Unprotected Heritage - Perczel Anna (2007)
Forming a street of shops along a passageway through a 240 metre wide complex made up of six courtyards and establishing a smooth and yet exciting connection between two of the oldest longitudinal streets of the quarter (Kiraly street and Dob street), this system of through buildings is a unique feature not only of Budapest but of Europe as a whole. 
Commissioned with designing the complex by the Gozsdu Foundation was Győző Cziegler, Professor of the Universitiy of Technology, who had recently made the blueprints of the Central Market Hall (1897) and later designed the Széchenyi Baths(1913). It is by no means insignificant that Czeigler designed several through buildings.
The foundation based on the Gozsdu estate was established on 3 February 1870. Born in the town of Nagyvárad, Emánuel Gozsdu (1802-1870), was an imensely rich lawyer, Justice of the Supreme Court, politician, writer and poet, who emerged as a leading figure of the Hungarian Reform Age without disavowing his background. In 1832 he purchased Sebastian Wilhelm’s house with the plot in the rear, to which he added subsequently acquired pieces of property. In his last will and testament dated 4 November 1869, he left a substantial part of his sizeable fortune to the foundation called Fundapiunea lui Gozsdu to support Romanian students of the Greek Orthodox faith pursuing their studies in the territories of historical Hungary.
It was one of the foremost private foundations in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The trustee of the estate has been the treasury of the Nagyszeben Archbishopric of the Greek Orthodox Church ever since. In 1884 the trustees also purchased for the foundation the house at 8 Holló utca bordering on the Király utca plot, anddonated the first- floor tract to the Romanian Orthodox Congregation of Budapest upon its establishment in 1990. Their church built here is in use to this day.
In 1902 the trustees started a large- scale construction work on the plots creating residential and commercial units that would have generated sufficient rental income to finance the study grants. After World War I, the foundation found itself in a tight spot as the bulk of its holdings were inside Hungary, while the Trustees themselves as a result of the Trianon Peace Treaty were based in Romania. After 17 years of negotiations, the two countries reached an agrement in 1937 concerning an exchange of property but World War II swept the agreement away. After the war, the ethnic Romanians of Hungary intended to use the Gozsdu Courtyard for cultural and educational purposes, but in 1952 the holdings of the foundation, including its real- estate property, were nationalized.
In 1990 the Government of Hungary handed over the properties of the foundation to the Municipality of  District VII. Intending to sell the property, the local authorities started to evict all the resindents, shops and workshops from the complex without delay, even though inter- governmental talks on returning the property had not been concluded and the tenants had no intention to move out either. Furthermore, the Municipality of Budapest would have made a substantial contribution towards any reconstruction costs if the tenants would have been allowed to continue with their leases.
In 1993, the Government of Hungary only agreed to return those sections of the property which had been used for ecclesiastical purposes. An area of 1043 square metres was occupied by the Orthodox Church (as the premises of the Bishop’s residence, a council chamber, the students’ dormitories, an official residence, and the cultural association) that was valued at 43 million Hungarian Forints at that time. The single building returned was the one at 8 Holló utca,  where the only church used by the Romanian community of Budapest was established, which is why it now belongs to the Romanian Orthodox Church of Hungary. Following the rejection of the request of the Gozsdu Foundation for the return of the properties legal litigations were started in 1999 with the support of the Romanian government, suing the Municipality of  District VII. The case has possibly not been closed to this day. The gradually- emptying ghost- building was given official protection as a historical monument in the year 2000, as the investors acting on a municipal permit proposed to carry out major alterations. The row of shops in the middle yard, including the legendary hair dresser that operated with original fit-out and furniture since 1920, was in fact demolished.
After years and years of adversity, and following the “succesful” removal of the last intransigent residents from the premises a gold and silversmith, a barber, an engraver, a hatter and a dentist- the Gozsdu Courtyard is currentls being reconstructed by Autóker (property developer) Holding Private Co. To designs made in the Mérték Építész Stúdió (Mérték Architectural Studio).
A high- quality reconstruction was carried out and completed in 2008. It is largely limited to the outside and inside facades, the staircases and interior courtyards. The layout of the flats in the officially protected complex have been altered. In place of the large apartments, the building was remodeled and 120 smaller apartments were created meeting modern housing standards. Parking also had to be solved by creating a 4 level underground garage on the side of the complex at 12 Holló street.

 
Gozsdu Court Apartments
Gozsdu Court Apartments opened in 2009 with the aim of creating a reliable and flexible way of lodging in the city center of Budapest. The location, the quality of apartments and our enthusiastic staff are all drivers of the success of this new accommodation provider. The building "Gozsdu Udvar" is a unique monument protected by the Hungarian National Heritage Authority. It has been fully refurbished and re-developed according to modern housing requirements. However it still managed to keep its romantic charme by keeping the original features and architecture in mind.
If you are interested to hear more about us or would require additional information please do not hesitate to contact us.