The local council of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County expects to spend HUF 1.5bn to renovate the palace, which was modeled on a French chateau by Gyula Andrássy, the former Austro-Hungarian foreign minister, according to council deputy chairman Oszkár Seszták. The palace was used as an orphanage until now.
The plans for the conversion will be completed this year. Support for the project is expected to come from European Union development funding and central budget subsidies.
The renovation of the palace will affect not only the palace, but its garden as well. The palace garden is home to a bush labyrinth which is more than a hundred years old.
The palace will be converted into an exhibition and events centre, complete with conference rooms. Part of the building will also be turned into a hotel.
The palace could become the centre for the Andrássy Culture Road, according to Seszták.
A number of monuments constructed by the noble Andrássy family still stand in the region.
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
