The contemporary building of the St. George Residence features a complete reconstruction of a Baroque corner house built on medieval foundations. While preserving its original architectural heritage, it meets present–day quality standards with its luxurious refurbishments. The original Fortuna Inn in fact comprised three medieval homes. These features endow our contemporary building with an exquisite and unique atmosphere.
The first known owner of the house was revenue officer Miklós Kanizsai in 1392. Between 1938-1488, the northern corner used to belong to a joiner called István. In 1464 friar Peter of Pétervárad acquired the property worth 600 Hungarian forints. According to a map by Joseph Haüy and the Land Registry dated 1687, the property retained the very same three-building division as the original medieval site. Despite the devastation due to the re-conquest of Buda, all three buildings remained in use. The two southern houses, however, were only joined together in 1696.
In 1777, the site was acquired by a University that had relocated from Nagyszombat (in present-day Slovakia) to Buda. It later became the property of the Vice-Regent Council. In 1783, when the Regent decided to transfer its residency from Pozsony (Bratislava) to Buda, there was only one inn in the Castle—the “Red Hedgehog Inn.” This Inn proved to be too small and outdated so the magistrate called upon Mátyás Nepauer, owner and master builder of Buda, to expand it. Unfortunately, he could not help or did not want to comply. Therefore, the city of Budapest purchased the property in 1784. The property was later reconstructed and the contemporary late-classicist baroque style façade was probably added at this time. The Inn now named after the Goddess of Fortune, “Fortuna,” also gave its name to the café and restaurant operating in the building as well as the street where it was and still is located today.
The hospitality and event space along with the building itself has been and is still regarded as one of the most magnificent Buda sights. On the ground floor there were four rooms with three rooms overlooking the street and one overlooking the courtyard. The sixteen upper rooms all faced the street and only six overlooked the courtyard. The covered stables opened from the courtyard. They housed forty horses and four coaches. To the left of the main entrance was a restaurant while a coffee house with a billiard room was on the right.
During the Napoleon Wars, Gyögy Gaál said, “Despite the many complaints about the miserable times, extraordinary high prices and even worse living conditions, in the Fortuna Coffee House the dice games continue. Buda was still reckoned as a place of meeting for the rich.” (1803) At that time, the Fortuna Inn was the center of social life in Buda. There were dice and card games and they played billiards too. In the lounge, occasional theatre performances were held. Two kitchens provided catering. The five-course lunch and dinner were abundant. The press of this period often reported on the excellent cuisine.
The Inn hosted several renowned travelers, people of distinction and celebrities of Hungarian cultural life. In 1835, the Turkish Ambassador and his escort of 32 stayed in the Inn. An illustrious guest in 1873 Archduke Ferdinand and his escort also called the Inn home for sometime. In 1848, cannonball hit the Inn because it gave shelter to General Hentzi. A cannonball can still be seen in one of the courtyard walls.
Of all the Buda inns of the late 18th and 19th centuries, Fortuna was considered a model inn with the highest standards and as the most elegant of all. It had also become a center for intellectuals. For example, the Inn was a meeting place for the Hungarian Jacobin movement. Among the founding members of the “Watch Cabinet” of the Reader's Circle were the renowned and enlightened intellectuals Gergely Berzevizy, Ferenc Verseghy, József Hajnóczi, György Márton Kovachich, Ferenc Szentmarjay, Ferenc Szolártsik, Pál Őz and Ferenc Abafi.
According to the historian Shams, by the early 19th century the guests of the coffee house were mostly “high-ranking” merchants. At the end of the 19th century, the building functioned as an art school. A court of law followed suit. And finally, it was converted into an apartment house. Buda master builder Lajos Kimnach is regarded as having completed the conversion for housing purposes. (The one-time Evangelical Church in Dísz tér is also attributed to Lajos Kimnach.) In 1871, the property was sold to the Royal Court of the city of Buda. The architectural plans from as early as 1872 still bear the name of Húgó Máltás. (Húgó Máltás had been an art teacher at the Buda School of Arts since 1853. He was regarded as the most prominent architect of his era. For further reference also see the romantic building on Fő Street). In the meantime, the coffee house on the ground floor continued to flourish. It operated in two rooms with eighteen tables, sixty-one chairs, one billiard table, several chessboards and domino games as well as offered fourteen different periodicals. IN 1876, a prison and the Royal Prosecutor's Office settled in the building adding yet another purpose for this property. In the 1890s it hosted the Ministry of Finance. Later it operated as an Administrative Court of Law. The building continued to serve different purposes. This period was by far the lowest point in the history of the Fortuna building.
In 1940, the 476 50/100 square foot plot became the property of the Hungarian Treasury. During World War II it suffered serious damages and in 1959 it was reconstructed again. In 1951 Course Administration Enterprise occupied the space and then in 1960 the Catering Enterprise of Pest-Buda took over occupancy. In 1966 the property was used by the Museum of Merchandise and Catering until 2004. Since 1987, the Castle district has been under protection as a World Heritage Site.
The 700-year old building is the oldest hotel property in Budapest and due to its historic fame the St. George Residence has gained membership in the association of „Historic Hotels of Europe” and as a member of the „Association of the Hungarian Castle Hotels.”
(Special thanks to Dr. Judit Janotti and Noémi Saly
for historical details on the Fortuna building)
Preserving the Heritage
After reconstructing the former museum and office building, the new owner chose restaurants and apartments in lieu a traditional old-time inn. Preserving its original beauty, the registered building operates again according to the traditional features of the old-time inn. At the same time, the building meets the expectations of the modern age.
During reconstruction, the contractor and architect faithfully captured the architecture from the 18th century while also respecting the architectural and ornamental designs created by Húgó Máltás. In the completely refurbished building there are 26 suites, a reception area and several other rooms. On the ground floor are two exclusive restaurants facing Fortuna Street and in the basement there is a bar together with a smoking room nestled in a spectacular wine cellar.
An arched gateway opens to the catering facilities on the ground floor and to the ornate staircase leading upstairs. The suites are located in the wing facing the courtyard on the first floor and the attic respectively. The main entrance hall is partially separated by a glass wall with the reception located behind it. A passage to the rectangular inner courtyard leads from the staircases to the suites in the wings and attics.
The Late-Classicist, Baroque style opens marvelously along Fortuna Street with its nice linear rhythm of stone framed by the windows and its sand and red brick colors. The exquisite interior includes such antiques as frescoes, wall-paintings and a Gothic sedilia, heating stoves and the original baroque timber roof structures. There is also a large medieval cellar. These features were given special consideration during reconstruction. Mihály Ráday also recognized the building in his television show on „How to preserve heritage in Hungary.”
On the ground floor are several frescoes dating back to the end of the 18th century. All were carried out in a stucco technique. The wall-paintings are attributed to József Schöff and József Serovics. In the hooded vaults of the southern gateway, there are ornamental motifs of wreaths and garlands with the corners finished with ram acanthuses (design of leaves often seen on Corinthian columns). A row of medallions lining the strap arches has been painted with grace and care. The mirroring sidewalls are embellished with a frame of argentous leaf motifs. One of these exquisite baroque exteriors is dedicated as a restaurant.
Another prominent decorative element adding to the late baroque atmosphere of the restaurant is the glazed–tiled heating stoves. The former coffee house at the northern side of the gateway houses an especially rare imperial style heating stove with walls bearing Oriental-Hindi style motifs such as a landscape painted with exotic plants (cacti, bamboo trees) and oriental birds. This space is dedicated to the other restaurant, which also functions as a cafe. Placed in the lower level of the old house is the underground medieval cellar, which is used as a smoking room. A fireplace in the corner adds the perfect ambience.
A large lobby in the attic displays the 300 year-old carpentry work. This grand lobby is connected to the main entrance hall by a spacious baroque staircase. The stone-framed stoking chimneys of the former rooms of the inn can still be seen in the corridors. The corner stones of the façade are also reminiscent of the building’s medieval origins as well as the sedentary chambers, cellar vault furnishings and the construction material of the northern wall with stone consoles. The two-storey building encompasses an inner courtyard with the suites overlooking on to it. The most important criteria when designing the courtyard were to preserve as much green space as possible. During reconstruction the old tree and two century-old grapevines were conserved.
 architectural rendering the inner courtyard |
 inner courtyard after reconstruction |
