Visegrd, Forest LearningCentre, 1975
86
berlingen (Germany), Naturata Ecological Centre, 1989-92
Following many unrealized plans, this structureproves to betheonly large-scale
project constructed in Germany. It provides an alternativecultural centrefor the
town, which is located on thebanks of LakeConstance. Inside, arestaurant, caf
and library, as well as astoremarketing organic products can befound. Thebuildings
interior design is thework of Dieter Zimmerman, astudent of Joseph Beuys.
87
berlingen (Germany), Naturata Ecological Centre, 1989-92
88
What Happened and what Could HaveBeen Happen
To methepresent was molded from what has already happened as well as
from what could havehappened. LikeUriel or Attilas son, PrinceCsaba,
a cloud of power rolls across thesky. This power has gathered from those
who weredenied their histories, their victories and theability to make
something of themselves. This is thedangerous world of what if?Its a
world many dont respect. But havent you ever felt how very orphaned
reality is? Haveyou never missed theones who mademistakes, theones
who wereconquered? Themistaken areaccompanied by thefog lying
deep in valleys, themist surrounding objects. And themistaken remain
invisibleto all thosewho haveconquered. Thevictors haveonly ever seen
thedamp figures of ancient knights, sorcerers and ghosts where, in the
brightness of day, they should haveseen what could havebeen. Its therein
thereflection of objects and appears in sharp contours in theevents we
livethrough. Thevictors should haveseen this as well as seeing thereality
of their victory. Wemust realisethat what hashappened and what could
havehappened aretwo alternatives to oneexistence. Thesealternatives
reappear in thepresent over and over again. Its horriblethat sometwisted
part of us is only willing to pay attention to thewarped pictures of what
could havehappened. Thetruth is woven out of unspoilt beauties and
shadowed reality into something which cannot betouched or seen, but is
still theTruth, thepurposefor our existence.
Thetruth is something that tempts us bodily as well as spiritually
again and again. It breaks just when wewould likeit to bea perfect
whole. Its thecombination of our abilities and possibilites. In other words,
its thelifethat could havebeen and thelifethat actually happened,
through this means or that. Thereis nothing moreimportant than the
present, as long as wedont fool ourselves about thefutureor forget the
restrictions imposed upon us by our divided souls. In other words, the
futuremeans wearesimply coming face-to-facewith our own selves.
Theearth appears to turn toward theeast, in thedirection of a suppos-
edly immovablesun. As it turns about its own axis, it forms a curving
path around thesun whilethesun rushes on. Westand whereweare, at
thebeginning and theend of thesuns revolution. And this is what we
feel when wewatch thesun riseinto thesky, rushing aboveus to its rest.
Weknow wearetheones revolving, not thesun. Weknow that our
knowledgeof beginning and end is far truer than somerevolving dance
in space. Werecognizeourselves in time, not in space. Wefind ourselves
in thecalm of time. This is how our main celestial experiencetakes place
in this world. Or, to put it moresuccinctly, its an experienceof this
Budapest, memorial church for the
martyrs of the20
th
Century, 1995
89
world that takes placeout of this world. That which has happened and
that which could havehappened is athread running through us, for weare
thecreatures and thecreators of anew world. Yes, werevolve. Comedawn
weturn to thesun. Yet it isnt thesun thats rising. Still, weseeit rise.

How can thepast and thecould-have-been bejoined into architecture

or objects? Thesameway graniteor any kind of crystal structureis not
satisfied with shapelessness, but longs to grow. It wants to becomea plant,
thus architectureuses stonecolumns carved in leaves to support theroof.
In architecturetheother, thedenied, theunadmitted, thethings that
push thelimits of thepossiblefind a home. When theimpossibletouches
thematerial burning to break out of shapelessness, architecturebecomes
theonly placewherethepossibleand thecould-have-been cometogether.
Excerptsfroma lecturebyImreMakovecz, 1985
Mak, theatre
90
Mak, Theatre, 1996-2000
From thepoint of view of function, thisstructureisvirtually thesameasthetheatre
constructed in Lendva, Slovenia. Thetwo buildingscorrespond in dimension aswell.
Both want to recreatethelocal medieval townscapelong vanished by thenew means
of architecture.
91
Mak, Theatre, 1996-2000
92
Mak, Theatre, 1996-2000
93
Lendava (Lendva, Slovenia), Theatre, 1991-2004
Thetheatrewasdesigned to fulfil theneedsof theHungarian minority population
living in thissmall town located on theSlovenian sideof theborder between Hungary
and Slovenia. Both itsexterior and interior barethetracesof thesurrounding areas
destroyed, architectural past. During thesummer, therear part of thestagecan also be
used asan outdoor theatre.
94
Lendava (Slovenia), Theatre, 1991
95
Lendava (Lendva, Slovenia), Theatre, 1991-2004
96
Drama: TheStoryof HungarysCommunityCentres
What exactly was theroleof Stalins and Rkosis brand of culture? First
and foremost: destruction. Destruction was a part of culturewhen it
cameto boarding up theclub houses, liquidating all religious institutions
and publicly humiliating thecountrys former leaders. With them, we
wereall humiliated.
How was cultureinterpreted in architecture? Buildings must be
developed in such a way so as not to bear any resemblanceto yesterdays
wealth. In other words, stucco decorations and paintings must bede-
stroyed by physical means! To them, everything which Europeaccepted
as its own in beauty and in rank, was hateful and foreign.
Peopleweregiven a building. Theword culturehousewas written on
thefront. From this point on culturemeant clapping: rhythmic clapping
on cue. They madeus clap to our humiliation, to being robbed of every-
thingour emptied granaries and pantriesto our dying herds and to the
pitiless, unintelligiblespeeches of foreign leaders who always spokeof
justice, progress, results, standardsof
living, thefuture, etc. Meanwhilethe
culturehouses quickly grew grimy
and neglected. Nobody bothered to
takecareof them. Theold fencesand
gates fell apart. Peoplecut down the
trees and decorativebushes in front
becauseit wasin theway, or it blocked
out thesun.
Following thesocialist-realism
changes of thefifties, new culture
houses werebuilt in this ageof con-
solidation. Whilethey werent built
in theclassic soc-real styleof be-
fore, thesameStalinistic culture, the
samebrand of adult education,
in short thesametask awaited the
new culturehouses. And why not?
After all, thesystem had worked:
thepeoplemust betransformed,
culturemust beprovided, the
theory of production-distribution
must beapplied to cultureas well,
themasses receiveculture.
Szigetvr, masterplanof thetown
centreand theatre
97
Thenat theend of thesixties and thebeginning of theseventies, the
methodological centers of thetried and trueculturehousenetwork were
transplanted into thecities. Thesehouses weremorelikeenormous pal-
aces than anything else, and contained theatres and all kinds of things.
Thecenters relayed instructions and informational materials, shipped
publications and brought lectures and other events to theregion.
A new network was established in thecountry. It honestly was new and
genuinely functioned as theinstitution of anew intellect. Even today. The
veins for anew intellects propagandistic activites werebuilt in places where
previously nothing had existed. And theblood in thesenew veins began to
flow backwards. Thesystem, however, wasnot botheredand still isnt both-
eredby thefact that theseeducational centerswereand arealways empty.
Peopledont go therenow they dont haveto beafraid of theconse-
quences if nobody goes. They stay home, or go out to tend their grapes,
or fall sacrificeto too much work and theTV. Therearent any commu-
nities. Therearent any celebrations. Therearent any customs. Thecol-
lectivesoul is no longer related to theindividual soul.
Thecommunitys face, thejoyous stress of establishing collectivein-
terests and doing collectivework bled to death during teeth-gritting, gig-
gling, foreign celebrations of labour competitions and communal work.
Our first attempts to changethis situationusing my partner, Vargas,
ideaconcerned theeducational centers lobbies. What, after all, was in
thelobby? Nothing. Except for thedoorman, that is, who asked anyone
entering what they weredoing there. First of all, thedoorman had to be
removed from thelobby. Then somethingsomething everyday, some-
thing for everybodyhad to beput in thedoormans place. Varga hit
upon theidea of containers. Thesewerecabinets on wheels, thekinds of
cabinets that areideal for sewing, leatherwork and handicrafts. Thecabi-
nets had doors on each sidewhich could belet down to turn thecabinet
into a table. Let theeveryday fill thelobby!
Thework Istvn Ferencz, a student of thelegendary, famous Kovcs
(Borz), did for his diploma becamethebasis of Vargas movement. Thus
thelobby-experiment-turned-movement caused theunbending order
within thestudy circles to slacken. With it educations unbending super-
visors and theawful party member-arrogancetoward portioning out cul-
tureslackened as well. Naturally, this process was also influenced by the
systems popular changetoward flexibilty and thesnobbish desires typi-
cal of thosethinking within thesystem.
Weprepared educational materials on architecture, woodcarving, weav-
ing and what-not, then sent this information to educational centers tak-
ing part in thelobby experiment.
98
Wedid this so thenew educational centers would becomemoreopen.
Weaccepted thetask of functional remodelling and gaveadvice. Many
centers changed. It is our belief that they changed for thebetter.
Discussions stretched long into thenight, at good and bad lodgings
around thecountry: discussions between us and county and town offi-
cials moreopen to this issue. All wereattempts to break through fear and
narrow-minded self interests. A hazeof alcohol coloured everything. We
felt: Thefateof thenation stands beforeus.
Our work, not to mention thecountry istself, was also set back by the
system of ranking* which took placeat theend of theseventies. Wehad to
rethink everything. Morethan onethousand fivehundred villages had
been left to themselves. Neither theTSZcommunal farmsnor theschools
mattered anymore. Thevillagepriest, thevillagedoctor had lost touch with
thecommunity. Theentirecountry was packing up and movingwithin its
own political boundaries, that is. Webegan to concentrateon thevillages
which had lost their independence. Wetried to savewhatever could be
saved. Weattempted to curecommunity centers which had physically as
well as morally goneto ruins.
At this pointtheend of theseventies and thebeginning of theeight-
iessomething unstoppablewas gaining momentum.
I myself participated in planning new community centers or additions
and repairs to old ones. Wewereon thelook-out for materials that could
beused for thevirtually penniless construction projects. I returned to
using wood, my material of choiceever since.
Thebuilders and I went to thewoods for thepurposeof choosing
trees. Simultaneously, weattempted to reach agreement in certain issues
whileheightening awareness of thecommunitys interests between the
TSZ, theCentral Counsel (themayors officetoday), thepeopleand the
county. Construction of thesecenters occured at a timewhen thevillages
Central Counsel still had no experiencein managing its own finances.
This was theageof personal gain and dissolving communitiestheage
our officials recently put to an end by creating radically dictatorial laws
designed to stop individual gain. Theselaws fortunately allow our na-
tional consciousness to go on livingfor thetimebeing, beforepoverty
sweeps us into a stateof crisis.
* Translatorsnote: Thisrefersto thecommunist systemsdecision to rank villagesand
townsaccordingto their ability to flourish. Villagesreceivingalow rankingweredenied
governmental support, astep which thegovernment thought would speed up thedeath
of thecommunity and allow thegovernment to relocateany remaininginhabitantsand
razethevillageto theground. Interestingly enough, someof thetownsand villages
sentenced to death in thelateseventiesarevibrant communitiestoday.
99
It was during theaforementioned dissolving of communities, theslow
abandonment of villages, that our first community centers werebuilt.
Problems weresolved without theusual letters, threats and frightened
bosses. Waiting for our goals to cometo fruitionthebuilding to becom-
pletedwas different now. How many times I travelled with Varga, for one
reason or another! What alot of arguing, worrying, fighting and peace-
making wewent through. Then therewas theintricatedancebetween
bureaucracy and theawakening (as if from hibernation) community.
And then cametheopening ceremonies, oneafter another. Everyone
tends to think hebuilds his housefor theuniverse, for God. Then, once
it is done, hestands alonein theempty room. Perhaps thestruggle, the
days of uncertainty wereGod Himself. And oncethehouseis finished,
Gods cooling seat remains behind for that person, for thecommunity.
Thepoint of building, I thought, was not thematerial, thestrength,
thestructureor even thestyle, but thedrama itself. Sincethen I have
becomeconvinced in thetruth of this thought. I havedoneeverything
possibleto build beautiful houses of local materials, as inexpensively as
possibleand for thepurposeof thecommunity. A connection to place, to
thelocations historical and geological past is necessary. Material is neces-
sary, thesameway beauty is. Themost important thing, however, is the
drama of building.
Much has happened since the building of community centers in
Szentlszl and Jszkisr, to mention a coupleof thevillages. I currently
run an officeof twenty people. Weplan and build community center
after community center. Wepass on our knowledgeto theyoung, besides
forming and supporting thedevelopment of architectural associations.
What should I say about architectureitself, thestateof architecturein
theworld of today?
Nothing. Nothing, so thecowardly architects havenothing to chew
on. Beforeus, beforearchitects too, thefateof a nation stands. It is a
nation on its knees. Maybeit will stand on its feet someday.
With it stands thefateof Europeas well.
ExcerptsfromImreMakovecz:
Drma in Magyar ptmvszet, 1988/4-5
100
Thisstructurerepresentsoneof thepinnaclesof my professional career. All of theelements
that I haveever discovered find aplacehere. Thereiseven achildish senseof surrealism
about thebuilding. Thetriplecupolasflow into oneanotherrather likethefirst Goetheanum
only to engorgethecrumbling wallscomprising thetwo sidewings. Thesewallsareasymbol
of ancient culture. They eventually fall apart and disappear in thegeometrically-speaking
simple, yetfrom thepoint of view of spatial contentstill extremely complex, heavily surre-
alistic spacethey work to bring to life. (I. M.)
Szigetvr, Cultural Centrewith Theatre, 1985-94
101
Szigetvr, Cultural Centrewith Theatre, 19985-94
102
Szigetvr, Cultural Centrewith Theatre, 1985-94
103
To theVisitors
Welivein atimeof rapid and radical change. Thesechanges, however, are
being slowed down and deformed by existing national restrictions and la-
tent dictatorships. Thesymbiosis of falsenationalism and monetary policy
is striving to stabiliseintolerableconditions. This explains thetragedy in
Yugoslavia, thedecay of Africaand themisery of theFar East. Themass
media, controlled by romantic ideas and money, is dragging eloquent and
natural national feelings and rights into thesphereof culture. At thesame
time, it is turning natural attachments into violent, murderous forces.
We, Eastern Europeans, havehad enough of socialism. Wehavealso
had enough of thedictatorship of money and high-tech industry. We
havelearned quitea lot during thelast forty-fiveyears and wewant to
sharethis knowledgewith others in thehopethat, if wedo so, thesky will
clear aboveus and thedarkness of destruction will disappear.
Living architecturewhat I havebeen practising sincetheconstruction
of a littlerestaurant in Berhida, Hungary in 1962expresses change. It
aims to reflect new or forgotten points of view. What aretheseview-
points? First of all, tradition should bestudied and understood. Folk arts,
thestructureand lifeof old towns, trees, tectonic forces and natural ma-
terials deservea placein our lives. Today wearetold: Pepsi is a feeling.
Hamburgers arethefood. Television is a window on theworld. Thecar is
themeans of transportation. English is thelanguage.
Organic architecturechooses to think otherwise. It says that trees are
human beings, that nothing is better than my mothers cooking, that
personal meetings between peoplearethewindow on theworld and that
rhythm is not created by a boombox, but by thealteration of night and
day. It says that architecturedoes not produceconsumer goods, but liv-
ing structures which refer to our origins as much as they do to our future.
Whilereminding us of our descent, a living structureushers thefuture
through thedoor.
Hungarian traditional art, likeall folk art, is a vehiclefor basic sym-
bols. For historical and geographical reasons thesesymbols coincidewith
ancient Celtic symbols. Theexperiences acquired during my visit to Scot-
land haveconvinced methat this is morethan a coincidental, formal
similarity. I felt a closeaffinity with themood of thepeople, themusic,
thedances and theshapea group of treetakes against thesky. I felt close
to thesolitudeand warmth offered by Scottish farmhouses even if in my
land, Hungary, thereis no sea, no graniteand thesky looks different.
ImreMakovecz: Introduction
to theEdinburgh Exhibit Catalogue, 1992
Expo ship for communication amongst
thepeoplelivingby theDanube, 1994
104
Bak, VillageCommunity Centre, 1985-88
Thissmall multi-functional cultural instituteplanned for asmall villagein Western
Hungary, containsalecturehall, alibrary and club rooms. Itsground plan hasabird-
likeform, afeeling enhanced by theplank siding covering thebuilding in away that
resemblesbird wings. Thiswasdonein imitation of themythical turul bird, an an-
cient, animalistic symbol representing theembodiment of theHungarians. A turul
monument erected in memory of thosefallen in World War Idestroyed in the1950s
stood in front of thenew house.
105
Bak, VillageCommunity Centre, 1985-88
106
Kakasd becamea ghost town during thetimewhen theHungarian kingdom was
under constant attack by theOttoman Empire. Eventually, after thirty years of
war, Swabian Germans fleeing their homeland becauseof religious persecution
choseKakasd as their new home. For threehundred years they preserved their
nativetongueand customs. Their homes and churches werebuilt in thesame
manner as thosethey had left behind.
Toward theend of the18
th
century, theHapsburg ruler Maria Theresewas
determined to transform thecountrys feudal structure. This plan brought her
into direct opposition with theTransylvanian Szeklers, who wished to preserve
their privileged, feudal status. In 1764 theAustrian army replied to their peaceful
objections by massacring a largenumber of Szeklers. Theoccupants of several
villages wereforced to flee. Someof them fled to Moldavia, whileothers choseto
go to Bukovina. Thelatter group eventually settled fivevillages, oneof which was
called Andrsfalva. They preserved their culturethesameway theSwabians who
had settled in Hungary did. In 1941 all fivevillages set out for Hungary. After
many years of wandering and resettlement, in 1945 they werefinally given a place
Kakasd, VillageCentre, 1986-94
107
to livein thosevillages wherepart of theSwabian populationsupposedly because
they had aided theGerman occupying army during World War IIwas forced to
moveto Germany. In short, this is what happened in Kakasd.
Theseunfortunate, persecuted peoples hated each other throughout thirty years
of forced co-inhabitation. Then marriages began to takeplacebetween thetwo
ethnic groups and theresulting new generations allowed for their differences to be
smoothed out. This cultural centreis a tributeto this new communitys double
roots. A copy of theold, characteristically Swabian church tower stands firmly on
onesideof thecentre. A looseadaptation of a traditional, Szekler bell towermore
of a poetic metaphor of thetraditional form than anything elsestands on the
other side. Insidethebell tower wefind a negativecopy of thetwo-hundred-year-
old, destroyed bell tower in Andrsfalva. It is as if thenew tower is themould for
theold. Thebank can befound behind theSwabian tower, whilethecentral hall
(used for dances and celebrations) is found behind theSzekler tower. Between the
two lies thepub. All of thevillages occupants took part in thecentres construc-
tion, whether they were Swabian or Szekler.
Kakasd, VillageCentre, 1986-94
108
Visegrd, ShoppingArcade, 1982-86
Visegrd, Gymnasium, 1985-88
Thisstructurealso includesacaf and arestaurant. It wasoriginally designed to bea
kind of portal to thetourist centreto bebuilt along theDanube. Thiscentrewas
planned according to how thesettlement waslaid out during medieval timesand
destroyed during theTurkish occupation. Thegymnasium wasrealised at theother
end of theplanned centre. Thebuilding isbased on afreeinterpretation of traditional,
German fachwerk structure.
109
Visegrd, Gymnasium, 1985-88
Thebuildingsfachwerk structureisatributeto thetraditional constructionsused by
theSwabian Germanswho resettled theareafollowing theend of a150-year period of
occupation by theOttomans. In asimilar gesture, thecrumbling stonewall echoesthe
Renaissanceperiod castleruinsin thearea. Theform taken by thewooden frameisa
departurefrom thetraditional; instead, it isareflection of ImreMakoveczstendency
to useplant-likeformsin organising architectural structures.
Visegrd, tourist centrealong the
river, nearby thegymnasium, 1988
110
What Should a Church BeLike?
A church, together with thepeopleand instruments of ritual it contains,
does not illustrate. A church is not a comparison. This thereforemeans
that a church must not bepretty. Certain facts need to bebrought
forth and restated: a church is thehouseof God, for example. If a person
believes in this even for a second, whether alonein a church or sur-
rounded by others, then that person should collapseonto his knees upon
entering a church. Or, better yet, heshould fall onto his face, as monks
used to. I cannot useanything elsebut this as my starting point. Thealtar
is not a placedeemed capableof serving subjectiveaesthetic tastes. It is
wheremagicand never mind that this not an acceptableterm in this
instanceoccurs. It is a placeof
magic.
When I consider thebuild-
ing of churches in Hungary, I
feel that theChurch has never
been in such a difficult position
as it is now. Not even after 200
years of Ottoman rule were
things as bad as they presently
are. Therehas never been such
a need for churches to bebuilt
out of collectivestrength, for
peopleto takepart in thecon-
struction of their church, as
thereis now. Therearethou-
sands of problems and worries
involved in building something.
Peoplestep on nails, something
hasnt arrived that should have,
somebody doesnt show up
A lot of confusion, hustle-bustle,
name-calling and bother goes
into a building. In other words,
it contains everything that is
part of being human. Then we
all preparefor theday when the
church will bedoneand God
will movein. And perhaps we
areall just a mitedisappointed
Paks, Roman Catholic church
111
when this day finally arrives. Weforgot to pay attention to thefact that
God might havebeen among us when wewerent looking, when wewere
busy living thedrama of construction. Hewas therein thetransforma-
tion, in thepreparation, in thestateof transition. This is thetimewhen
thecommunitys desireis so strong, it performs tasks far beyond the
abilities of a singleperson. This is why I feel it very important that the
order, method and drama of building a church beconsecrated from the
very beginning.
Excerptsfroman interview
with Lszl Dobszayin Vigilia, 1988/6
112
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
Thisbuilding isaspatial expression of an ancient symbol (S). Thisisoneof thebasic
symbolsfound in Hungarian folk art, but it can also beseen in countlessareasof
Eurasia, placesonceinhabited by Celtsand Scythians. Thestructuresfloor plan con-
sistsof two, symmetrically placed S symbols, lying along theeast-west axis. Thetwo
symbols, whilerelated to oneanother, arerepresenting thedynamic balanceof oppo-
sitesasfound in light/dark, male/female, Sun/Moon, in other words, theyin and yang.
Thisiswhy thetower displaystheMoon and theSun, and also why theangel of
lightnessand theangel of darknessstand on either side. TheChristian ideaof the
AndrogynousBeing, JesusChrist, must beborn out of thesepairsof opposites. His
statuethereforestandsin thecentre, abovethealtar. (I. M.)
113
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
114
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
115
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
116
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
117
Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91
118
This church was designed not only to beused for giving mass, but also as acommu-
nity gathering placedevoted to caring for senior citizens and children. As aresult,
thebuilding consists of two parts: onearather small church, theother aconnecting
hall. This hall follows thehills natural slopeand is largeenough to beused for
concerts or other programmes for which alargegathering of peopleis expected.
Budapest, Gazdagrt, Roman Catholic Church, 199-93
Timisoara (Temesvr, Romania), Calvinist Church I., 1990-91
Themain goalsbehind building thechurch were, on theone
hand, to establish somekind of amemorial for therevolution-
ary eventsthat took placein Timisoara, aswell asto remember
all thosewho becameitsvictims. Simultaneously, aplacewas
needed wherethelocal Calvinist congregation could worship,
wheretheir library could beset up, and whereaschool could
also bestarted. Sinceit wasalso to contain aparsonageand a
guest housefor visitors, thisstructurewasmeant to becomea
kind of intellectual and religiouscentre. Thechurch wasto
havebeen built on asiteunder which an important section of
thetownspublic utility linesand pipeswereburied. Asare-
sult, aplan had to beprepared in which thechurch would not
becentered on thesite. Thisisquiteadifficult task, especially
if weconsider that thealtar issupposed to stand in themiddle
of everything, not aset of underground pipes. Thetower was
theonly structureI planned to stand in themiddleof thesite;
thiswasacceptablesincethechurchyard gatecutsthrough this
tower, leaving theground abovethepipesempty. Thechurch,
library and other roomsarearranged on either sideof thetower.
I then surrounded theentireareawith awall, in thesame way
as theold fortress-churchestypical of theregion. Thewall would
also ensureagreater level of safety and protection from distur-
bancesfor thechurchswork to bedone. (I. M.)
119
Timisoara (Temesvr, Romania) Calvinist Church II., 1997-
Thechurch issituated in thecentreof thesite. It isessen-
tially acentral space, with entranceguarded by two towers
and looking out onto thebridgespanning thestream that
flowsalongsidethesite. Thespacecreated by thechurch
itself isacupolarising out of theEarth. A conferenceroom
to beused for inter-ethnic purposescan befound to one
sideof thechurch, together with theusual serviceareas. The
placeof worship, thedormitory and variousguest rooms
areon theother sideof thebuilding. After all, thischurch
wasnot only meant to beaplacefor holding religiousser-
vices, but also asaplacewherethesparsepopulation of
Hungarian Calvinistsliving in theTimisoara region could
meet and educatetheir children.
A pool of water surrounded by columnsliesin themiddle
of thetwo courtyards. Theentrancewaysto thechurch or
guest rooms, offices, etc., can bereached by walking through
thesecolonnades. Thedoublemeaning inherent to thesym-
metry and asymmetry found hereisof great importance.
They aremirror images, yet not necessarily of each other. I
also took advantageof certain illusory techniques; for ex-
ample, partsof certain buildingsappear upside-down, as
reflected by thepool of water, wherethey then seem to mul-
tiply. In other places, I created afalsesenseof perspectiveby
arranging rowsof columnsthat differ in size. (I. M.)
120
Piliscsaba, Catholic University Church, 1994-96
Thechurch isactually an artificial cliff, rather similar to thedolomitecliffsfound in
thisregion. Thechurchsinterior, on the other hand, islikeabubbleupheld by the
branchesof petrified trees. Thechurchsbasilica-likedimensionsprovideenough room
for paintingsto beplaced on thetwo walls, undisturbed asthey areby sideentrances
or openings. It isby passing thesewallsthat thestudent body can makeitsway to the
apse. Thestudentswill arriveat thefoot of thechurch, and then enter it in thecom-
pany of all thosebeingsfrom either theheavensor theunderworld who arepainted on
both sidesof thechurch.
Thisdesign isan attempt to summon forth an ancient agein Christianity, atime
when theChurch wasstill ableto accept other strainsof thought that, for awhile,
existed side-by-sidewith thebelief in theSaviourspresenceon Earth. Theseother
ideas, however, werelater judged asapocryphal. During thecourseof Christianity, the
wisdom of Chaldeawasthrown to thewayside, just asthemystical world of thestars
and theheavenswasjudged asbarbaric. A beastly thousand yearsstandsbehind us; a
thousand yearsin which aoncepowerful knowledgewasswept out of human aware-
ness. Thechurchpartly dueto alack of funding, partly dueto adifferencein opinion
concerning Catholic iconographyhasnot been constructed. (I. M.)
121
Dunajska Streda (Dunaszerdahely, Slovakia), Roman Catholic Church, 2003
Therehabilitation and development of this small townlocated along theDanube
in Slovakiaand inhabited mostly by ethnic Hungarianswas carried out in the1990s
according to theplans of architects working alongsideImreMakovecz. Thechurch
proved to bethemost significant addition to thecity. Thechurch is astructure
rising out of stonewaves, areferenceto local folk legends.
122
Inner Landscape
SincetheBauhaus movement an equivocal concept known as social
sensitivity has reached thepoint of legitimacy. This concept has torn the
idea of formal unity into shreds. Beforethis a houses function meant just
that. No onethought function was anything morethan a sum of partial
functions. Yet according to a certain notion, functional, roughly means
that a poor man deserves a less decorated building than a rich one. A
priest on theother hand deserves an even moredecorativeonethan the
rich man. In theevent that thebuilding at stakeis a church, this building
deserves themost decoration of all, thus making it richer and saintlier.
All this is very simple. Thosewho subscribeto this notion losetouch
with thecomplex thought of what a buildings function really means. It
means far morethan, for example, designating threemeters to thebath-
room, then turning left to find thedoorknob. When planning a house
for a family its important thearchitect consider thelifethat will take
placethere. LeCorbusier thought thehousewas a machinefor living,
wherea kind of perfect functional
activity occurs. Onemay also regard
a houseas an inner landscape, a land-
scape which defines the familys
modeof living in terms of shapes, as
well as materials. Holidays arealways
followed by week days. In this space
adults will change, children will grow
up, conflicts will ensueand thefluc-
tuation between communal lifeand
solitudewill becontinuous. Thear-
chitect must thereforeknow what it
means to bea family. What does a
long-term relationship exact? How
does a family adapt to changing situ-
ations? How, for example, does the
family in mind eat breakfast? Ameri-
cans eat breakfast standing up, then
rush past oneanother to thedoor.
They avoid theriteof sitting down
at a tableto eat. Threepeople, after
all, arent enough to makesitting at
a table worthwhile. Four or five
peopleareneeded for this.
Sifok, Lutheran church
123
If wewereto view this issuefrom thepoint of view of style, whereby
architectureis functionalistic, constructivist, or postmodern, wewill never
moveon to thefollowing elemental attitudeand thoughtnamely, that
beforeweplan a house, wemust consult thelady of thehouse, theman,
and thechildren if they areold enough to takepart in thediscussion. We
must ask them how they would liketo live. How much money do they
have? If thehouseis too big, thefamily will fail. Theparents will divorce
becausethey cant endurethestress.
Thedifferencebetween a church and a family houseis thereforethe
fact that a church houses a gathering of many families. Thesefamilies
constitutethemystical body of Christ. This specialand not really physi-
calextended family has its own way of existing in a church. Why are
they there?What is thepurposefor their hailf an hour together?What is
thenatureof their sacrificeto theLord?This condition has changed little
over theyears, despitetheliturgical reform. This reform was, in fact, a
return to amoreancient custom. What does theinsideof amedieval churhc
look like?It has two significant elevations, theeastern and thewestern. The
apsis is on theeast, thedirection of therising sun. Thewindows areposi-
tioned in theeast, north-east and south-east. In winter thesun rises in the
south-east. In summer thesun rises in thenorth-east. East is thedirection
for thesolstice. When thepriest lifted theHost abovethealtar in order to
transform bread and wineinto Christs body and blood, thesun roseto
illuminateboth. And, thus, thetransformation occurred.
In medieval churches oneusually finds theHe-principleon theleft-
hand side. This is wheretheHost is kept. Thebaptismal fount is on the
right, a symbol of theShe-principle. This was how man denoted thetwo
sides. In themiddlestands theandrogyn, Christ Our Saviour. Long ago,
when I was a child, thefamily separated into two upon entering the
124
church. Men went to theleft and women went to theright. They were
maintaining theorder of theworld, according to theway theLord cre-
ated thehuman raceas well as theuniverse, whereby a wholeis formed
out of halves. Man and woman, darkness and light. This represents what
Christ is. Older cultures claimed themoon represented thefemaleprin-
cipleand thesun themaleprinciple. Themoon possesses an inner, glim-
mering light of its own. It simultaneously reflects thelight from thesun.
Thesun radiates light, yet is hollow inside. It is thereforeno accident that
thechurch I designed in Paks shows themoon on theright and thesun
on theleft. Thecross stands between thesetwo symbols, looming far
abovethem. Thus thedynamic balanceand opposition between female
and themale, light and dark is solved. This, in my opinion, is thegist of
Christianity. To theright of themoon an angel stands at thetop of a
spiral. This angel wears a mask of lead, whileanother angel wearing a
mask of gold stands next to thesun. Thechurch bells can befound in the
middle, with thecross standing abovethem. Along thesameaxis, only
behind thealtar, can beseen theresurrected Christ. This isnt Christ as
Hewas on thecross, but Christ as Hewas resurrected. This Christ, after
all, is thefocus of our hope: Christ was truly risen. This isnt a world of
symbols. After Christ was crucified thewomen went to embalm His
body. Hewas not there. In his placethey found an angel. Theangel told
them Christ had risen. Thewomen rushed home, not sureof what to do
and with turmoil in their souls. Then oneday Christ camethrough the
wall and appeared beforetheapostles. Heasked for food.
This is an extraordinary story, but onethat puts
all of our hopes into words. What you seein the
Paks church is not a symbolic world, but therelay-
ing of thoseprocesses which gavebirth to Chris-
tianity, showing its structureas well as its evolution.
I am left cold by thethought that thecrescent moon
in this caseis a Turkish symbol. Onecannot always
blamethelast forty-fiveyears of faulty education for
mistakes likethis. What wehavediscussed until now
areall elementary functions. Thesearent meredeco-
rations. I never decoratea houseor a church, but
what is inside, what is required by function. Only
to mefunction means far morethan stepping into
thebathroom and making useof thefacilities.
What I do is called organic architecture. I always
try to build with thenatural materials found at the
given site. If possible, my walls arebuilt out of the
Csenger, Greek Orthodox church,
theplan of theiconostasion, 1998
125
earth, using good-quality brick and not cinder block. Wefind wood to
bean excellent building material, for it is longer-lasting and, in certain
cases, even stronger than steel. My foundations areof stoneor brick
heavy, inorganic materials. Theroof is always madeof light, organic ma-
terials such as wood. Thus that which is of theearth remains next to the
earth and that which is of thesky remains next to thesky. Thechurch at
Paks as well as thechurch in Szzhalombatta werebuilt according to
theseprinciples.
Excerptsfroman interview with Klra Varga
in Napi Magyarorszg01. 05. 1999.
Sifok, Lutheran church
126
Sifok, Lutheran Church, 1986-90
Theresort areafound around LakeBalaton attracts many tourists from Northern
Europe; part of thereason for building this Lutheran church is to servetheir reli-
gious needs. It should also bementioned that ameaningful part of theconstruction
costs camefrom Finland. Thestructureof thechurchs inner, wooden frameis
deliberately reminiscent of stave-church forms traditional to Norway. Theadjoining
parsonagealso contains acircular, wooden cupolahousing achapel.
127
Sifok, Lutheran Church, 1986-90
128
Sifok, Lutheran Church and vicarage, 1986-93
129
130
Thegroup of buildings designed to bebuilt in Cluj consists of forms similar to
thoseseen at theSzekler tower of Kakasd. Towers of this kind can befound in forest
regions throughout Europe. Their cantilevered, log structurewhilecharacteristic
of traditional timber architectureis acombination of amotif enlarged to surrealis-
tic proportions and accompanied by smaller helmet towers. Whiletowers of this
typearetypical of Translyvanian architecture, theseareauniqueadaptation of the
traditional form. Thestructurefor thecupolarising abovetheoval ground plan is
obtained in much thesameway as that for thepavilion in Seville; alternating ribs are
arranged in layers, continuing themetamorphosis of theshapefirst rendered in the
Szekler gategracing theentrance.
Cluj (Kolozsvr, Romania), Calvinist Church, 1994-
131
Csenger, Greek Orthodox Church, 1997
Thechurch (which wasnever realised) wasto havebeen built in asmall town located
next to theRomanian border. Thetownsconnection with other villagesand towns
currently on theRomanian sideof theborder was brought to an end when new
bordersweredrawn in theTreaty of Trianon in 1920. Greek Orthodoxy isadenomi-
nation commonly found in thisregion, and onethat servesasan important bridge
between Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism. Themain goal of thischurch
wasto emphasisethisconnectionssignificance, aswell asitspossiblerolein thefu-
ture, madevisiblein theform of achurch standing next to theborder between thetwo
countries. An enclosed, oval courtyard liesbetween thetwo cupolascontaining respec-
tively thechurch and thechapel. Therectory opensout onto thiscourtyard.
132
Budapest, Ecumenical Chapel, 1999
This was thefirst project with thebudding forms seen on thephotos of Karl
Blossfeld as a towertop. Thestructureof thetiny chapel is a row of wooden arch
opened likea fan abovean amphitheatre-likespace. Theupper window creates
thebackboneof theanimal-likebuilding.
133
Engen (Germany), Ecumenical Chapel, 1999-2001
Theplan for an Ecumenical chapel, located next to ahighway in Germany, was to
provideaplacefor meditativecontemplation. Thefloor lying beneath thewooden
cupolais amirror, lending thepolygon, crystal form in themiddletheappearance
of floating in thecentreof thesphere.
134
TaposirisMagna (Egypt), Coptic Church, 2003-4
This new Coptic church is being built abovetheremains of 1,500 year-old Coptic
church and monastery discovered by archaeologists among theruins of atempleto
Isis, which had been surrounded by awall dating from thePtolemian age. Thenew
church will besurrounded by monastery cells to beused by monks. All new struc-
turesarebeing constructed directly on top of theearlier foundation walls, and through
theuseof traditional, local construction techniques. Thetempleto Isis is being
reconstructed by replacing stones taken from thetempleinto thesurrounding walls.
At thesametime, from thedirection of thenew church, thetemples columns
gradually takeon theform of trees, which in turn flow into aliving garden.
135
TaposirisMagna (Egypt), Coptic Church, 2003-4
136
TaposirisMagna (Egypt), Coptic Church, 2003-4
137
TaposirisMagna (Egypt), Coptic Church, 2003-4
138
Nosa (Nosza, Yugoslavia), Roman Catholic Church, 1999
Thechurch wasdesigned at thebequest of asmall town in Serbia. Thus thedesign isa
mixtureof local and universal traditions. Thecolonnadereminiscent of Byzantinestruc-
turesand covered by cupolaswasto beaunified structurecapableof continuingon
endlessly, whilealso allowingtheviewer achanceto perceivethemeaningof infinity.
139
Sfintu Gheorghe(Sepsiszentgyrgy Romania), Funeral Chapel, 1998-2004
Thesmall building in a littlehistorical town in themiddleof theHungarian
enclaveof Transylvania is used also for regular religious services. Thetwo cupolas
arecovered with planks, thetowertheentranceof thechapelis thecopy of one
of theunrealized Budapest EXPO-towers.
140
November, 1989
Saving theenvironment has becomeafrequent topic among themilitary
societies of theEast and theWest. It is undoubtedly truethat peopleare
doing moreto maketherivers and theair cleaner. Theenvironment is also
increasingly being protected from thedangers of industry. Whilethis is all
true, it must also beobserved that thesesamesocieties areeither unwilling
or perhaps unableto changethecurrent balanceof power, ahostilesystem
dictated by thepolicies of military management. Theinformation net-
works and intelligence-gathering technology used by thesemilitary societ-
ies haveled to thedevelopment of aself-governing system that, at first
glance, appears to bean organising strength with themeans and methods
of guiding society in arational direction. In truthweseethis clearly now
systems such as thesearecompletely oriented toward annihilation. First
and foremost, they annihilatetheexistenceof national societies. Religion
and thearts aresuddenly aspecialised areawithin theentertainment indus-
try. Scienceis relegated to being an intellectual industry dedicated to solv-
ing specific, useful problems for thesakeof society. TheEarth is merely the
terrain for advancing troops according to thecurrent military strategy. Na-
tional societies arethetesting sites for themilitary industrys latest toy. After
all, local wars brought about through artifical means aretheperfect oppor-
tunity for trying out new weapons systems. Human matternow alabora-
tory ratcan suddenly beobserved through themirror of troop movements,
losses and in all thecalculations surrounding theentireprocess. This all
leads to theperfect opportunity for destroying national, individualistic, so-
called historical societies and cultures.
Themethods behind this balanceof powersupposedly developed by
Churchillhavechanged theworld. As a result an English plutocracy has
reaped an unheard of kind of success in virtually every corner of the
Earth. Everyoneis studying English. Everyonesings in English. And ev-
eryonewants to eat hamburgers. Packaging food into hermetically sealed
bundles of plastic has becomea basic requirement of hygene. It is only
natural to build hotels and theunderground so thereis no exchangeof
air between thestructureand theoutsideenvironment. Largenetworks
of highways and automatised airports arepart and parcel of rising up in
theworld, thesameway perfectly-planned and quickly-executed week-
end get-aways, temporary cities of mobilehomes lined up besideforests
and lakes, thesemi-automatic production of poultry and poultry prod-
ucts, automatised and mobilehospitals, complex centres of instruction,
blocks and blocks of enormous high-rises and thegrowing sprawl of cit-
ies arethenatural result of a developed society.
141
Money, however, is enjoying itself within this balanceof powers. Natu-
rally there is only one denonimation: the dollar, the best of all
denonimations. Thedollar is thebest becauseit is theonly typeof
denonimation that possesses its own, uniqueset of standards and infor-
mation. Theother denonimations, for example, areonly worth as much
as their relationship to thedollar dictates. This uniquesenseof worth and
identity is thesameas thesenseof worth and identity peopleonceequated
with God, theomnipotent Being who ruled theuniverse.
Wisemen taught us that this God is a personal God. At thesametime,
they wereunableto explain His workings. Onemysterious cluewas all
thehelp they could giveus in finding theanswers: theenigmatic direc-
tive, Know thyself. Their advicefailed, perhaps for thevery reason that
nobody lives forever. Oneshort lifeis not long enough for a complete
understanding of our selves.
Now, however, instead of a personal God wearefaced with thework-
ings of an impersonal intelligence. Gold keeps theworld in balanceand
rules theuniverse. How does theworld of Moneyas it functions and
spreads within theworld of military societiesrelateto industry, to agri-
culture, to plants, to insects, to animals, to people, to theEarth?
In oneshort answer: it uses them. This is perhaps thebest description.
Yet how does something that is not personal, but only intelligent usesome-
thing?What exactly doesthephraseimpersonal intelligence mean?What-
ever it is, whether thing or person, how and for what purposedoes it useits
surrounding environment?How and for what purposedoes it usepeople?
Theanswers to thesequestions would beclear and simpleif weactu-
ally knew somethingand in a way that has somerealistic bearing on our
identities and everyday lifeabout what humanity has said about itself
and its world in themany thousands of years of its existence. If, for ex-
ample, wewereableto seethis issuefrom thepoint of view of history and
time. At this point, however, wemust admit that this no longer exists.
Thebalanceof powers has already taken great pains to insurethat our
memories areforgotten.
It is twiceas hard to forget our situation whilestill attempting to un-
derstand it. In any event, who or what is it that wearetalking about?
Who is theoneresponsiblefor transforming our work, our energy into a
consumeristic society? Who is it who determines our salary, yet is only
willing to pay when wepresent a card filled with personal facts and num-
berssay, information concerning our childrenat themysterious altars
on thestreets, themoney machines? Who is it who grants us loans? Who
is it who demands our silencewhen it comes to knowing how much our
friends make? Who is it who decides which makeof car and how much
Dugny (France), secondary school, 1992
142
horsepower it takes for us to know our worth, yet at thesametimekeeps
us from trying to think moreof ourselves? Who is it, after all, who pre-
cisely weighs out every ounceof our worth?
What is it that delivers exact calculations concerning our identity?What
is it that speaks of thefreeexchangeof ideas, yet forces us to seek thetruth
in what was not mentioned, in thesilencebetween theideas? After all,
speech, TheWord of yesterday, is today nothing morethan a mask cover-
ing theruins of our calculated fates from our eyes. This mask has accus-
tomed us to thereality that TheWord is no longer a beginning, the
sourceof all origins, but a showy object, an instrument that only gains
meaning when in context. Speech is only worth something theminuteit
is spoken; just as yesterday theoppositewas true, by tomorrow it is likely
to beforgotten.
This Being is theonewho has madeaconsumer item out of architec-
ture, resulting in homes that arenot places possessing along-term senseof
worth, but merely agestureof power or thechanging and highly subjective
expression of social status. Wholelists of examples such as this could be
written, for everything has been transformed, rooted out of its former con-
text and stripped of its former worth. Transformations such as theseare
characterised by theway they point toward anebulous, indefinitecentre.
This centrecan befound in thecentreof every city. In truth, it has
becomethecentreof everything. At night thecity grows empty. Yet,
despiteappearances, westill do not feel that theenormous city centres
areempty, thesameway wefeel that thestreets filled with cars by day are
never empty at night. In theyawning emptiness wefeel thespeed left
over from theday. This is why wecarefully, fearfully cross theempty
streets. Yes, wefeel thepresenceof a deadly speed. It hangs abovethe
street. It is very much present.
At night theempty banks and centres for political parties truly reveal
who or what is present in them during theday. What wefeel in this
instanceis an impersonal presence. Wecould also call it a nightmare.
Without even realising it, in thebalanceof powers Living Theatrewe
arechanging according to theMessiac ambitions of theDirector. After
all, theImpersonal Onefeeds off of theword, theearth, theenvironment
and off of us as well. It is thereforeeasy for us to recogniseourselves
within it. It is easy for us to accept Its workings, for thereis no onefrom
whom wefeel wemust freeourselves. TheImpersonal Oneis noneother
than ObjectiveReality, a Historical Necessity.
Wefind ourselves facing an unknown forcethat is without precedent.
It hides out of sight whileconstructing a delicatesystem of capillaries
within our bodies. It builds its perfect, magnetic form out of us. Weturn
Oradea(Nagyvrad, Romania), Roman
Catholic old peoples home, 1994
143
toward this, when our real nature, theforms that changed over eons of
human development, theworld of theliving and thedead, stand within
us and behind us, utterly forgotten.
Impersonal Intelligenceis my enemy. Everything that serves it is my
enemy. When I seeRadio City Music Hall with its dancing girls and the
way it shimmers with reflectors even during theday, when I seethemusical
it puts on whileahomeless person sleeps next to it, I am afraid. And I
finally understand Stalins study, theroom whoselocation theworld was
never allowed to know, not even after reading Dilass book about Stalin.
It is autumn. Weawait thedrenching rains that bring life. But we
cannot tell ahead of timewhether or not it will beacid rain. Weno longer
drink from streams. Infants living in villages haveto drink bottled water
becauseinfants cannot yet toleratedrinking polluted drinking water. We
leaveour garbageon thesideof thestreet. If a treegets to big wecut it
down, becauseit blocks out thesun. Weplant dwarf trees so wedo not
haveto pick applesalways morethan weneed anywayfrom a ladder.
Then wegrow tomato plants thesizeof our dwarf appletrees so more
tomatoes areproduced. Bread, thestaff of life, is baked in factories and is
only good whilestill soft and mushy, and unhealthy to boot.
Lets not ask who or what theimpersonal intelligenceis. Let us ask
instead who its servants are. This is what wemust know. Wemust learn
to recognisewhen and whereit makes its nest within us (yes, within us!).
Wemust recognisehow it turns human beings into beggars.
Theworld of this new nature, which is created out of us, exists as long
as natureexists. Impersonal Intelligenceuses natureas asort of blackhole.
It leads us to believethat therearecertain, select groups. All this means is
that themajority is anatural being and thereforenaturally unclean and
themass. Themasses must betaken careof thesameway onewould care
for apet. This caremanifests itself in theform of massiveapartment struc-
tures, mass communication and mass sporting events.
Its goal, however, is to makeus feel that our own destruction is natural.
As weslowly plummet through theblackholes darkness, wearesupposed
to believethat theImpersonal Intelligenceand its servants havedoneus a
good deed. MeanwhiletheImpersonal Intelligencelooks on passively. It
watches passively as westruggleto remember our origins, our strength, our
beauty, and last but not least, to remember thefirst Adam and Eden.
It is autumn. A new day is preparing to riseout of thecentreof the
continent. It is theday of theoppressed, thenullified, theday that be-
longs to all of thosewho wereforced into becoming animals.
Of this I am certain.
Essayin Orszgpt, 1990/1
144
Budapest, StageDesign for BartksPlays, 1993
145
Thesestagesetsweredesigned to bethebackdrop for atheatreproduction of threeworks
by Bartk. Fromthepoint of view of practicality, it wasfirst of all necessary for it to be
easy to takethemapart and put themback together. Secondly, they had to besmall
enough to fit into alorry when theproduction wastaken on theroad to other theatres.
Third, all threepiecesof theset had to conformto theneedsand criteriademanded by its
useon stage, in atheatre. Thislast condition isnaturally related to theintellectual con-
cept that all threepiecesbeunited by acommon symbol or systemof symbols. Theset
took BluebeardsCastleasitsinspiration. To bemoreprecise, it wasthepresenceof the
seven doorsin thisstory, and themysteriousimport of thenumber seven that provided
thesymbol embodied by thestagesets. Thenumber seven isoneof thebasic elementsin
humanityscommon sourceof knowledgeabout thestructureof our identities: mythol-
ogy and folktales. Thiswasreason enough to basethedesign on thenumber seven. Only
in thisinstancethenumber doesnot appear asseven openings, but asseven towers
standingin an open space. By changingtheposition of thetowers, different stagesettings
can bebrought to life. Themiddletower hastwo faces. OneisthepalacefromThe
Wooden Prince, which restson thetop of ahill, surrounded by forest. Insidethepalace
sitsawoman spinningthethread of life. Theother faceisof glass. It representsthemale
principlethat isthecentreof TheMiraculousMandarinsscenery. (I.M.)
Budapest, StageDesignsfor BartksPlays, 1993
146
Budapest, StageDesign for BartksPlays, 1993
147
Budapest, Memorial, 1995-96
Thismemorial wasborn out of apersonal wish to stand tribute, In thememory of all
thosewho did not die, yet whoseliveswerestill destroyed from 1944 to 1995. The
memorial waserected, albeit illegally. A figure(astatueby Lszl Pterfy) isseated with
hisback facing theviewer in aconcretecell. A mirror hangson theoppositewall,
forcing theviewer to seehisown reflection through theprison bars.
148
Nigel HoffmansInterview with ImreMakovecz
In thebeginning organic architecturewas a matter of philosophy and
form, but its not anymore. Theworld has changed sinceFrank Lloyd
Wright began to createorganic works and so organic architectureis quite
different now. After all, Frank Lloyd Wright inherited his knowledge
from the19
th
century, for his teacher was Louis Sullivan. Now, at theend
of the20
th
century, our problems arequitedifferent. For example: in
Hungary theweather was very dry this year, whilein Europetherehave
been wind storms thelikeof which no oneremembers. Many forests
weresimply destroyed by thesestroms. In thelast ten years twenty-five
percent of theforests in Hungary havedisappeared. Acid rain arrives here
from England, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Theeffects of Chernobyl,
on theother hand, cometo Hungary from theeast. Theseeffects are
changing plants and even human beings, producing mutations. So the
wholeof natureis being destroyed and rapidly changing. At thesame
time, a sort of quasi-nature, a falsekind of nature, has formed out of two
important components: money and information. In both theEast and
theWest societies aremoving farther and farther away from naturein its
original form. An atmosphereof impending tragedy is looming aboveus.
Thetragedy of this quasi-natureis that it does not recognisethat human
beings possess an original, created naturein themselves. Thebody, the
wholehuman way of life, is part of this original nature.
Organic architectureis usually approached in terms of form, at least
by thosewho think they understand architecture. Yet when viewing the
architectureof Frank Lloyd Wright, BruceGoff, Herb Greene, Rudolf
Steiner, Lechner dn, Antoni Gaud, Ks Kroly or William Morris,
weareactually seeing completely different worlds as far as form is con-
cerned. I think it is morethemodeof thinkingor their view of lifewhich
makes thesepeoplerepresentatives of organic architecture. Oneof the Budapest, World EXPO towers, 1993
149
significant things that connects thework of thesearchitects is that they
areall searching for metaphors between thequasi-natureof society and
thenatural world. To them, theabyss that gapes again and again between
thesetwo worlds is absolutely unbearable. As a result, Gaud and Morris
turn plants into metaphors. Greeneuses animal and Rudolf Steiner uses
human metaphors. In short, for thesearchitects it is absolutely essential
for theworld to exist in somekind of continuity.
From a philosophical or formal point of view, my architecturehas
nothing to do with traditional architecture. I createthis architecturein
protest against thesituation imposed on human beings by quasi-nature.
It doesnt reach for Hungarian folk traditions (organic in themselves) as a
way of being different or becauseit wants to express somekind of poetic
or humanistic message. My reason for using Hungarian folk traditions is
quitedifferent: I useit becauseof what it shows through feeling-knowl-
edge. It is theknowledgepossessed by cultures living ten, twenty thou-
sand years ago that is very important for us to understand today. It is not
a question of, for eaxmple, whether or not wethink thecultureof the
Maoris is very niceor not. Its a question of what theyknow and what we
dont know. Carl Jungs work shows that an elementary knowledgeof
theMaoris and their archetypes makes it possibleto form a very deep,
inner connection with thesepeople. In other words, it is possibleto deci-
pher thearchitectureof two, three, ten thousand years ago. Lets look at
theexampleof theartist, Joseph Bueys, who decided to spend threedays
in a room with a coyote, a symbol of theAmerican Indians. To him the
coyoteprovided thepresenceof a traditional god. Why did hefeel the
need to do this? Why do I feel theneed to useelements of Hungarian
folk art? Why is it important for an English architect to understand the
knowledgethat led to Stonehenge?
I dont think that a new kind of Australian architecturewould need to
comefrom thethoughts of theAborigines. I actually think that thean-
150
cient Australian culturecomes from Central Asia, so maybean architect
would haveto start looking there. In any event, therewould bea lot of
places onecould investigate. After all, its not necessary to look for the
roots of Australian culturejust within Australia. If I wereAustralian I
would havethought this question over a lot morethan I haveat this
point, so thereisnt much moreI can say about it. For me, as someone
from Central Europe, it is important that I understand thetwo great
ancient cultures that inhabited this region, theCeltic and theScythian
cultures. How should they beunderstood? How should I sensethem or
feel them in my mind and my heart? I believethat thetwo cultures be-
long together. By understanding them, I am trying to understand what is
happening in Hungary today. This is why I know how hard it is to do
something likethis. I think that architects today areteetering on a very
thin line. They must decidewhether they aregoing to servetheimpend-
ing tragedy or thenew, mythical society. Very few architects chooseto
practisewhat I call living architecture, which is why weareusually con-
sidered to befools or, at thevery least, extremists.
I had to design achurch in alittleHungarian town called Paks wherea
nuclear reactor is also located. A wholedistrict was constructed around this
nuclear reactor according to thesocialist concept of town planning. Work-
ing out what this church should belikewas thereforequiteaproblem. In
an environment likethis aCatholic church seems anachronistic, yet I still
wanted to createaspacethat would haveapositiveeffect on thepeople. I
wanted this to beachurch that would protectand not in its ideology, nor
in its form or style, but in its reality. I think it is theduty of every building
to protect its inhabitants from theoutsideworlds many attacksfrom the
wind and therain, thecold, from all thekinds of radiation that areboth
positiveand negative. Thereis nothing special in this senseof protection.
Yet it still makes abig differencewhether this protection is offered by aflat
surfaceof reinforced concreteor from acupola, as in thecaseof thecultural
centreI designed that is located in theforest of Visegrd. This cupolais held
by foliated columns and is decorated with zodiac signs. Thecolumns and
zodiac signs arenot meretheatrical props, but rather help theviewer to see
inwardly what thesurrounding cosmos is madeup of. Out of this under-
standing comes acertain, special kind of protection.
How can wesolvetheproblem of constructing largeclusters of dwelling
in big cities?At this point wemust ask: why are22 million peopleliving in
flats in Mexico City?Why has London becomeacountry into itself?Why
are2 million peopleliving in Budapest?In Hungary thevillages stand
empty. Peopleareleaving their traditional abodes as quickly as they can. Is
it really truethat nowadays it is impossibleto livein thecountryside?That
151
it is only possibleto ekeout an existencein thebig cities?Nevertheless,
when peoplego to Milan or Stockholm, they dont admirethebig high-
rises and living estates there. When peoplego to London they admirethe
historical, old towncentre, which is different from any other kind of
towncentrein theworld. I havealready said that at theend of the20
th
century, aquasi-naturehas been created out of money and information.
Who is it who told peoplethey must livethis way?
In a town called Srospatak a number of wearchitects havecollabo-
rated to design new dwellings that would strengthen thetowns atmo-
sphereas a small town. Thebuildings areno taller than threefloors. This
is so peopleremain in closer contact with theearth and dont feel like
they arerats living in a box. I thought it a good idea to givethetask of
designing different buildings to different architects. This way thebuild-
ings all possess different faces.
It is important that architecturedevelop not out of a need to satisfy its
historical narcissism or somesort of generic limitations, but out of a need
to giveshapeto a universal spirit. My main interest is in how this spirit is
incarnated in thehuman body, as well as how it appears in theshapeof
theHungarian metaphor. What I do is anthropomorphic architecture.
In truth it is anthropomorphic in thesameway that human speech is
madepossiblewith theaid of themouth and thethroat. This kind of
architecturecreates a world of lifelikeobjects that exist somewhereon the
border between heaven and earth. It is meant to bea new alternative: a
lifelived consciously, closer to a new frontier.
Excerpts, TransformingArt, 1991/5 Sydney
152
Accordingto thedesignersplans, thisship would continuously travel thewatersof the
Danube, Rhineand theMain, functioningastheembodiment of Central European
culture. The55 metre-long, morethan 10 metre-widevessel would mostly beused asa
placefor stagingoperas, dramas, lecturesand other cultural events. It would also provide
theperfect settingfor festivals, school presentations, or asthemeansfor educatingthe
public about thedifferent culturesfound alongtheriversmentioned above.
Budapest, World EXPO Ship, 1994
153
Budapest, Expo Pavilion, 1994
WhiletheWorld Expo scheduled to occur in Budapest in 1996 wascancelled, Imre
Makovecz played aleading rolein creating theexhibitionsarchitectural concept. The
group of architectsgathered at hisrecommendation prepared theexhibitionsorganising
plan, which took theform of an inner seed of pavilionsrepresenting theseven
regionsof Hungary. Makovecz himself designed onepavilion, thering surrounding
theinner seed, theseven gatesleading to thepavilionsaswell asaplan for atheatre
ship. Themotifsseen in thearchitectstower designshavehaunted hiswork ever
sincetheexhibition wascancelled. It isthereforeno surprisethat several havereap-
peared in different, later designs.
Hispavilion representing theZalaand Somogy regionsconsistsof two elements.
Oneisan exact replication of atypical, traditonal, peasant house. Besidethehouse
standsahill, within which residesacupolaupheld by aring of columns. Thetwo
spacestouch oneanother and, in fact, seem to cling to each other. In theinterior I used
theglassceiling I designed for thePavilion in Seville. Thus, everything that can be
found in theupper areacan also beseen in thelower one, only upsidedown. Oneof
thewallsin thepeasant house, from theupper sill to theupside-down sill isnoneother
than amirror. If thevisitor werenow to stand on thisglass, hisentireperception of
reality would beshaken. Theupper areaisempty, whilethelower oneisfurnished,
only everything isupside-down. Perfectly natural reproductionsof traditional, peas-
ant furniturearehanging from theceiling. In conclusion, everything that can beseen
in thisbuilding isan eclectic collection of thetracesand impressionsleft by my his-
tory, theintellectual development of my inner world. (I. M.)
154
Srospatak, rpd Vezr Secondary school, 1988-93
Theclassroomsarearranged around theschoolsassembly hall. Thisisin direct oppo-
sition to thetypeof design commonly used for schools, in which theclassroomsare
lined up along along hallway running through themiddleor sideof thebuilding. I
thereforedesigned an aulathat wasmeant for celebrating. It isalso important to men-
tion that theschool gymnasium also doublesasthesport centrefor thewholetown.
Each corner of theschool isheld in and united by thepresenceof four towersbuilt to
resemblethetowersseen in thetownscastle. Towersgenerally attempt to createakind
of vertical emphasis, thelikeof which hasnot been built in along time. (I. M.)
155
Srospatak, rpd Vezr Secondary school, 1988-93
156
Berlin (Germany), Hotel and ConferenceCentre, 1996
In thisplan I bringto lifeanon-existent, small street and littlesquarefrom Brandenburg.
It hasall theappearancesof areal small town, despitethefact that it doesdivergefrom
thisarchetypein slight ways. Thisispartly why I divided theentirecomplex of build-
ingsinto small units, each displaying differencesin faadeor size. Theother reason for
doing so wasthat I did not want to construct thekind of largehotel usually demanded
by Western European hotel proprietorsright in themiddleof aforest. (I. M.)
157
Hanover (Germany), World Expo, 1995
Thetask wasto submit adesign for theWorld Expo planned to takeplacein Hanover,
Germany in 2000. Theobject of theinternational competition wasto redesign the
exhibition hall already standing on thesite. With thehelp of curved, wooden, half-
roofsdraped in foliage, ImreMakovecz would haveliked to createpartially covered
streetsrunning thelength of thepavilions. Abovethishewould haveplaced aback-
drop meant to cover thesteel-plated exhibition hall from view whilealso reconstruct-
ing thefaadesof housesthat stood in Hanover beforebeing bombed in World War
II. Insidetheexhibition hall, theparticipating countriesmay useenormous, hanging,
parabolic screensfor projecting imagesof their homeland.
158
Witten-Annen (Germany), Waldorf Teachers School, 1987-90
I relied on two architectural archetypeswhen I began working on thisproject. First of
all, I thought of theuniversal messageand connectionsimplied by cupolas. Secondly,
I knew that theentiregeological formation, including all thewrinklesand foldsin the
earth, had to bemadevisiblein away that would seem asif avolcanic eruption had
taken place, carrying awaveof old, 16
th
to 17
th
Century German buildings(many
examplesof which can still befound in small townsand villages) on itsback. This
fachwerk styleof architecturewasnot only interesting to mebecauseit represents
another kind of structural technique, but also becauseit can beused to expressorganic
First alternative, 1987-88
159
Witten-Annen (Germany), Waldorf Teachers School, 1987-90
patternsand materials. It only takesaslight mutation of atraditional, fachwerk house
to turn abuildingsframeinto thestem and tendrilsof apressed plant. Not to men-
tion that astep likethislendsnew meaning to thetraditional, architectural forms
nativeto that particular region. I created thebuilding out of thesetwo ideas. My
design wasmostly greeted with either confusion or outright aversion, partly because
many said it wastoomuch German. But I also believepart of thereason wasthey were
accustomed to thinking that buildingsused for anthroposophic purposesshould be
built in an anthroposophic style.
Final alternative, 1988-90
160
Piranesi and Borges
If onewereto draw theForum Romanum using therules of perspective
as perfectly as Piranesi did (who drew figures ten times smaller than they
would havebeen in reality) then onewould seean ancient Romebuilt by
giants thousands of years beforethecity was actually built. If onewereto
depict theTempleof theVestal Virgins so that three-fourths of thebuild-
ing is sunk into theearthmeaning that theground takes shelter under
thecapitals decorated with acanthus leaves, theoutstretched arms of the
fluting can only bereached if onewereto stand on tiptoe, and theacacia
treeperched on thearchitravelooks about as big as weeds growing along-
sidetheroadthen this lucky person would beableto tell us that wehave
no idea how great Romereally was. Without theuseof oneword, the
artist tells us how much of Romes light has withered away in thedark
chasm of forgetting, as well as how modern man is a hedonistic, little
worm in comparison to thepower of his ancestors.
Of coursethesystem of scaleused in any North American city is far
morehellish than that used in ancient Rome. Lets not forget that thereis
quitea differencebetween seeing a largecolumn topped with leaves and
a building block that happens to betwo hundred meters high. Thefirst
suggests a titanic ability to recreatenature, whilethesecond suggests the
omnipotent power of a technological civilisation. Thefirst is a conjuring
of theGolden Age, whilethesecond promises thecoming of a Golden
Age. In truth weareleft facing both thegreatness of our ancestors and the
mirageof a global society. Our reality is actually found in thedeep chasm
of our identities, a chasm too deep for us to seeinto. Weteeter on a little
plateau at theedgeof thebrink. Welook down as if in a dream. The
confusion in scalebrought upon us by our situation makes it impossible
for us to tell whether wearestanding in a flowering meadow, theForum
Romanum, or in an ancient Hungarian city. Neither depth nor height is
frightening; through our eyes God, theuniverse, sees itself.
Our rights and our possibilities far exceed our abilities. Weforget our
chasms. Weforget Rome. Weforget that thearchitect Mikls Ybl was
hereamong us just a few momentsago. Wedo not believethepoet, Dezs
Kosztolnyi, or Borges, or even thosewho arestill among us, that the
blink of an eyeor even onegestureis enough to takeus back to thebrink.
Oncethereweforget sunshine, safety and everything elsethat guarantees
us a comfortableexistence. Wehappily forget everything. Weonly start
to fear this when theforgetting has reached our hearts. At this point it
takes over to such an extent, weloseevery hopethat wecould ever beable
to remember our ability to remember.
161
This unconscious end makes it impossiblefor meto imagineand cre-
atewhat is minein thefuture. Instead I adapt to my dim existenceon the
border. I await my savior at theappointed time, liketheunsuspecting
Minotaur who saw his savior in Theseus. As hethrusts his sword into
me, hedoes not even hold a pocket mirror beforemeso that, with my
last breath, I can seemy facein God, so I can know I was a god hereon
earth. Instead my last moments will befilled with theimageof his shocked
face; hedoes not understand why I had been waiting for him, or why I
did not defend myself.
If only this moment would arrive! But it does not. This border existence
will also pass. Theonewho saw theworld through our eyes will forget too.
Wemetamorphose, likeascenein adream, and thereis no more.
If everything is so lacking in a past and a future, wouldnt it beamus-
ing and worthy of our condition as humans to believein fragmented and
debatablebits of fiction? Couldnt weenlargeour stumbling littlesongs
into universal windstorms?Couldnt wemakeour hills into mountains?
Couldnt webuild thousand-ton wings to accompany thewinging rever-
berations of bells being rung? Couldnt wepour concreteinto steel molds
to makeenormous trees? Couldnt webuild thelight filtering through
trees out of arched, crooked wooden supports holding up an uneven
cupola? Yes, wecould. A church likethis is being built right now. To be
moreprecise, a fiction is becoming reality. A sentenceemerges from the
chasm, taking its final form in material becauseit wants to bepresent in
a visibleand tangibleform in this world.
It is a vision that can beseen by everyoneat thesametime. It is a vision
that stays thesameeven when weturn our backs.
Szzhalombatta, Roman Catholic church
162
Constructing a church requires morethan thecreativeconvictions of
oneperson. Wedont know who said it firstmaybeit was Nagypataki?
Or maybeit was theold priest always present with his down-turned,
worn faceand impenetrableloneliness. Maybeit was Zoltn, or Lomnici
and his people. I think it could haveactually been thechosen committee,
thecity, theunknown list of names, someparticipating less, somemore.
Who knows?
Many of us livein a chasm of time. But thechurch is being built. Its
far too largeto besomething teetering on theedgeof a border, a place
wherea person can only takerefugeand not comfort.
An enlarged, forgotten Forum Romanum is being built out of an in-
ner world. It is being built in Szzhalombatta, of all places. It is a spiritual
bubble. Insidethebubblerain pours and thewind howls. Now I am
sitting on a terracein thedestroyed Carthage. Someonewhom I know
well and lovebrings mea glass of wineand wetalk, uttering soundless
and forgotten sentences. Rain pours from theeaves, pummeling thebushes
in thecourtyard. TheVia Appia suddenly shimmers across thegarden,
and Odovacar smilingly turns away from theafternoon idyll, remember-
ing Rome.
When is now? asks theblind Borges again and again.
A window nobody looks through, yet thewindow looks in and out at
thesametimein theunderstanding that it will never know theeyethat
could look or is looking through it. It is a matter of fraction. It is always
thesamedilemma.
Bubbles float out of thewindow. Their colourful rainbow reveals the
outer world. They float down into thechasm. Maybe, just maybe, oneof
them will reach thebottom. Time
swims within them. Within them
shines theForum Romanum in min-
iature. Or maybethey contain some-
thing elsesincethelast timeI saw
them. Who knows?
TheForum Romanum was truly
built by giants. Thenew church, with
its immeasurable sky, its forests of
stone, its thousand-ton wings, gently
floats down thechasm, contained in
a bubble.
ImreMakovecz: Notices
in hisDiary, June, 1996
163
Szzhalombatta, Roman Catholic Church, 1995-98
With much difficulty thenew church was constructed on themain squareof
Szzhalombatta, formed by thecommunist industrialisation. Thecostswerecovered
by afoundation of local citizensthat aided thebuilding of thechurch. Theareasur-
rounding thetown containsseveral hundred early-medieval burial mounds, which
havebeen excavated by archaeologists. (Part of thetownsnamecontainsthephrase
hundred mounds in referenceto this.) Thechurch ismadeup of an enormous
cupolasupported by aring of concretetrees, aform that echoestheshapeof theburial
mounds. Thechapel and rectory connect to themain cupolaassmall, grass-covered
hills. Themain cupolabearsacovering of natural slate. Thewhitewallscutting through
themoundsrecall theareashistorical connection to Ancient Rome.
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Seville(Spain), World EXPO, Hungarian Pavilion, 1990-92
165
Seville, World EXPO
166
I started off by tryingto conceiveof what Hungary could havebeen likebeforethediscovery of
America. What condition wasthecountry in then?How could I connect theHungary of this
particular historical context to therest of theworld asit wasat thistime?
First of all, it should bementioned that thework of two philosopherswascausingnew pulses
of thought to affect theEuropeof thistime. Thefirst wasoneof theArab worldsmost
important thinkers, Averros, whosework inspired nominalistic theory. Theother wasSaint
Thomasof Aquinus, who divided theworld into two hemispheres. Fromthispoint on, the
world could beknown and understood either though thestudy of science, or through knowl-
edgeof theHoly Writ and thelivesof thesaints. Parallel to Saint Thomasof Aquinusand his
work wefind all thosesecret sciencessuch asalchemy and thekabalatherootsof which can be
found in EuropesCeltic, ancient German or other so-called pagan culturesthat reintroduced
Seville(Spain), World EXPO, Hungarian Pavilion, 1990-92
167
Platosideasinto mainstreamthought. Thestudy of platonic idealsled to thedesireto know
moreabout theoriginsof man, ashadowy and mysteriouspoint in human history. Thissearch
issymbolised by theimageof thelost city of Atlantis, thetreasure-filled, holy and beautiful
island of shimmeringgreen. Naturally thesethoughtsarenot only found in Plato, but also in
Celtic legendsand mysticism. In fact, they also exist in Scandinavian writings.
Theresult of all thesenew thoughtsand philosophiesisthat, suddenly, theworld can become
known, just asthepast can. Thecombination of thetwonow in theformof metaphorsled
Europeto discover and map out theworld. Sailorstook to their shipsand, after skirtingAfrica,
finally reached China. Within thewallsof monasteriesthenatural sciencesgradually began to
bedeveloped. And then it occurred to peoplethat thelost world, thetreasure-filled India, must
also bediscovered.
Whileall of thiswastakingplace, another movement waspushingitsway to theWest. This
movement involved theexpansion of theOttoman Empire. On land thiswestward expansion
of power first locked hornswith Hungary in 1456, when JnosHunyadi defeated thesultans
main army at Nndorfehrvr, thushaltingtheOttomansadvanceon theWestern world.
Out of respect for thismighty deed, thePopedecreed that all thechurch bellsin Europebe
rungat noon. After Hunyadi, an extremely centralised formof rulearosein Hungary under
theleadership of KingMatthias. TheOttomans, however, havenot forgotten about Hungary.
In order for KingMatthiasto beableto beat back their constant attacks, hehad to securehis
kingdomssafety on all sides. Thusheattacked theHoly German Empire, occupied Vienna
and forced theCzechsto bow down to hiscentralised rule.
Followingthedeath of KingMatthias, Hungary fell apart and, in 1526, suffered such atotal
defeat at theBattleof Mohcsthat even thekingwaskilled in battle. Thecountry brokeinto
threesections: central Hungary becamean empty wasteland, thehighlandsweretaken over by
Germansand Transylvaniabecamean autonomic, independent country in itsown right, with
itsown political programmeto follow. In other words, theentirecountryturned intoone, enor-
mouswall. Yet it isalso truethat thiswall could betraversed; it wasnot just thelast lineof
military defensefor theWestern world, but also aplacewheregoods, and most of all, informa-
tion could beexchanged. Thissituation lasted for onehundred and fifty years, right in the
heart of Europe.
To return to thepavillion, it liesalonganorth-south axis. Inside, two wallsstretch acrossthe
buildingsdiagonal. Each wall isthreemetresapart fromtheother. Seven towersstand on top
of thisdoublewall. To thewest of thedoublewall can befound all thoseareasthat project what
Western Hungary islike, whiletheeastern section naturally representsEastern Hungary. At
thesametime, thewall constantly talks. Itsvoiceissometimeslouder or softer, but it is
alwayssayingsomething. Thepoint of thislet usnot forget theseven towersstandingsentry
abovethewall!isfor thevisitorsto feel that they aremakingtheir way through alivingwall.
After all, thiswall isnothinglessthan Hungaryitself!
A glassceilingcan befound on thewestern sideof thebuilding. A treestandsin theceilings
geometric centre, and theviewer not only seesthetreesbranches, but also itsrootsstretching
downward, thesameway that theTreeof Lifeisusually portrayed. Underneath isacupola,
constructed so it too isupside-down. Thelightingin thecupolaisdonein such away asto give
theviewer asenseof what infinitespaceis. Thecloser thevisitor comesto theceiling, thelesshe
isableto discern what isup, what isdown, or how thetwo relateto oneanother. At thispoint
that shadowy arealyingsomewherebetween unconsciousnessand subconsciousnessbecomes
apparent. A feelingof lifesinevitableprecariousnesscatcheshold of theviewer. Yet thisisa
special kind of precariousness. It belongsto an ancient knowledgewhich hasalwayswho
knowsfor how many thousandsof yearsbeen present in theHungarian people. Onceagain it
affectsEuropean thought with thepower of anew pulsebeat.
Fromherevisitorscan passunder thedoublewall to reach theareapresentingHungarys
eastern faceand personality. In thisareaathirty-metremoviescreen projectsdifferent pictures,
such asabrewingstorm, horsesracingacrossafield, an open-air market, and documentary
photosof the1956 Revolution. (I. M.)
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168
Seville(Spain), World EXPO, Hungarian Pavilion, 1990-92
169
Seville(Spain), World EXPO, Hungarian Pavilion, 1990-92
170
Reconstruction of Windsor Castleafter BeingDamaged by Fire, 1994
(Invited participation in an international competition)
TheSaint GeorgeHall aswell asthefamily chapel aretheroomsin question. Both
werebuilt according to 19
th
Century tastesin historical, scenic techniques; in other
words, plaster decorationswerebuilt upon an espalier nailed to awooden frame. The
supporting framebehind thesedecorativeelementswascompletely burned, revealing
theold wallsbeyond. Every adaptation, reconstruction or renovation that had oc-
curred throughout thecenturiescould beseen on thesewalls: bricks, arches, remnants
of stonesfrom arches, sectionseither walled in or taken down afterwards, and all the
other bitsof history hidden until now by thedecorations. Thanksto thefire, the
buildingshistory cameoncemoreto thelight. It wastheowners wish to transform
thechapel into an exhibition hall. I took thisto mean that they would want to turn it
into aspacethat, even asit isused by thepublic for everyday purposes, wouldthrough
artstill preservesomething of itsprevious, sacred nature. Most of thechapelslate-
Gothic decorationshad been destroyed. Thedecorationssurrounding thealtar, aswell
asthoseon theother side, werestill intact, albeit thepictures, inlaying, etc. they had
contained werein ashes.
In my opinion, an arching roof structureshould bebuilt upon thechapelswalls. This
structureshould bereminiscent of theneo-Gothic, and therubblemust becleared
away. Any salvageableneo-Gothic plaster cassettesor decorationsmust berestored
wherepossible; thestainscaused by smoke, soot and fireshould not, however, be
removed from them. Abovetheruins, Wim Wenders angelsshould perch on thewalls
so that they look down upon thepeoplestrolling through theroom. Theseangelshave
theduty of preserving and protecting historystruth. I would also liketo paint the
brick wallsgold, thereby showing raw reality, yet in shimmering gold. At thejuncture
between thechapel and theSaint GeorgeHall I would liketo placeaglassceiling
overlapping afew metresinto theSaint GeorgeHall aswell. Thesection of thehall
covered by theglassceiling would also bepainted gold, just asin thechapel. Theedge
of thewall, together with itsblackened, plaster surface, would connect to thisnew
section, then gradually win back itsoriginal form. Thus, thehall would regain its
previousintimateand personal nature, whilethepresenceof anew wall and anew
thought would serveasawarning to thehallsinhabitants.
171
Beforethefall of communism, when theroyal family of Britain wanted to show its
support of thefall of theIron Curtain, theheir to thethronewasthefirst to travel to
Hungary, asisdictated by royal protocol. Later, when theIron Curtain had fallen, the
timecamefor thequeen to visit Hungary. According to hisown wishes, PrinceCharles
and naturally only after theway had been paved by theBritish consulpaid avisit to
my home. Hewasinterested in meeting mepersonally and wanted to know more
about theideashehad glimpsed in foreign publications. Theseeventsform theback-
drop for theplanning of theexhibition pavilion.
At thesuggestion of thePrince, theRIBA (TheRoyal Instituteof British Architects)
invited mequiteafew yearsago to hold an exhibition of my work in London. I should
mention that theRIBA doesnot alwaysagreewith thePrincesopinion and tendsto
represent thegeneral opinion of themajority of British architects. After many long
negotiationsand uncertaintiesincluding alectureI held at theRIBAsseat, which
resulted in arather hot debatebetween myself and CharlesJencks, among others
eventsled to DennisSharp being charged with thetask of organising theexhibition.
DennisSharp then proceeded to ruin theexhibition in waysthat could never be
examined or proven. To bemoreprecise, heofficially announced theopening of the
exhibition, even down to having all of theinvitationsand signsprinted, yet never
bothered to makesurethat theminimal fundsnecessary for financing theexhibition
wereavailable. In fact, hearranged thingsasif theHungarian statewould berespon-
siblefor financing theexhibition, even though thishad never been mentioned. After
theexhibition failed in thisuniquemanner, thejob wastaken away from Dennis
Sharp and given to another architectural critic named CharlesKnewitt. CharlesKnewitt
then approached mewith theplan hehad discussed with PrinceCharles, namely that
instead of planning an ordinary kind of exhibition, weshould build apavilion that
would introduceto Britain thekind of architecturethat I practise.
London, Exhibition Pavilion, 1997-98
172
In theend wechoseEmbankment Park, located in adistrict of Westminster, besidethe
Thames, for thepavilionslocation. According to our plansthepavilion would have
stood at thislocation for threemonths. I designed thebuilding so it could later be
taken apart and removed to theborder between Walesand England, whereit would
becomeacultural centrefor thepractiseof traditional, Welsh artsand handicrafts.
I designed thepavilion and prepared thebudget for building it, but theexhibition has
yet to beopened. Thesituation in London haschanged. Now it appearsthat, for
reasonsI do not understand, thepavilion will not bebuilt for thetimebeing.
Thebuilding itself isasmall hill. Insideit hasbeen divided along itslength into two
parts. Both endsof thebuildingselliptical shapehavebeen cut off. At theentranceto
thebuilding can beseen areplication of adetail on thefaadeof Sir John Soanes
home. A large, winged figurestandsat theother end. In order to enter thebuilding, a
London, Exhibition Pavilion, 1997-98
173
pneumatic system liftsup thelower part of thereplicated faade. Thevisitor then finds
himself facing theinner stairway from theSoaneHouse. It ispossibleto go up the
stairsand look out upon thefloating platform that formed thefloor for thestudio
used by architecturestudentsin theSoaneHouse. In thiscase, however, theplatform
isnot horizontal, but slanted. And it isnot being supported by compositecolumns,
but by treebranches. Other than thesedifferences, theroom looksexactly theway it
doesin theoriginal. Thesamesimpletablesand chairscan beseen. I even included an
unusual funerary artifact found in theSoaneMuseum: acat mummy with amouse
mummy.
After thisslightly humorousintroductory part, thevisitor reachesawall that separates
thetwo halvesof thebuilding. Along thiswall stand enormous, metal statuesthat are
increasingly larger in size. Thesestatueshavefacesalong their axes. Thefaceslook both
forward and backwards, which meansthat thefiguresareactually looking at each
other. Onesideof thedividing wallit dividesthefigurestooiscovered in black
velvet whiletheother sideisamirror. Thefloor followsthispattern: onesideisa
mirror and theother sideiscovered in black velvet. Thevisitor can go back and forth
between thetwo hemispheresformed by thedividing wall through entrancescut into
thebottom of thefigures. Picturesof my workattached to hingesso they can be
turned easilycan beseen within theseentrances. A program of lightsand sound
enhancestheatmosphereof thewholepavilion, thesameway lightsand sound were
used in thepavilion I designed in Seville. Thepoint of thisisto havethesound of
something running, retreating or falling silent along thelength of thewall, for these
enormousfiguresareactually talking to oneanother. They might not betalking just to
theneighbouring figure, but to thesecond or third figureaswell. Thismusical sound
of movementwhether it bethesound of wind blowing, of amaregalloping through
theroom, or thesound of approaching thunderflowing from thewall combinesto
form akind of languagethat no longer exists. At thesametime, thelighting changes
along with themusic.
Whileall of thisisgoing on, thevisitor isstanding on afloor that isamirror. This
meansthat thevisitor seesthesamething whether looking down or up. In themirror
next to him, however, heseesthesideof thefigurethat isblocked off by thedividing
wall. Everything isexactly theretheway it isin reality. Finally themirrorsother roleis
revealed: it not only reflectsthemirror imageof things, but also showsthealter ego
of theobject it isreflecting.
Thefiguresand story portrayed in thepavilion aremy attempt to maketheviewer feel
that thisspecial world so reminiscent of Piranesiin which spaceand timemay be
easily confusedisrelated to theworld of falseimagesused by theancient Hungarians
and Scythians, aswell asto theancient, Celtic formsfound in thePendragon legends.
Thiswashow I tried to draw alooseconnection between Soanesarchitecturewhich
containsideasthat areuniversal and haveaffected all of Europeand theforgotten
history that liveson in our subconscious. Thisattempt truly comesalivewhen imag-
ined on theborder between Walesand England. Thisborder, after all, isfar stronger in
reality than theaverageperson (educated by masscommunication) knows.
This, in any event, isthepavilionsmessage. I am extremely sorry that it becamethe
victim of anever-seen, never-responsiblepolitics. Thefusion of Central Europeand
Englandwhat thisplan representswasnot ableto takeform in thepavilion. And it
will not in my lifetimeeither. I doubt I will ever beableto forgivethoseinvisible
powersfor this.
London, Exhibition Pavilion, 1997-98
174
Eger, SwimmingPool, 1993-2000
This enclosurestretchingacross a40-metrewidearearepresents thelargest span of any wooden-
framed structuredesigned until now by Makona. Thisstructureisdeveloped in away that significantly
differsfromthetraditional, main supportingbeamplussidesupportingbeamsystemusually seen in
engineering. Thefact that thestructuresspatial play of forcesoccursin theplaneof itscurved shell is
also ameaningful departurefromthesystemof slantingsupportscommonly found in organic archi-
tecture. In fact, thissolution bearsasurprisingresemblanceto Nervisreinforced concretestructures.
To put it simply, theplay of forcesisthesameastherelationship seen between thestavesforminga
barrel. Themain hall measures54 metresin length.
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Benevento (Italy), New Town Centre2001
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177
178
TheEstablishment of thePter PzmnyCatholic University
I never thought theSoviet troops would ever actually leaveHungary. I
thereforetaught my own children to bealways prepared for theworst.
Yet a miraclehappened. This was an important moment in theCatholic
universitys history.
It is always a momentous occasion when a university is established.
When universities werefounded in Nantes or in Gttingen, theuniversitys
first class and first professors wereaccorded additional respect. For ex-
ample, their names werecarved into marbleplaques for posteritys sake.
God creates thesamelaws over and over again; thereis no reason for us to
changeour historic customs.
Thus theprofessors and students currently taking part in thenew uni-
versity haveevery reason to believethey areliving in aheroic age. Those
who find away to study herein thesechaotic and unusual times arespecial
people. Periods likethis areproblematic becausethey arelikeaglass half-
filled with water. Someseetheglass as being half-empty whileothers seeit
as being half-full. I am oneof thelatter. I prefer to seelifeand its creatures
in growth, not in depletion. I am not oneto analyse.
Thebeginningof theuniversity
A friend and I decided to attempt to movetheagricultural exhibition to
thecity of Gdll, wherewewould then hold theexhibition. At the
timea certain bank official caught my eye, as well as theeyeof theDeputy
Minister, who is thekind of intelligent and honest man onecan always
work with. This bank official was Jnos Schneider, who has a very keen
mind. At Jnos Schneiders insistencewesat down to talk with Mikls
Marth, Pter Erd and thehead of theCentral Committeeat that time.
Wediscussed thefact that, when theSoviet troops leavethearea, their
barracks in Piliscsabawould bean excellent placefor establishing aCatholic
university. Wechosethis sitebecausethetroops stationed herehadnt
destroyed as much as they had elsewhere. Theground, for example, hadnt
been polluted with oil and, to our knowledge, therewerent any un-
known graves lurking under foot as therewerein many of theplaces
occupied by Soviet troops. Following this discussion,weworked out a
plan, hypothetical if it were. Meanwhilecommunism fell. Thenew Min-
ister of Defense, Lajos Fr, awarded theplot of land to thefoundation we
had set up. Thepurposeof this independent foundation was to collect
money and accept donations for funding theuniversity.
Westarted construction by first gauging thecondition of thebuildings
already standing on thesite. Someof thebuildings had undergonesuch
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
179
180
radical transformations that therewas no way they could beused. Some,
however, could beput to useafter a bit of renovation. Two such buildings
later becametheAugustineum and theAnselmanium. Thesebuildings
wereremodelled according to theplans of Jzsef Siklsi. Hewas also
responsiblefor planning thebuilding that was later built in between the
two, thus forming a uniform row of buildings.
How do you makea Catholicuniversityout of barracks?
Wedecided to turn to thetheatrein order to solvethis problem. In other
words, weresorted to using props. Wetook our props from certain eras
and elements which bring Catholicism to mind, such as early Romanesque
and Gothic styles. This techniquevery quickly lent a strong senseof
character to thebuildings, whilealso costing far less than completere-
construction would have. At thesametimethebuildings retained their
old face. In thenameof my colleagues and myself, I can statethat we
planned this university very vigorously, despitetheattacks wehavesuf-
fered for it.
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
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Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995 2001
182
183
Thearchitectural styleand concept behind theStephaneum
Architecturecontains a uniquelanguageof form which must beknown
if oneis to understand theStephanemums construction. Beforethis can
bedone, a few names and concepts need to bementioned.
Themost important concepts areperspectiveand theuseof vanishing
points. Thesepoints area part of perspective. To put it simply, this means
objects disappear into infinity. A baroquedraughtsman named Piranesi
was theonewho founded a brand-new system of measuring. Heused the
concept of perspectiveto makelandscapes out of prison interiors. These
pictures actually portray thesouls inner landscape. Many vanishing points
can beseen in thesepictures. For instance, therearehidden holes within
thepictures rooms, holes through which lifecan freely circulate. Usually
when onethinks of prison, a cell measuring two meters long by two
meters widecomes to mind. Piranesi, however, drew large, airy areas in
which peoplearechained to enormous, jutting brackets. Strangely enough,
thereis no ground under theprisoners feet. This can beexplained if one
thinks of Henochs Apocalypse, in which fallen angels, represented by
stars, arechained abovean empty spacein punishment for their acts.
Piranesis lifework is related to this ancient world. An epoch later, his
work was taken up by theEnglish architect, Sir John Soane. Soanes
work was destroyed during World War II, except for his house. His last
testament later decreed that his housebeturned into a museum.
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Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
185
Upon entering this house, on theleft sideweimmediately find astair-
way, arching slightly upwards. Thereis alanding at thetop of thestairs.
Next to thelanding wefind atall, arched opening that looks likeamirror,
but is not. Thelight in this openeing is adifferent colour, and this is why we
mistakeit for amirror. When welook in theopening and realiseit is not a
mirror, wecometo understand something of reality and deception.
Piranesi and Soanemadespaceinto anew kind of trompedoeil. This
samesenseof falserecognition wasturned into literatureof JorgeLuisBorges.
Borges is ableto remember arainy afternoon in Carthage. Thebushes are
bent to theground after aheavy rain and asmall girl looks at thebushes
from thesafety of theporch. From thesideahand offers afull cup of liquid.
Thus, Borges brings anew kind of reality to existencein anon-existent
history. Soanedoes thesamewith this deceptiveroom, which at first sight
appears to hold amirror. In truth themirror is not at thelanding, but is
ensconced further within theroom weoriginally thought was amirror.
When I finally glanceinto theroom, I seemyself in themirror.
Borges states that theuniverseis nothing but an enormous library. The
library is filled with closed books, within which theuniverseconstantly
changes. If I wereto open a book and read a bit of it, then put it back on
this shelf, it might not contain thesamething thenext timeI takeit off
theshelf. In other words, you cant cross thesameriver twice.
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Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
TheStephaneum
According to theplan wedevised together, theStephaneum was to house
theauditoriummaximum, which would also serveas a theatre. Other
than this it would also contain several small lecturehalls, theuniversitys
administrativeoffices and a student union.
Along theaxis thetop of thebuilding is covered with glass. From this
point wecan look out onto thebuildings other sections. Theroofs found
along thesideof thebuilding look likewings whiletheceilings bears the
forms and colours of a forest floor.
Theauditoriummaximum
Thedomeand theauditorium continues thestructuredescribed above.
Its architecture, however, is reminiscent of Gothic architecture. It is sup-
ported by wooden structures. Thesestructures portray columns as they
turn into trees, for thecolumns concretecapital breaks into branches
which, when linked together, form thebuildings supporting beams. The
stage, together with its Romanesquestructureand dome, is connected to
theauditorium. It should bementioned that thestageis linked to the
auditorium at an angle, likea gatebeing opened.
Each domehas its own acoustics. If I wereto stand in themiddleof a
half-sphereplaced on theperpendicular, then speak, I would hear the
echo of my voice. If I wereto stand at theedgeof thedomeand speak,
my voicewould only beheard by thosesitting at theoppositeedgeof the
dome. If, however, I placethedomeon its edge, then this wholeeffect
changes. Suddenly it is likea theatre, wherethevoices reach is directed.
Therefore, by placing thedomes on their side, I am ableto insurea
theatre-quality kind of acoustics.
I think oneof themost important elements in architectureis the
buildings structure. By this I mean theplay of forces which arisein a
building as well as thosesupporting elements that bear themarks of this
play of forces. For themost part structural engineers areusually better at
checking than metrical planning, for they arenot familiar with thecom-
position of theforces at play in thebuilding. In thecaseof theauditorium
maximum, thereis no interior decoration. Thesupporting elements are
beautiful in themselves, as well as serving their original purpose. The
buildings support is thereforealso its decoration.
Thetwo architectural styles at play here, theRomanesquestageand
theGothic auditorium, forms a link that can befelt from theopening of
theproscenium, to theright and theleft. This link is thedifferencebe-
tween stageand auditorium. Another world appears on stage. When
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Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
thinking of oneof Shakespeares plays, wecan say thestageis another
sphere. Its a meta-sphereof lifeand very different from theauditorium.
On stageonespeaks, moves and behaves differently. This is why thereis
quitea largedifferencebetween theStephaneums two sections, thestage
and theauditorium. It was also my goal to recall theworld of classicism,
which, in my opinion, must appear in a Catholic university. This is not
only becauseWestern Christianity is connected to Rome, but also be-
causeour culturewas, for themost part, strongly influenced by ancient
Greek and Roman customs.
Thesmaller lecturehalls
Thesmaller lecturehalls arefound to theright and theleft of theaudito-
riummaximum. They takeon theappearanceof independent houses
under theforest-likeroof structure. Theselecturehalls stand closeto-
gether and areconnected by stairs and windows. Thewindows can be
opened in order to look into other rooms. This relationship between the
lecturehalls reminds oneof a small medieval town with narrow streets,
balconies and vistas.
Between the Stephaneum and the Ambrosianumplanned by Jzsef
Siklsiwefind a narrow, rectangular spacethat forms thecentreof the
campus. This spaceis enclosed by theturrets of thetwo buildings on
each side. TheStephaneums glass domealso looks out onto this space,
allowing oneto enjoy theoutdoors whileinsidethis building.
191
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Thecolumn
This unusual column stands to theleft of theStephaneums entrance, in
a tower. It reminds theviewer of a Doric column, yet theworld has yet to
seea column likethis. Columns exist in our minds as something that
supports thebuilding. Thereforecolumns must besolid inside. This col-
umn, however, is threetimes larger than a Greek columnits actually an
enlargment of a Greek columnand is hollow inside. Its hollow in order
to makeroom for a spiral staircase. Theinsideof a column has never
afforded us such opportunity to get closeto history. To get closeto the
long-forgotten past, when walls talked. Thesameway endless parallels
march along the half-moon shape of the apsis in ancient Christian
churches. Theapsis is a half-moon becausetheplacewhereChrist awaits
thosetraversing theroad of Christianity is also madeof endless parallels.
To quotethepoet, Pilinszky, history bleeds through thewalls. Saints
and kings march across thewalls, thesameway peopleused to enter
churches under a procession of flags.
This is why I am eager for theuniversitys church to bebuilt. Each
faculty will haveits own flag so students can enter thechurch under their
facultys flag.
ImreMakovecz: rsok (Writings), epl 2000
192
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
193
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
194
TheStephaneumin ImreMakoveczsOeuvre
ImreMakoveczs career as an architect has always been marked by works
that can beinterpreted as milestones, in that they represent a summary of
his previous works just as much as they do a beginning of a new period.
Thesemonumental works show acontinuous progression of designs built
oneupon theother. Thelatest milestone, theStephaneum, can beinter-
preted as thesynthesis of all theworks thearchitect has produced. At the
sametimeit reveals several new tendencies on thepart of thearchitect.
Any discussion surrounding theStephaneum must thereforebepreceded
by a brief summary of theearlier designs upon which theStephaneum
was later based. Naturally, this summary will also contain new, unprec-
edented ideas that emerged, took form and then either disappeared or
werealtered altogether.
TheSrospatak Cultural Centre(19721983) marks theclosing of
thefirst fifteen years of Makoveczs career. Thetectonic design concept
heperfected during this period is now turned into a monumental archi-
tectural form. Therelationship between thebuildings lower and upper
sections illustrates thearchitects philosophy. Thefirm matter of thefoun-
dationreminiscent of theEarth in shape, yet formed in a very plastic
mannerprogressively metamorphosises upwards into a light, airy roof
that appears to float. Theroof looks likea pieceof thesky cometo rest on
thebuilding, providing a protectivebubblearound thebuildings inner
structures. Thesedualistic valuesfound in thetwo kinds of structure,
thetwo kinds of materials used, thebuildings doublenatureand theway
thetop of thebuilding looks different from thebottomwork to enclose
theinner structurewithin itself, resulting in a spacebefitting human
inhabitance.
Thewooden, glued and bent supports cre-
ate one of the most daring structures in
Makoveczs oeuvre. They bear theweight of
thelatticed ceiling (also constructed of glued
beams) that extends aboveboth thegreat-halls
along thesideof thebuilding and thetheatres
auditorium. Theceiling found abovetheside
halls works to counterbalancethe13.5 x 21
meter, slanting beams abovetheauditorium.
Theweight of each beam is distributed and
anchored within thelatticedesign of theceil-
ing, for crossing thebeams enables each beam
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Srospatak, Cultural Centre
195
to support oneanother. Along thewall of theauditorium theviewer
finds columns that suddenly branch out into thesupports. Their spatial-
ity only comes to full effect in thegalleries found between thehalls.
Compared to earlier works, theway theinner and outer spaces in the
cultural centreseem to slideinto each other is a new approach on the
architects part. Thebuildings system of corridors, as well as theway
inner functions aregrouped together, lends an almost street-likeatmo-
sphereto thecentre. In fact, it is almost as if onewerestrolling through a
town square. This aspect is in direct opposition to thecustom of the
time, for thecommunist regimein power at that timedemanded that
public activities bestrictly supervised and controlled. ImreMakovecz, on
theother hand, choseto emphasizethepersonal right to freemovement
in a public building. This concept is realised spatially through theuseof
tunnel-likecorridors extending thelength of thehalls and rooms con-
tained within thebuilding. This approach to forming spacecharacteris-
tic of themetabolistic school of archietctureand reminiscent of Louis
Kahnis not found in later buildings. Instead, different functions flow
far moreorganically into each other in Makoveczs later works. This char-
acteristic will eventually reemergein an entirely new interpretation in the
Stephaneum.
TheDobogk ski-lift house(1979-1980) is actually a summary of
the many wooden, stressed-skin structures Makovecz has designed.
Makovecz only began designing with wood after thepoor standards of
Hungarys construction industry forced him to give
up experimenting with concrete. Thenew language
can bemost prominently seen in theworks made
for thePilis Forestry Company during themid-
70s. In thecaseof theski-lift housenot a tracecan
beseen of a ground plan constructed around a tri-
angular or hexagonal raster. This work is thefirst
onein his series of so-called building-beings, i.e.
buildings that look likegreat, mythical creatures.
Moreprecisely, Makovecz is simply adding new
techniques to theanthropomorphic designs typi-
cal of theearly part of his career, when heused
subjective, almost sculpted methods in order to
emphasizethefacial characteristics of his buildings.
Among his new techniques wefind, for example,
that thebuildings appearanceis defined by a cov-
ering of slanting, unevenly layered planks. This
techniquewas borrowed in part from thetradi-
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Dobogk, ski-lift house
196
tional, wooden architecture
found in thehighland region of
Slovakia(apart of Hungary un-
til 1920), yet can also befound
in thework of Wrightspupil,
Herb Greeneor BruceGoff.
TheForest Learning Centre
(1984-1988), thefinal build-
ing in a series of constructions
on Mogyor Hill, Visegrd is
at thesametimethefirst mile-
stone in a series of cupolas.
Similar to theboarding house
in Tokaj and thedesign sub-
mitted in 1983 for construc-
tion of theSt Gerard Church in Kelenfld, Budapest, this cupola is also
upheld by twelvecolumns placed in a ring. TheForest Learning Centre
provides thebest exampleof a cupola based in cosmic references, not to
mention how its sky-light enables it to beused as a sundial.
Theconcept of theMidnight Sun, thearchitects description of an
elemental strength breaking forth from theground, is also introduced
here. As Makovecz wrotein 1989, I am talking about thelifegiving
sourceof light that has been shining in thecenter of theEarth since
Christs descent to hell and sinceCains release. It shines through the
Earths crust as a function of our fate, for thecreation of a new Sun, a
new Sky, has been our duty sinceour redemption. This midnight sun,
just as it did in 1956, is shining throughout Eastern Europethis year.
Thebuilding, with its shining,
golden roof appears to riseout
of the Earth as a result of the
way the building lifts the
ground. Indeed, thetop of the
building is partly covered with
grass. Inside the ring of col-
umns separates a hemispheric
space from the surrounding
torus-shaped corridor. Thus,
the inner space and the sur-
rounding corridor are to-
gether, yet can also be sepa-
rated as needed.
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Szigetvr, theatre
Visegrd, forest learning centre
197
Theplan for theSzigetvr Theatrewas prepared in 1985. (Themost
important part of thebuilding, theauditorium, has not been completed
to this day.) From thepoint of view of function, this building bears much
resemblanceto theSrospatak Cultural Centre. At thesametimethe
buildings roleas a theatredemanded that thearrangement of central and
linear concepts becombined, a problem Makovecz solved by placing
threecupolas along a longitudinal axis. Thedoublecupola containing
the stage and the auditoriumknown from Rudolf Steiners first
Goetheanumis joined by a third cupola embracing thevestibule. The
relationship between thelower and upper parts of thebuilding area
repetition of thesamebasic design seen in Srospatak, only in this case
thearrangement of joined cupolas placed along thelongitudecreates
three, connected spaces that actually becomeone, homogenous struc-
ture. Thekind of uniform roof rising straight up from theground usually
found in Makoveczs designs for small, wooden structures from the1970s
returns to contain thebuildings inner spaces. Thecolumns found in the
middlecupola do not surround theauditorium in a concentric circle;
instead, their arch was shifted away from thebuildings centreto takea
placewherethetwo cupolas open into thefore-stage. Thedeliberate
alterations in distancebetween thecolumns and thewall leads to a cu-
pola placed at a slant, thus creating a feeling of asymmetry. This arrange-
ment of cupolas penetrating and overlapping each other allows for amuch
freer and richer spatial relationship between thecorridors, thegreat hall
and thebuildings side-gallery than is seen in Srospatak. TheSzigetvr
Theatreis wherethetrees in Makoveczs designs begin to turn to stone.
This metamorphosis of concretecolumns is not an attempt to turn their
tops into decorated capitals, but rather to giveform to their splendid
reincarnation as treetrunks breaking into a wealth of branches. Theslant-
ing supports then takeup wheretheconcretebranches leaveoff, result-
ing in a complex system of interweaving stems.
As wefollow theprogression of ImreMakoveczs plans, wefind two,
important links that werenever realised: theGazdagrt Catholic Church
(1990) and theWaldorf Teachers School in Witten, Germany (1987
1990). In thecaseof thechurch, theenormous, amphitheatre-likeplace
of worship was to becomplemented by a smaller prayer chapel. The
relationship between thechapel and thelarger area for worship would
thereforebethesameas that between a stageand an auditorium. Thus,
thedoublecupola is oncemoretheperfect solution. In this instance,
however, a crescent-shaped, enclosed vestibulewraps around thefront of
thecupolas, complimenting thebuildings two, jutting sidewings that
would haveotherwiseclosed off thecourtyard. At thesametime, the
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Budapest, Gazdagrt,
Roman Catholic church
198
structureof thecupolas has changed some-
what sinceSzigetvr: despiteits largedi-
mensions, (Makovecz designed a half-
spherecupola measuring 35 metres across
for Gazdagrt) this cupola does not con-
tain inner supports. Instead, theplaneof
thecupolas surfaceholds another inter-
lacing system of ribs that flows out of the
tops of columns placed around thecircum-
ferenceof thecupola. From thepoint of
view of its composition and structure, this
design bears themost resemblanceto the
Stephaneums great lecturehall.
Thetheatrehall designed for Witten went through quitea few varia-
tions. For thepurposeof this analysis, Makoveczs first and second drafts
plans containing cupolasprovemoreinteresting than therectangluar-
shaped design heeventually settled on. This is how ImreMakovecz de-
scribed his design in oneinterview: Thereweretwo architectural arche-
types I kept in mind when I began work on this project. Thefirst onewas
theuniversal messageposed by cupolas and thesecond onecentred around
my idea that all thefolds and layers and formations that area part of
geology should bemadevisiblein this building. After all, in Witten iron
and coal werealmost entirely mined out of vertical veins in therock, for
theseancient folds in theEarths crust preservetherecord of a natural
disaster of unbelievableproportions. I thereforewanted something that
would spew out of theground with theforceof lava erupting from a
volcano, only this lava carries on its back all kinds of theold, 16
th
and 17
th
Century buildings that areso typical of German architecture. Many ex-
amples of this kind of architectural stylecan beseen even today in Ger-
man villages and small towns. This fachwerk form in architecturewas
not interesting to mesimply becauseit reveals thebuildings structure,
but becausethis habit of making thebuildings wooden beams and sup-
ports visibleon theoutsidecould beused to createan organic pattern,
such as theoutlineof a plant.
As a result of thesearchetypes, thetriplecupola structurepictured in
early drafts of thecollegerests on a wall composed of upthrusting boul-
ders and great sheets of stone, Makoveczs portrayal of a geological cata-
clysm which appears in both theinsideand theoutsideof thebuilding.
(Theauditorium for thetheatrein Mak is wherethis rejected plan is
finally turned into reality.) Thetraditional fachwerk houses arethen placed
upon this eruptivelayer of stone. As a result of theundulating layer of
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Hanover, Demeter Centre
Witten-Annen, Waldorf Teachers
School, first alternative
199
boulders, thehouses areforced to follow thefoundations pitching and
tossing line. Thearchitect did this not only as a way to illustrategeologic
forces, but also to emphasizetheeffect of thetriplecupola rising out of
theground to press down upon thehouses it embraces. Theold village
containing classrooms, studios, practicerooms, a caf, etc.surrounds
thetheatreso that students may stroll along thevillages streets during
breaks. In addition, someof thestreets arecovered whileothers arenot.
Thefully-developed final plan used for construction does preservemuch
of this concept in its details. Thebuildings inner spaces are, for example,
covered with a glass roof upheld by theusual, characteristic network of
treebranches. Theold housewalls, stoneflagging and arched doorways
also help to breathea feeling of history into thebuildings atmosphere.
At thesametime, theglass roof used to cover thecorridors and partly
inner, partly outer spaces in theWitten and Hanover plans later becomes
themain inspiration for theStephaneums assembly hall.
This concept reaches new breadth in another work also designed for a
German city and also fated never to bebuilt: theDemeter Centreof
Further Education in Hanover (19981999). In this casea street en-
closed by another glass roof stretches thelength of an enormous com-
plex. A hotel, bearing a replicateof thetraditional brickwork architec-
tural stylefound in local houses bombed down in World War II, lies at
oneend of thecomplex. Offices and a research institutearefound at the
other end whilecupolas symbolising thenew, organic styleof architec-
tureextend over conferencehalls. Thescenes of traditional streetlifethe
bakers, completewith a brick oven for baking bread right on thespot,
places for a hot chestnut vendor, a sausagevendor, a candy vendor, pavil-
ions, a caf, etc.arelocated in thecomplexs centre.
At this point Makoveczs noteworthy contributions to a conceptual
grasp of architecturedeservefurther examination. In this instancethe
term conceptual refers to a series of designs aimed at creating a senseof
illusion or a confusion of thesenses in theviewer. Unfortunately, very
few of thesedesigns wereever constructed. In spiteof this, thefact re-
mains that unrealised designs and constructed buildings areperhaps far
morerelated to oneanother than even theworks discussed aboveare. In
thecaseof his conceptual designs, Makovecz strives to createan atmo-
spherethat confronts theviewer with circumstances that cannot beauto-
matically accepted and understood. When peering into thewell of the
Hortobgy Birdwatching Tower (1975) theviewer thereforefinds a world
turned upside-down. Thoseentering theExhibition Hall designed in
1978 find themselves in rooms resting upon a copy of theroom, some-
thing which automatically destroys theviewers ability to navigate. This
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Hortobgy, birdwatching tower, 1975
200
unsettling experienceof being uncertain is gauged toward forcing the
viewer to rely on his own consciousness and inner self instead of un-
thinkingly accepting what his senses tell him.
From themiddleof the1980s on, ImreMakovecz manipulates this
concept with new tools. At this point his designs show a distinct attempt
to bring thehistory connected to thebuildings location back to life. This
characteristic, whether as a decoration or in someother altered form,
becomes a part of thenew elements in Makoveczs work. This is most
obviously seen in thecommunity centrebuilt in Kakasd (19861994).
Thesameanalysis can bemadeof therow of shops and theschool gym-
nasium built in Visegrd (19821986), as well as theVisegrd Centreof
Tourism that never reached construction.
TheHungarian pavilion in Seville(19901991) is nothing less than a
synthesisof theconceptual vein discussed above. All movement in thebuild-
ing evolves into avery carefully choreographed process created by avery
unified system of light and sound effects, film or music that addresses the
viewers senses from room to room. Thewholepurposeof this exerciseis to
help theviewer form anew imageof what Hungary means, thus abandon-
ing all stereotypes previously associated with thecountry. As thearchitect
put it, Thegoal is for peopleto travel within awall as if it werealiving
wall, for this wall is Hungary itself! Theglass floor found in thepavilion,
together with theroof structures mirror imageconstructed under it, is
really another version of thekind of unity Makovecz created in onefell
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Seeville, World EXPO,
Hungarian pavilion
201
swoop when hedesigned cupolas
joining theEarth and theSky into
one. This metaphor is extended by
thepresenceof an entiretreemeant
to show how atreesroot system eerily
echoes theshapemadeby its bare
branchesvisiblethrough theglass
floor. His experimentation with glass
floors and mirrors is yet another at-
tempt to put an end to theway hu-
manity has always existed apart from
nature, from thefall of Adam and
Eveto modern times. People, torn
into two by this separation, must re-
turn to thisstateof living in harmony
with thenatural world. After all, only
peoplearecapableof bridging this
ever-widening gap.
TheSevillepavilions glass floor connects theold design of theExhibi-
tion Hall to thedesign for theBudapest World Expo pavilion (1993) as
well as to thedesign for theLondon exhibition pavilion (1997), which
raises illusion to anew form of art. In theLondon pavilion thefamiliar
glass floor has becomeamirror forming both thefloor and thewall, which
divides thebuilding into two halves. Whilebehind themirror onesees the
buildings genuinereflection, as can beexperienced when theviewer walks
through theopening in thewall. Looking back theviewer only sees awall
covered in black velvet and utter emptiness. In this pavilion ImreMakovecz
also pays homageto thegreat English architect, Sir John Soane, another
wizard in creating illusion. Other great inspirations to Makovecz during
this period aretheworks of Piranesi and Borges. All threewerein their
respectivefieldsableto extend theboundaries of spaceand timefar be-
yond how it iscommonly perceived. Theworld they opened up to Makovecz
enabled thearchitect to step into anew area, oneusually closed off to a
shallow stateof consciousness. Entranceto this new areameant nothing
morethan thecontinuation of Makoveczs conceptual designs. This is the
point wherethetwo main branches in Makoveczs oeuvrefinally meet and
entwine, resulting in themagnificent spacefound in thechurch built in
Szzhalombatta(19951997). According to Makoveczsinterpretation, this
spacecan beviewed as ahugecupolasupported by branches of light shoot-
ing out of trees surging forth from concrete. In other words, it is an image
truly worthy of Piranesi and Borges.
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
Piliscsaba, Catholic University church
202
In our final destination, Piliscsaba, wefind two milestones existing
alongsideeach other. Oneis theStephaneum, representativeof theworld
that hashappened. Thesecond, what was to havebeen theuniversitys
church, represents what could havehappened, or, in far morepreferable
words, theworld that could still happen. Together thetwo works provide
a beautiful summary of ImreMakoveczs entireoeuvre.
Thechurch is oneof themost important works in Makoveczs oeuvre.
Structurally it presents a trueimageof naturein metamorphosis. Great,
whiteboulders resembling thelimecliffs common to theareas Pilis
Mountains form thefoundation. By cleaving through theboulders, thrust-
ing their way up to thelight, this groveof petrified trees curves to form
thecave-likespaceof thechurchs placeof worship. A spire, likea golden
needle, rises up to meet thesky abovetheentrance. This slender tower is,
in almost theliteral senseof thewords, theuniting of earthly and heav-
enly powers.
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
203
204
Theslanting, rising cupolas gracing thegreat lecturehall and stagein
theStephaneum present theviewer with moreof a pictureof a cultural
cataclysm than they do a geological one. Thecontext surrounding this
incredible, sensory experiencecombined with theevents preceding the
Stephaneum as mentioned abovelead this critic to seewhat is happening
beforehim as an ascent to thesky. Herethetunnel-likecorridors first
experienced in Srospatak haveturned into streets created by nature
trees heavy with leaves protectively spread their branches from theceil-
ingsand theseparatelecturehalls designed to look likehouses from a
small town. Thehouses in this small town arefrom theMiddleAges and
stand on theborder between themarket (a symbol of community life)
and thefield (a symbol of nature). Thesesymbols haveplayed a very
important part in Makoveczs architectural philosophy sincethe1970s,
only now hehas succeeded in presenting this lost world in a way that is
reminiscent of Borges. In other words, thesearenot merely houses within
a house, as was seen in many previous designs, but rather a complete
unity of landscapeand city.
In conclusion: theStephaneum is an entireuniverserevealed under
theroof of a mythological creatureat slumber. From thepoint of view of
teaching it is adistinct advantagethat lectures aregiven in separatehouses
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
205
located at different points in thepseudo-small town, thereforeenabling a
community lifeof much higher quality to beled in thespaces between
thehouses. At thesametime, becoming consciously awareof thesystem of
scaleand spatial relationships contained within theStephaeum is akind of
conceptual experiencethat places amirror beforethestudents and says,
Here, this is what it means to behuman. This intent on thearchitects
part is most visiblein theantiquecolumn located in thebuildings vesti-
bule. With theappearanceof having been crafted by giants, this column
plays onelast trick on theviewer: alook insidereveals that, instead of the
solid stonetheviewer expected, thecolumn contains awinding staircase
that spirals its way up and up, in homageof Piranesi. (JnosGerle)
Piliscsaba, Stephaneum, 1995-2001
206
It isan imaginary plan for amuseum in Germany. A building bearing thecharacteris-
ticsof structuresin South Germany standsnext to ahill. Thebuilding isdeliberately
slanted. A mannequin of awoman sitson aswing in thedoorway. Theslanted swing
automatically swingsback and forth. Even thegeraniumscascading from thewin-
dow-boxesaregrowingat aslant. Thehill containestwo cupolas, arranged and furnished
in exactly thesamemanner, situated oneon top of each other insidetheartificial
TheHouseof FalseHistorical Recognition, 1978
207
TheHouseof FalseHistorical Recognition, 1978
mound. Similar to Celtic burial structures, thismound isalso covered with shining bitsof crystal. The
two interior spacesareconnected by acorridor that snakesaround in apath reminiscent of runic pat-
terns. When visitorsfollow thispath, they losetheir senseof orientation and do not know that they have
in fact arrived in adifferent spaceat thesamepoint they departed from. Thesameexhibition could be
seen in both cupolas, thus, thevisitor thinkshehasreturned. Thisplayful interpretation of spaceversus
timeraisesnew questionsabout theso-called idyllic stateof traditional culture.
208
Hanover (Germany), Demeter Centre, 1998-99
Thebasic element of theconcept is thestreet stretching through themiddleof the
site. This street is covered by aglass roof upheld by concret trees, yet is not entirely
enclosed. In fact, it leads to apartially covered, circular market squarethat invites
visitors to spend timein thetempting atmosphereof lifeon theinner street. Differ-
ent vendorsselling roasted chestnuts, freshly baked bread, or candiesfill thearea
with exciting scents whiletrees, streams and bridges and little, heated inlets add to
theatmosphere. Onesideof this street opens onto thehotel. Someof its rooms
actually haveaview of thestreet. Thehotel itself is built behind afaaderather like
astagesetdepicting themedieval houses found in downtown Hanover beforeWorld
War II. Theacademy is built in continuation of this, around asmall lake. Cupolas
of various sizes arefound on theother sideof thestreet. This is wheredifferent
functions and social events may beheld. Whilesomeof thecupolas areseparate,
others can beused together. A restaurant, completewith aterracefacing themarket
square, lies on theother sideof thecentral kitchen which serves also education of
cooking. From therailroad station, themarket can beapproached through anarrow
street lined with houses exhibiting towers and traditional, fachwerk structure.
209
Hanover (Germany), Demeter Centre, 1998-99
Birds eyeview of thefirst
and thelast alternative
210
Thedrawingsof ImreMakovecz
During thecourseof his journey to Romein 2000, ImreMakoveczs
attention was seized by theapproximately two-thousand-year-old frescoes
and reliefs of theVilla Farnesina that wererevealed and presented just at
thetime. In thebackground of thescenes depicted with naturalistic
accuracy, unusual edifices arevisible. In view of themodeof depiction of
thesedreamlikeforms that arereminiscent of theremains of no known
antiquestructurewhatsoever, they arejust as realistic and trueto nature
as themeticulously detailed figures, who arevisiblein part among the
spatial and light relations inconceivablein reality, and in apeculiar disorder
between theoutside and inside or even between therealms of the
living and thedead.
What is, in fact, therelation between thedreamlikesceneand the
dreamlikebuildings, and what sort of archetype, or moreprecisely, vision,
can thefresco-painter lean upon at all, when s/hehas created a medley of
detailed forms that cannot conform to thecanon originating moreor less
from her/his own environs? Then, in fact, can thesepavilions that have
been immortalised thus for two thousand years, and with them, the
flowerlike, ornamental structures visiblein innumerablefrescoes from
theRoman Age, which havesurvived merely as a sort of fantasy-design,
beclassified among thehappened events of antiquearchitecture, or
purely into theworld of what might havebeen? And here, to continue
with ImreMakoveczs train of thought: can wedifferentiatebetween the
two, when our aim is to evoketheworld of antiquity, of which thefresco-
painters realm of imagination was just as much an integral element as
thedaily work of thestone-mason? That is to say, theornamental edifices,
bridges and pavilions intended for thepark of a contemporary residential
settlement in Rome, assuming theforms of their two-thousand-year-old
illustrations, arein any casetherightful evocations of an antiqueworld
hidden deep in therecesses of earth and time, even if they aresimply the
dreams of a fresco-painter, or perhaps to put it moreprecisely: her/his
design drafts aid in objectification. (ImreMakovecz, in his own sketches,
naturally complements or develops, elaborates; if you like: hecontinues
to dream his basic forms, which havealready been adopted exactly, because
weshould beableto summon thefutureof thepark structures hehas
designed by bringing their floral character to thefore, as they burst into
bloom with reality.)
For Makovecz, theworks of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (17201778)
carry a special significance. Thearchitect and draughtsman left hardly
any buildings for posterity, with his drawings rather exerting a much
Hajdszoboszl, clockhouse, 1997
211
Study to thepark buildings, Rome, 2001
212
moresignificant influenceon his own era and on the20th century. One
could say that perhaps no onehas transformed thearchitectural approach
to and interpretation of spaceto theextent that hedid, and all this is
indebted not to his buildings, but rather to his drawings. His activity
spans between thespatial utopia of Baroqueillusionism and thetemporal
utopia of Classicist revolutionary architecture, both amalgamating to all
intents and purposes just thosethings that Makovecz designates as the
most important of sources. Thespatial games that causesensory illusions
areattainablewith simplearchitectural devices. Colonnades, arcades, streets
constructed in perspectivetheseareoften found in theworks built by
Italian architects in thecentury preceding Piranesi (ImreMakovecz also
employs this deviceamong others, in, e.g., his design for theProtestant
Church in Timisoara or the Belltower in Hajdszoboszl), as if the
expansion of fantasy following theRenaissancewereto recommencewith
small steps on a material basis. Piranesi, neverthelessin his prison
drawingsdecisively transforms themedium of architecture. Until now,
thegames of perspectivehaveafforded thehonoured individual sitting at
thesingular viewpoint theillusion of infinitereception, and themultiplied
certainty of presencein thegiven space. Theactors of Piranesis drawing
fall prey to theopen, whirling endlessness, and hestands in retribution
thecondition of being lost in timecompletedefencelessnessalongside
thespatial undefinedness. Theindividual lost within his spaceis incapable
of receiving infinity into her/himself, rather ableto endureonly thedizzying
precipiceof nothing.
Oneof Piranesis devices was thedistortion of scale. As theardour
might haveenchanted thedraughtsman of antiqueruins, with thedirectly
experienced building elements, heights and spans surpassing human scale
augmented by oneorder of magnitudein his imagination and drawings.
Thepower play and theconstruction areauthentic; it was only theman,
theauthor who realised all of this (or is thedoubt
legitimate, and what Piranesi depicted truly could
only havebeen thework of Titans?), who became
transformed into a miniscule, wretched ant. In
Makoveczs architecture, in part it is Piranesi who
inspired theenlargement, even if thesuggestion of
prison-experience is not only alien to him, but
furthermore, heexplicitly seeks thepath leading to
freedom in every singlecase, when hebrings the
visitors to his real or imagined spaces into the
situation of existential uncertainty. Theexaggerated
antiquecolumn is a popular vehiclein architecture
Szzhalombatta, Roman Catholic church
213
sincerevolutionary architecture, both in an ironic and pompous form.
Thecolumn of athree-metrediameter, concealing aspiral staircasewithin
its interior, in thefoyer of theStephaneum in Piliscsaba, is an homageto
Piranesi, but at thesametime, therestoration of Piranesis typeof infinite
defencelessness into thehuman milieu, wherethesmall-town scaleand
theconstructed forest encompass theimmeasurablecolumn. Similarly to
Piranesis method, hecovers thechurch squarein Szzhalombatta with a
cupola that has lost its scale, lifted into theheights by concretetrees with
arms of light, but this timeit is not thehopelessness that is quoted from
Piranesi, but instead thegreatness and beauty expressed in thedimensions
of theworld of antiquity, theGolden Agelost in theabyss of oblivion.
Budapest, Pasapark, shopping and
entertainment centreand dwellings,
1995. View of theunderground street
214
Particularly significant in thegestureof Makovecz is theintention of
therealisation of theunattainable, what hedescribes in his notes Piranesi
and Borges(160. pp.).
It is just theunusual, transitional quality of thesedrawings, in-between
dreams and concrete plans, that exposes the dualism with which
Makoveczs buildings themselves arealso built, on theborder between
therealms of thepossibleand theimpossible. Onecan also approach this
by recognising that Makovecz will not renounce the demand for
identification between theimagethat is born in his imagination and the
houseto berealised. It may bethat in thecourseof construction, one
must beconfronted with human negligence, carelessness, difficulties and
obstacles caused by technical problems, but in therealisation of thedream,
hepersists, remains faithful to thematerialisation of theimageof mental
origin, through to theend.
Makoveczs work was always characterised by a total attention focused
on creation. Theplanning is extremely immersive, its individuality the
concentration process of every bit of energyat least in themoments of
inspirationappearing simultaneously on several levels. Alongsidethe
design drafts, verses and written visions arelegibleon thetracepaper,
variants on a formal motif hereand there, likein themid-seventies, when
hepursued a process of meditativesymbol-analysis for years on end. The
plans themselves aredifferent than thehuman manifestation of thesame
thing, but likewisethey arenot its reduced versions. What appears to be
a fantasy drawing, a mirage, also springs with thedemand for realisation
from theintention that thedream-imagereflecting thepurest spiritual
Budapest, Pasapark, shopping and
entertainment centreand dwellings,
1995. View of theunderground street
215
sourceshould materialiseirreproachably; Makovecz will not forego any
minutedetail, which would detract from divineperfection. An illustrative
exampleof this is thefirst version of thedesign for theGreek Orthodox
Church in Csenger, with its astounding, angelic towers, as a dream-image
of itself (which already fiveyears previous hewas unableto realisein the
Gazdagrt district of Buda), and which only becametheactual dream-
imageof Mont St. Michel when thechancefor viability was finally lost
therefor good.
Original motifs that return again and again in Makoveczs designs,
now and then an element that does not carry adirect architectural function,
which nevertheless in the architects opinion are parts of total
communication: cropping up in his buildings arefragments of his own
antecedents or thoseof theruins of its former environs. His prints of
peculiar architectural traditions areperhaps an unusual metamorphosis:
plant vegetation as a result of a transformed state. Natureinfiltrates into
thebuilding in amultitudeof wayswith landscape-likesituations created,
or just with a singlemotif, as a living tree, which organically grows into
thestructure, or proclaims its attributes that areconcealed to theeye: the
material and quality of thelevels below theearth, thepreserving character
of thegeological movements of ancient times. Theworld underground
brought not only morphological formulas to thesurface, but also the
memories of sunken cultures. Endless labyrinths of mirrors areproduced
from thehalls; elsewhere, enormous parabolic projection screens overhead
continuously render present remotelandscapes or cities. In thebuildings,
theconcepts of outsideand insidemergeinto one, thecorridors arethe
streets of small towns, singlerooms areautonomous houses, aforest grows
in thehouse, a brook runs through it, visions from thepast and from the
futureappear in it simultaneously. As a result
of theetymological analysis of thehouse, the
words marking parts of themselves assumethe
form of their meanings, and a living creature
that has never been huddles in its place.
Moreover, it begins to speak, sounds flood
from its walls, and not only at thewing of the
door with real feathers, but also inside, angels
stand as a chair, cupboard, ciborium or
simply: as angel.
ImreMakovecz undertook in 1999, in part
in his restlessness deriving from theabsence
of commissions, to face a question that
intrigued him for a long time. Therewere
Csenger, Greek Orthodox church,
montage, 1998
216
always postcards and photos that cropped up around him as if incidentally
of landscapes, plants, thesymbiosis of landscapeand edifice which
seemed to instill somesort of presenceof a power greater than thehuman
creativeforce, in whosebackground was thefunction of formativeforces
that wereonceconscious, and which werenot visiblenow, but perceptible.
Heset out to elucidatethis for himself, and also for others to visualisethe
architectureconcealed in thelandscape, beit as ruins or as possibility.
Thus weregenerated theformer and futurepanoramas of theExternsteine
cliffs, theGrand Canyon and other provocatively dramatic and energy-
radiating landscapes, not as sciencefiction speculation, but as a result of
theinterpretation of thenatureof thelandscape.
A particular revelation contributed to thesedrawings by way of the
study of Karl Blossfelds photographic collection. The floral buds,
Demonictransformations
Giant Valley (USA), visionary recon-
struction of imaginary ruins, 1999
217
unfolding leaves and flowers reflect morepowerfully and expressively
than anything elsetheformativeforcehidden in nature, its strength and
beauty. His series of theAtlantis-drawings enlarges this natural formative
power on Piranesis model, and in this way, natures own forms are
rendered elements of architectural scale. Thesedrawings areengendered
not as design plans, albeit several leaves of theseries areconnected with
concretecommissions and will betransformed ultimately into architectural
detail drawings. At thesametime, however, basic questions areraised
regarding therelationship between man and natureand theconstructed
and created environment, and refer to themost important questions
concerning theentirefutureof architecture: will therebesufficient power,
capacity and recognition to act in concert with theformative-creative
forces of nature? Becauseonly that architectureis justifiable, which is
capableof discovering and comprehending from within themental powers
that createthedream-image, and that is ableto evokeand visualisethis in
theoutsideworld. (JnosGerle)
Demonictransformations
Grand Canyon (USA), visionary
reconstruction of imaginary ruins, 1999
On thefollowingpages: drawingsto the
forgotten and futurearchitectureof
Atlantis, 2000
218
219
220
221
222
Address
When thesoul is confused onehas to decideif its dim sight is becauseit
has comefrom a brighter world and cannot bear thedarkness surround-
ing it, or becauseit has emerged from a weightier unconsciousness into a
greater clearness, wherethebright light has temporarily blinded it.
Thelatter interpretation describes a happy life, whiletheformer describes
an unfortunateone.
I havebuilt a lot of houses in my sixty-fiveyears. Yet all this timeI have
really been building onesinglehouse, an unseen housethat others built
long beforeme. My only task was to havemadethis housevisible. My lot
in life, however, was to beborn a man. ThereforeI tried to substitute
many, insignificant, small, visiblebuildings for that oneunseen thing. I
did this unknowingly, forgetting what was most important.
To me, in thetimeI havespent among you, everything that has been
said about architecture, everything that peopleheld to beimportant or
special about architecture, was understandable. At thesametimethethings
I havedonewereneither understood, nor loved. Many choseto hatemy
work and my self as well.
I havehad many pupils. I was unableto pass on themost important
things to them. A lack of consciousness and thehelplessness of modesty
has hindered me. Now, at theend of my road, I find myself alone. I am
surrounded by silence. It is thesilenceof Him. His silencein other words,
His inaudibleWordis protected by His servants.
My words chokein this deafening silence. I haveforgotten almost
everything. I am nothing but a man, and this is how I will die. I will take
myself, the formless debris of
what should bean entirety exist-
ing and shining in magnificence
as proof of the protection He
provided in defense of the
worlds extremefragileness. It is
a defenseof theworlds fragility
against denseor, if this descrip-
tion is more pleasing, empty
nothingness.
Addressto theSymposiumof the
NdasdyAcademy, 2001/3
223
Dunakeszi, Apartment Complex, 2002
Thisapartment complex istheresult of aprivateinvestment being built on theedge
of Budapest. Thecomplex consistsof acentral seed or corecontaining apartments
and different social/educational institutions. This, in turn, issurrounded by aring
of apartment buildingsenclosing thecomplexspark.
224
225
Dunakeszi, Apartment Complex, 2002
226
In the1950s, without giving any particular reason or excuse, theold, wooden-framed
theatrethat used to beon thesitewasdemolished. Any salvageableconstruction ma-
terialswerehauled away. Reconstructing theold theatrewasimpossible, dueto laws
concerning firehazards, etc., but I could still makeuseof certain elementstaken from
theold building. Out of acarefully selected hodge-podge, I put anew structureto-
gether. (I. M.)
Hdmezvsrhely, Theatre, 2002
227
Abdszalk, Hotel, 2002
Thecentreof this consort hotelcompletewith avariety of servicesis an enor-
mous spaceenclosed by aglass roof. Within this spaceis apark, from which visitors
can head to thesmall streets containing their rooms. Traditional houses, as well as
businesses, restaurants, conferencerooms and various kinds of fitness areas arealso
located on thesestreets.
228
Miercurea Ciuc (Cskszereda, Romania), Roman Catholic Church, 2001-2003
Thiswasthefirst of thechurch designs(planswerealso madefor thecitiesof Temesvr,
Kolozsvr, Vargyas, Nagyvrad, Sepsiszentgyrgy) to bebuilt in Transylvaniafollow-
ing thefall of theIron Curtain. Thegoal wasto expand thecongregationsold church,
which had becometoo small. Only aplan consisting of theconstruction of anew
church besidetheold wasallowed. Themain motifsseen in thisplan areatower
copied from theold tombstonesembedded in thewall surrounding thechurch and
four angel statuesthat follow themassby peering through theskylight.
229
Miercurea Ciuc
230
Miercurea Ciuc (Cskszereda, Romania), Roman Catholic Church, 2001-2003
231
Miercurea Ciuc (Cskszereda, Romania), Roman Catholic Church, 2001-2003
232
Theplant itself consistsof threehills. Additional arcssurround and embracetheinner
courtyardscrescent shape. In themiddlestandsatower, which should havegrape-
vinesclimbing up and around it. Thebuildingsarenot only used for storing wine, but
also to hold theequipment necessary for making wine. Wine-tasting festivals, formal
dinnersand other eventsmay also beheld here. Thisisacomplex world. In Western
Europepeoplehavegrown accustomed to theway of lifedemanded by aconsumer
society. A buildingsthermal qualitiese.g. arethereforeno longer important. After all,
any lack brought on by structureor materialscan beadjusted with thehelp of me-
chanical systems. Asaresult, awineprocessing plant isquitelikely nothing morethan
an enormous, rectangular block covered with steel sheeting. Thebuildingstempera-
turean important component of thefermentation processismaintained by an auto-
matic air-conditioning system.
In Hungary theproduction and storageof wineisstill donein cellars. Thewallsin
thesecellarsarecovered with layersof thevery mold that aidsfermentation, whilethe
structuresnatural thermal qualitieswork to maintain thecellarstemperature. It was
thereforemy goal to createsurroundingsthelikeof which havenever yet been experi-
encedsincewinehasnever been stored likethisbeforebut will still survivethisin-
comprehensibleworld of so-called globalisation, which urgespeopleto consumeand
over-consume. (I. M.)
Sikls, WineProcessingPlant, 2001
233
Sikls, WineProcessingPlant, 2001
234
Rome(Italy), Park Buildings, 2001
WhileI was at an exhibit of my work in Rome, Paolo Portoghesi happened to
mention that hewas working on alargeapartment complex to bebuilt in thenorth-
ern region of Rome. Heasked meto comeup with designs for theopen areas. At
this timeI had just becomefamiliar with thefrescoes recently unearthed at thesite
of VillaFarnesina, which weremadein 30 A.D. This means that works of such high
quality and impenetrablemystery werebeing madewhen Our Saviour was only
thirty years old. I thereforethought that theapartment complex should reflect some-
thing of theuniquesymbiosis seen in thesefrescoes. In other words, I thought it
would beworth showing thesamekind of mysterious connection between build-
ings, plants and people. (I. M.)
235
Benevento (Italy), New Town Centre2001
Theessenceof this plan is that thepavement rises, becoming moreand moretrans-
parent as it reaches for thesky. Words inscribed into it will glitter in thesun. The
rising pavement brings houses to mind, whilethelifetaking placein thespaces
formed underneath thepavement will havetheopportunity to comefaceto face
with thepast, theworld of our ancestors turned to stone. Theplan also recalls afew
archetypes in amix of towers, roofs and nooks that break through therising pave-
ment whileundergoing ametamorphosis from stoneto glass.
Thevisitor first becomes awareof thetheunderground, multi-level spacecompris-
ing themuseum whilewalking across theglass ceiling. Columns and arches help to
dividethis lofty, underground spaceinto even sections. Light also enters through
theglass ceiling. Thebuildings height is lofty enough to allow for exhibitions of
largestatues, or even pieces of buildings. Themuseum continues upward in two
morelevels. Theselevels arealso set in glass, but arerigid and enclosed. They con-
tain smaller exhibition rooms and glass-enclosed loggias that interconnect through
small bridges. As thevisitor progresses from exhibition to exhibition, hecan also
look down upon thespaces in between thesmall houses and narrow alleyways,
wherecafes, businesses and bookstores can beestablished. (I. M.)
236
Budapest, Roman Catholic Church, 2004
Oneof thelatest projects,
ahugecathedral on thesite
of an earlier, unfinished
plan from the1940s. A
new opening towardsan
atmospherebetween gothic
and barocque: an incon-
ceivablespace(similar to
adrawing of Piranesi) sug-
gesting aheavenly light-
nesswith angels. Instead of
artificial treesthesupport-
ing system hereisrather a
kind of artificial cloud.
237
238
239
240
A spiritual reconstruction of thepalacefloatingbetween Earth and Heaven, embodying
in itself theupper and lower world. Thefour thronesareguarded by protectingangelsof
thequartersof theworld, their alteregosarehangingdown into therealmof darkness.
(On theprevious pages: view of thepalace)
Palaceof Atilla, Kingof theHuns, 2004
241
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST
OF THE MAIN WORKS

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
242
Nagykll, Department store, 1962
* Velence, Cpa Restaurant, 1963-64 14
* Berhida, Restaurant, 1963-64 14
* Szekszrd, Si Fishermans Inn, 1964-65 15
* Balatonszepezd, Summer Cottages, 1965-67 22
* Srospatak, Hotel Borostyn, 1966-68 (partly destroyed)
* Tatabnya, Csknyosi Inn, 1966-68 (burnt down) 23
* Budapest, Agricultural Faire, Herdsmans Inn, 1967-68 15
* Kaposvr, Library and Shops, 1968-69 18
Szeged, Fishermans Inn, 1968 18
Kecskemt, Motorists Inn, 1969 19
Gyulavri, Restaurant, 1969 22
* Dombvr, Hotel, 1969-71
Sopron, Recreation Centre and Swimming Pool, 1970 30-31
* Gyr, Duna Department Store, 1969-71 (transformed) 34
* Srospatak, Bodrog Department Store, 1969-72 34
Szentendre, Gallery, 1970
Tatabnya, Restaurant, 1971 35
* Srospatak, Cultural Centre, 1972-83 24-27, 194
Velence, Youth Recreation Centre, 1973 30-31
* Szentendre, Restaurant, 1973-76 (transformed) 60
* Szentendre, Shops, 1974-76
Hortobgy, Bird Watching Towers, 1975 199
* Budapest, Farkasrt Cemetery, Funeral Chapel, 1975-77 58-59
* Tokaj, Shelter for Summer Workshop, 1977-79 62-63
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE MAIN WORKS
The * signs the realized projects, ** means the project is in construction,
the numbers after the name of the project show the pages,
where the drawings, photos and description can be found
243
Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Tourist Lodges, 1977 42
* Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Camping Complex, 1978-79 (partly destroyed) 43-46
The House of False Historical Recognition, 1978 206-207
Dobogk, Ski-lift House, 1979-80 65-67, 195
Tatabnya, Restaurant, 1980 56
* Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Restaurant, 1980-82 (partly destroyed) 47-49
* Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Farm, 1980-82 52-53
Vc, Funeral Chapel, 1981-84 61
* Budapest, Richter-house, 1983-85 57
* Graz (Austria), Orwell-year, Installation, 1984 54-55
* Zalaszentlszl, Community Centre, 1981-85 70-73
* Visegrd, Shopping Arcade, 1982-86 (burnt down) 108
* Jszkisr, Cultural Centre, 1982-85
Jszapti, Cultural Centre, 1983-87 74-77
Budapest, St. Gerard Church (competition I. prize) 1983
* Budapest, Richter-house, 1983-85
* Budapest, Gubcsi-house, 1983-86
Bakonyszentkirly, Primary School, 1984 80
Karancslapujt, Extension of the Village, 1984 81
* Visegrd, Mogyor Hill, Forest Learning Centre, 1984-88 78, 83-85, 196
New York, Adam Purple Park Development (competition) 1984
Budapest, Home of Handicraft Summer Workshops, 1984
* Dunakeszi, Kovcs-house, 1985-86
* Bak, Community Centre, 1985-88 104-105
* Visegrd, Gymnasium, 1985-88 108-109
Szigetvr, Town Centre, Masterplan, 1985 96
* Szigetvr, Cultural Centre, 1985-95 (partly unfinished) 100-102, 196
Paks, New Dwelling Areas, Masterplan, 1985-86
* Sifok, Lutheran Church and Vicarage, 1986-93 122-123, 125-129
244
* Gd, Weekend-house Dczy, 1986-88
* Kakasd, Village centre, 1986-94 106-107
* Paks, Roman Catholic Church, 1987-91 110-117
* Paks, Market, 1987-89
Witten-Annen (Germany), Waldorf Teachers School, 1987-90 158-159, 198
Visegrd, Tourist Centre, 1988 109
* Srospatak, rpd Vezr Secondary School, 1988-93 154-155
* berlingen (Germany), Naturata Ecological Centre, 1989-92 86-87
Timisoara (Temesvr, Romania), Calvinist Church I., 1990-91 118
* Solymr, Waldorf Kindergarten, 1990
* Seville (Spain), World EXPO, Hungarian Pavilion, 1990-92 164-168, 200
* Budapest, Office Building, 1990-94
Budapest, Gazdagrt, Roman Catholic Church, 1991-93 118, 197
* Lendava (Lendva, Slovenia) Theatre, 1991-2004 93-95
Dugny (France), Secondary School (competition, I. prize), 1992 141
* Budapest, Opera, Stage Designs for Bartks Plays, 1993 144-146
* Eger, Swimming Pool, 1993-2000 174-177
* Gyr, Chapel of the Benedictine Secondary School, 1993-95
Budapest EXPO Towers, 1993 148-149
Budapest EXPO Ship, 1994 103, 152
Budapest EXPO Pavilion, 1994 153
* Budapest, Makona Architectural Office Building, 1994-96
Piliscsaba, Catholic University Church, 1994-96 120, 201
**Cluj (Kolozsvr, Romania), Calvinist Church, 1994- 130
Oradea (Nagyvrad, Romania), Catholic Old Peoples Home, 1994 142
Windsor (England), Reconstruction of the Castle, 1994 (competition) 170
Budapest, Rkoskeresztr, Memorial Church of the Martyrs, 1995 88
* Budapest, Tabn, Memorial, 1995-96 147
* Szzhalombatta, Roman Catholic Church, 1995-98 161-163, 212
245
Budapest, Pasapark Shopping and Entertainment centre, 1995 213-214
Hanover (Germany), World EXPO 2000, 1995 (competition) 157
Piliscsaba, Catholic University Auditorium (Stephaneum), 1995-2001 178-205
Berlin (Germany), Hotel and Conference Centre, 1996 156
* Mak, Theatre, 1996-2000 89-92
**Timisoara (Temesvr, Romania), Calvinist Church II., 1997- 119
London (England), Own Exhibition Pavilion, 1997-98 171-173
Hajdszoboszl, Clock House, 1997 210
Csenger, Greek Orthodox Church I., 1997-98 124, 131, 215
Hanover (Germany), Demeter Centre1998-99 198, 208-209
Sfintu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyrgy, Romania), Funeral Chapel, 1998-2004 139
Nosa (Nosza, Yugoslavia), Roman Catholic Church, 1999 138
Budapest, Ecumenical Chapel, 1999 132
* Csenger, Greek Orthodox Church II., 199-2000
Engen (Germany), Ecumenical Chapel, 1999-2001 133
Demonic Transformations, 1999-2000 68-69, 216-217
Atlantis Drawings, 2000-2001 218-21
Rome (Italy), Park Buildings, 2001 211, 234
* Miercurea Ciuc (Romania) Roman Catholic Church, 2001-2003 228-231
Sikls, Wine Processing Plant, 2001 232-233
Benevento, New Town Centre, 2001 (competition I. prize) 235
Forest-beings, montages, 2001-03 10, 246-247
Dunakeszi, Apartment Complex, 2002 222-225
Hdmezvsrhely, Theatre, 2002 226
Abdszalk, Hotel, 2002 227
Dunajska Streda (Dunaszerdahely, Slovakia) Roman Catholic Church, 2003 121
Taposiris Magna (Egypt), Coptic Church, 2003-2004 134-137
Budapest, Roman Catholic Church, 2004 236-237
Palace of Atilla, King of the Huns, 2004 238-240
246
247