THE OLD VAY CASTLE

architect:                    Ferenc Salamin

co-architect                 Gábor Erhardt

assistant architect:      Pál Salamin

landscape designer     Attila Vincze

stonemason:                István Kolyankovszky

The building was erected at the end of the 16th century, with floor slabs upheld by timber beams and with vaulted ceilings in the corners. The first transformation took place at the very end of the Renaissance period, when additional vaults were constructed in the ground-floor great hall and the basement. This was followed by several further alterations. In the first half of the 18th century, the stone-framed windows were converted to larger windows with timber casement, and the stone-framed Renaissance doors were replaced with inset doors and wooden frames. Also in this period, the extension known as the "granary" was attached to the eastern wall of the building, and the middle room on the ground floor was divided.

In the 1980s, the granary extension and the entrance building were demolished, while the roof and the upper wooden ceiling were replaced by a slab with reinforced concrete beams. After that, the building was left in ruins for long, and most of the valuable carved stone disappeared. Before the renovation, the building was stripped of all auxiliary structures, leaving only the walls, the slabs and the roof.

Renovation

The new owner requested that a high-quality residential mansion be built, in accordance with the original purpose. Since the structure of the interior spaces has not changed significantly over the centuries, the renovation upholds, wherever possible, the character of the Renaissance castle built around 1490. In all the other parts, it emphasises Baroque elements from the 18th century, and other interesting details.

Since the mass of the building preserves the intentions of its original Renaissance builders, the roof was given a Renaissance shape. On the façades, the Renaissance characteristics, uncovered through research, were restored, while elsewhere the Baroque elements dominate. The former annexes demolished in the 1980s were rebuilt with a different design centred on a wooden structure. No significant changes were made to the floor plan. Baths and bedrooms were added to the two corner towers and, as a new element, an internal staircase now connects the two lower levels. The central part of the building functions as a living room, while the vaulted Baroque kitchen on the ground floor was restored at its original location. Both entrances were preserved and extended with a covered wooden forecourt accessible via timber stairs. The former Baroque granary on the eastern side was also rebuilt as a carved wooden terrace.