Hungary's Wenckheim Castle Assigned to Hódmezővásárhely Municipality in Government Initiative
The first phase of Hungary's castle adoption program concluded with the allocation of multiple historic sites to various entities.
In a recent announcement made on social media, Hungary's Minister of Construction and Transport, Lázár János, confirmed the conclusion of the first phase of the country's castle adoption program.
As part of this initiative, the municipality of Hódmezővásárhely, led by Mayor Márki-Zay Péter, has been granted the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the Wenckheim Castle, located in Szabadkígyós.
The allocations for the program include several other historic sites.
The Nádasdy Castle in Nádasdladány has been assigned to Richter Gedeon Nyrt., the Sándor–Metternich Castle in Bajna to the Mol Új Európa Foundation, and the Esterházy Castle in Majkpuszta to the municipality of Oroszlány.
This decision followed intense debates among Hódmezővásárhely's local government, which voted to submit a proposal for the Wenckheim Castle as part of the government's castle adoption initiative in October.
Deputy Minister Csepreghy Nándor had previously expressed optimism regarding the municipality's proposal, emphasizing the expectation of substantial future investments, amounting to 8-10 billion forints, required from the new owner for the castle's continued development.
In response, Mayor Márki-Zay Péter alleged that the Deputy Minister's statements aimed to intimidate the local taxpayers and officials, suggesting an effort to dissuade the municipality from interfering with Minister Lázár's plans regarding the castles.
Lázár's latest communication acknowledged the generosity of the Hódmezővásárhely residents, indicating that taxpayer funds would now support the castle's upkeep.
He noted that a total of 22 well-prepared proposals had been submitted, with an additional twenty castles set to be announced for the program in late February.
The privatization of Hungary's castles has sparked considerable debate nationally.
The so-called 'castle law' had been subjected to multiple revisions, led by former President Novák Katalin, before ultimately being approved by Parliament in June of last year.
According to this legislation, the ownership rights to state-owned castles, mansions, parks, and associated properties can be transferred to private entities and corporations.
In a prior podcast, Lázár defended the government's plan by asserting that while the state owns these historic buildings, it is ill-equipped to manage them effectively.
The first round of applications focused on eight castles recently refurbished with 22 billion forints of public funds, with plans to privatize an additional forty sites in the future.
Critics argue that this model may lead to the loss of public asset status for these properties, similar to what's been observed with university campuses.
However, Lázár stated that the involvement of private capital does not compromise public interest, emphasizing that the castles will remain accessible to the public.
As part of this initiative, the municipality of Hódmezővásárhely, led by Mayor Márki-Zay Péter, has been granted the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the Wenckheim Castle, located in Szabadkígyós.
The allocations for the program include several other historic sites.
The Nádasdy Castle in Nádasdladány has been assigned to Richter Gedeon Nyrt., the Sándor–Metternich Castle in Bajna to the Mol Új Európa Foundation, and the Esterházy Castle in Majkpuszta to the municipality of Oroszlány.
This decision followed intense debates among Hódmezővásárhely's local government, which voted to submit a proposal for the Wenckheim Castle as part of the government's castle adoption initiative in October.
Deputy Minister Csepreghy Nándor had previously expressed optimism regarding the municipality's proposal, emphasizing the expectation of substantial future investments, amounting to 8-10 billion forints, required from the new owner for the castle's continued development.
In response, Mayor Márki-Zay Péter alleged that the Deputy Minister's statements aimed to intimidate the local taxpayers and officials, suggesting an effort to dissuade the municipality from interfering with Minister Lázár's plans regarding the castles.
Lázár's latest communication acknowledged the generosity of the Hódmezővásárhely residents, indicating that taxpayer funds would now support the castle's upkeep.
He noted that a total of 22 well-prepared proposals had been submitted, with an additional twenty castles set to be announced for the program in late February.
The privatization of Hungary's castles has sparked considerable debate nationally.
The so-called 'castle law' had been subjected to multiple revisions, led by former President Novák Katalin, before ultimately being approved by Parliament in June of last year.
According to this legislation, the ownership rights to state-owned castles, mansions, parks, and associated properties can be transferred to private entities and corporations.
In a prior podcast, Lázár defended the government's plan by asserting that while the state owns these historic buildings, it is ill-equipped to manage them effectively.
The first round of applications focused on eight castles recently refurbished with 22 billion forints of public funds, with plans to privatize an additional forty sites in the future.
Critics argue that this model may lead to the loss of public asset status for these properties, similar to what's been observed with university campuses.
However, Lázár stated that the involvement of private capital does not compromise public interest, emphasizing that the castles will remain accessible to the public.
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