The renovation of the former Pannónia Szálló in the city of Partium will soon begin, so that the building, which represents one of the most beautiful examples of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture from the turn of the century, can open its doors to the public in its old glory and thus put the city of Szatmárnémeti on the map of international tourism.

The former Pannónia hotel in Szatmárnémeti, which is the city's most significant monument building, will be renovated and modernized with an investment of nearly thirty million euros, the investors told MTI on Tuesday.

According to the announcement, after the renovation, the historic monument of the city of Partium will continue to operate as a hotel under the Hotel Indigo brand of the renowned international chain InterContinental (IHG) Hotels & Resorts from 2025. It will be operated by the Hungarian hotel management company Hotel & More Group.

    The hotel, located on the old main square of the city, will open its doors with 62 rooms. Similar to the original function, it will include a large ballroom and several conference rooms, as well as a restaurant offering local and international specialties and a wellness center

they announced.

In the announcement, it was indicated: during the renovation works that will begin soon, the outstanding piece of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture from the turn of the century will be restored to its former glory, which

It was built based on the plans of architects Zoltán Bálint and Ferenc Jámbor.

The hotel, which opened in 1902, first welcomed visitors under the name Pannonia, then Dacia. During the privatization in 1995, the employees of the time took over the shares of the company operating the hotel, and in 2007, a Romanian businessman bought the company, who was preparing to renovate the hotel, but his plans were thwarted by the economic crisis. Since then, the condition of the building has greatly deteriorated.

    It was given the chance to survive by the fact that in 2020 it became the property of the Central European Built Heritage Preservation Foundation - they recalled in the announcement. The investment can begin after the preparation and authorization related to the priority monument status.

According to the investors, the Central European Built Heritage Preservation Foundation, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Hotel & More Group recently signed an agreement on the development.

The mayor's office in Szatmárnémet previously assured the new owner: it is ready to provide all assistance to restore one of the city's most famous buildings to its former glory. He also announced that the old main square of the city, where the Pannónia hotel also stands, will be renovated with European Union funds. These renovation works are already underway.

Daylight

The construction of the Pannónia Hotel began at the turn of the century on the initiative of the then mayor of Szatmárnémeti, Mihály Hermán. The Art Nouveau building was built based on the plans of architects Zoltán Bálint and Ferenc Jámbor. Excavation of the foundations of the new hostel began in 1901 on the site of the former old courthouse, and the building was handed over a year later, in 1902. At the World Architecture Exhibition in Vienna in 1903, the newly erected Pannónia Hotel building on the main square of Szatmárnémeti was awarded second place. In its heyday, the Pannónia Hotel was the scene of balls, and later it was renamed the Dacia Hotel, but in the life of the city, the entire XX. played an important role in the century. The condition of the hostel has deteriorated significantly in recent decades, so a full-scale reconstruction has become increasingly urgent.

MTI

Cover image: Central European Built Heritage Preservation Foundation