Barabás Villa
The villa was commissioned by Miklós Barabás, a renowned Hungarian painter and one of the country’s most celebrated portrait artists of the 19th century. In 1839, the painter purchased the vineyard plot, which included a press house and a wine cellar. A year later, the villa was built according to his own designs. From the outset, it was connected to the vineyard keeper’s house by an underground passage.
Over the years, the building complex underwent numerous alterations, but the primary aim was to restore the original building, complemented as discreetly as possible by new structures accommodating the additional functions. The restoration was greatly aided by a watercolour by the painter depicting his own villa and its carefully designed surrounding garden. Today, the Neoclassical villa houses an exhibition space, while its cellar has been converted into a restaurant. The former vineyard keeper’s house accommodates a collection dedicated to winemaking. A new event space was built into the hillside behind the villa, creating an intimate courtyard between the original and new buildings. The underground passage connecting the two buildings has been preserved and continues to provide access between the different spaces. Taking advantage of the site’s topography and the nature of the new functions, a significant part of the new structures was placed underground. Landscape architecture, which was already a key element of the original concept, remains an important part of the project. The carefully designed garden and its vegetation create a harmonious connection between the listed historic building and the new glass-and-timber structures accommodating the additional functions. In 2003, the building complex was awarded the prestigious European architectural Europa Nostra Award.
