Reök Palace
A façade like a frozen wave: an Art Nouveau palace built for a water engineer, on the theme of water itself.
At a glance
The Reök Palace in Szeged is one of the finest pieces of Hungarian Art Nouveau, built in 1907 by the young architect Ede Magyar. He designed it for the water engineer Iván Reök, and made water its guiding motif: the façade flows in green and lilac like a wave, with water-plants and tendrils worked across it. It now houses a regional art centre, REÖK.
Key facts
- Location: Tisza Lajos körút 56, Szeged
- Architect: Ede Magyar
- Built: 1907
- Style: Hungarian Art Nouveau
- Today: REÖK regional art centre
History
Szeged had been rebuilt after a catastrophic flood in 1879, and by 1907 was a showcase of new architecture. The water engineer Iván Reök, a relative of the painter Munkácsy, commissioned a palace from Ede Magyar, then only thirty.
Magyar, who had studied French and Belgian Art Nouveau in Paris rather than following Lechner, gave the building a unity rare in the style. Restored, it reopened as an art centre and is the symbol of Secession Szeged.
What you see
The front seems to move: smooth, curving lines in green and pale violet, with iron balconies like water-weed and ornament of lilies and waves. Inside, a sinuous staircase continues the watery theme. It is Art Nouveau at its most fluid, a single idea carried from the street to the stairwell.
Practical information
- Open: as an art centre; exhibition hours
- Cost: free or small admission by exhibition
- Best for: the flowing façade and the staircase
- Time needed: 30–45 minutes
Getting there
The palace is in central Szeged, in southern Hungary, on the ring boulevard a short walk from the cathedral and the river Tisza.
Nearby
- Szeged Cathedral — the great votive church nearby
- Tisza riverfront — the embankment a short walk away
Sources
- Wikipedia — Reök Palace
- REÖK / Szeged tourism — building history
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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