According to the prime minister, the legacy of Imre Makó Makovecz and the Hagymatikum deserve to be visited by people from all over the world.
At the handover of the renovated and expanded Hagymatikum spa, Viktor Orbán said that with the completion of the new building part of the spa, Makó became stronger again, and with this we also paid off some of the debt we owe to Imre Makovecz. Viktor Orbán put it this way: it is part of the general education of a Hungarian person to know which famous Hungarian building was designed by whom. However, we did not learn that Imre Makovecz's buildings were designed by him, we simply recognize them, we just need to look at them and see them right away. His art is not an example of an architectural style, but a style itself.
According to the Prime Minister, there was only one similar example where the architect himself had a distinct, unclassifiable style: Antoni Gaudí. What was Barcelona for Gaudí is Makó for Imre Makovecz.
The head of government praised the merits of the city's former socialist mayor, Péter Buzás, in that many of the architect's plans were realized in the city. Péter Buzás gave orders to Imre Makovecz at a time when he was not receiving invitations from almost anywhere in Hungary
he announced.
By the time the gates were opened again for Imre Makovecz with the victory of the national side, the grace period during which the Lord kept him among us in the flesh was over. Those who previously made his work impossible are now shouting that there is no point in building the buildings that remained in the plan, said the Prime Minister. Viktor Orbán added: "let's tell them that Imre Makovecz is still alive today, here is the proof, we have just finished the legacy he dreamed of".
What was planted by Imre Makovecz and Péter Buzás was further nurtured and nurtured by the right-wing city administration, and was realized with the effective cooperation of the government and minister and government commissioner János Lázár. Makó can now boast not only the most, but also the largest Makovecz building, emphasized Viktor Orbán.
Mayor Éva Erzsébet Farkas (Fidesz–KDNP) put it this way: with the investment, the building of the spa became complete and whole, as Imre Makovecz and his colleagues had dreamed it in the past. It has been almost thirty years since the paths of the city and the architect crossed, and today there are 14 public buildings designed by Imre Makovecz in the city of Csongrád-Csanád county. This makes Mako an important settlement in the Southern Great Plain tourism region, he added.
Attila Turi, president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA), said that Imre Makovecz's buildings define Makó's image. He recalled that Imre Makovecz could no longer live the opening of the Hagymatikum in 2012, but his life's work did not end with his death, he left us such a rich spiritual heritage that we have a duty to keep alive.
The HUF 12 billion development carried out by Fehérép Kft. doubled the current capacity of the spa, which was opened twelve years ago. In the new building of almost 2,500 square meters, a family and experience zone and a slide tower with covered slides starting from a height of 12 meters await guests. In addition, the spa was expanded with a partially covered pool with medicinal water, a built-in pool bar and a summer dressing room with a sun terrace, and the green areas were also renewed. The special feature of the spa is the section evoking the mythical world of Atlantis based on the drawings of Imre Makovecz, where visitors are dazzled by unique groups of sculptures and light shows.
Imre Makovecz (1935–2011) Kossuth and Miklós Ybl prize-winning architect, founding personality of the school of Hungarian organic architecture, founding president of the MMA, and permanent honorary president.
MTI
Featured image: In the image published by the Prime Minister's Press Office, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gives a speech at the handover ceremony of the renewed and expanded Hagymatikum spa in Makó on March 24, 2024. MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltán Fischer
