The building of the Dohánypavilon in Zebegény has been abandoned for decades, whose renovation and subsequent operation was undertaken by the Millennium Pavilion Foundation. The aim of the organization is to make the pavilion a worthy venue for cultural and community events. Regarding the developments and plans, 0627.hu contacted the foundation’s curator, Tamás Ulicsák.
As is well known, the 840-square-meter towered wooden building was designed by Lajos Zobel and was the pavilion of the Hungarian tobacco industry at the 1896 Millennium Exhibition. After the exhibition, it was dismantled and donated to Ferenc József, who handed it over to Budapest. The building was rebuilt in Zebegény on an area of 13,000 square meters. The pavilion also functioned as a children’s resort and as a military hospital during the First World War.
During its use, the building was completely occupied and is currently in a life-threatening condition, its survival was questionable. Why did they decide to take the fate of the building into their own hands and try to save it?
This building has been the subject of talk in Zebegény for decades. Many families have a personal experience related to it. I have met many locals who told me that they used to grow up here, they had children here, their parents or even they themselves worked, cooked, and gardened here. Before the regime change, the house functioned as a children’s resort, at that time the children came from Budapest in weekly shifts, it was a real bubbly life in the settlement. The building has a long history, which should not be lost. That’s why we decided to take the fate of the pavilion into our hands and get the most out of it and renovate it so that it becomes the jewel of Zebegény again.
What is the purpose of the foundation, what plans did they have for development?
The determined goal of the foundation is to create a cultural space where anyone can feel good. The planning took a lot of time, as a concept plan had to be developed so that the property would later be self-sustaining. We were thinking about a new social and cultural space, where classical music concerts, choir competitions, domestic and international cultural festivals, and children’s programs would be possible. In addition, it would serve the smaller theater circles, catering units, a cafe, and a pastry shop would also operate in the building. The plan is to create a cultural center that currently does not exist in the area.
The public procurement procedure started in the summer, but according to the Electronic Procurement System, it was recently declared ineffective. What happened?
Yes, open European Union public procurement started in the summer. There were 14 applicants, but in the end only five companies were left who were interested in the development. Here we are talking about a building that is more than 120 years old, so we are talking about a wooden structure of that time, which was made using the techniques used at that time. Rebuilding this is a huge task. During the renovation, the terrain conditions are the biggest challenge, as the area cannot be approached with large machines. During the renovation, the cost of transporting building materials to the site increases significantly.
The public procurement was closed a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the first round was unsuccessful, the applications submitted all exceeded the budget for the renovation. Public procurement will start again soon and we hope that there will be contractors who will apply to renovate the building. We are not discouraged, we do not want to reduce technical content. We want this house not to become the property of the masses, but to preserve the past for the future, and for everyone to see that such buildings were created 120 years ago. If all of this is successful, then Zebegény will have a self-sustaining, imposing event venue that satisfies cultural needs in all aspects.
Is there a rumor that they are building accommodation next to the pavilion?
A cultural community space will be created in the Millennium Pavilion, for its economic operation it is essential that the building also has accommodation. We did not want to disturb the historical environment, we did not want to create a hotel building in the area of the pavilion, so the foundation bought the Kenderes Hotel, located approximately 200 meters from the pavilion.
The hotel had not been taken care of for a decade, and hundreds of cubic meters of garbage had been piled up. The roof structure of the building is seriously damaged, and its condition is deteriorating every day. The foundation started organizing the area in 2022, we cleaned the entire area and prepared the renovation plans. Our goal is that after the renovation, Zebegény will be enriched with an accommodation suitable for 40 people, with a restaurant section.
