Nagykovácsi Teleki-Tisza Castle

History of the Castle

The present appearance of the Teleki-Tisza Castle is defined by two major building phases, each characterising one of the castle’s main structures. Originally, the castle’s primary façade was the northern longitudinal side facing Kossuth Street. The second significant construction phase occurred in the 1880s, when two towers were added on the upper floor, connected by a loft, alongside the development of the landscaped garden. Consequently, the main access shifted to a winding garden path through this new garden, making the eastern (short, balconied) façade the first visible view. This change required the eastern façade’s transformation, adding a large terrace overlooking the garden. A major asset of the castle park is the preservation of most of the original landscape as a continuous green space. Renovation took place between 2016 and 2018.

Design Considerations

Regarding the castle building itself, the goal was to restore the original spatial structure. Several original wall openings discovered during 1970s excavations—which had been previously bricked up—were reopened. For parts of the building destroyed over time and lacking sufficient authentic documentation, architectural solutions were chosen that provide functional and usable spaces today. For example, the space between the two towers on the upper floor—created during a 1970s renovation—had no known original form. This was resolved by installing a modern, uniform glazed surface connecting the towers.

The design strategy aimed to reveal all original elements uncovered during research while renovating damaged parts without replicating a 19th-century design artificially. In terms of the castle’s surroundings, restoration returned the park to its 19th-century condition. Non-historic 20th-century buildings located between the original outbuildings and Kossuth Street were demolished, freeing the castle from its previous enclosure, restoring visibility from the street and access through the new park.

The architects’ objective was to restore the Teleki-Tisza Castle—originally a one-storey building constructed in the 1840s and expanded to two storeys in the 1880s—based on available authentic sources. Where no authentic documentation existed, as in the upper-floor section between the towers, contemporary design elements were introduced to serve as a modern event venue.

A significant asset of the castle is its park, one of the few in the country to have survived as a continuous landscape garden of its original size to this day.