Performance is the bridge that carries you through every change – 75 years of the FŐMTERV

The FŐMTERV Mérnöki Tervező Zrt. celebrated its 75th anniversary on 4 December. To mark the occasion, a 7.5-minute video was created from the company's 75-year photo archive, which is available on the official Facebook page of FŐMTERV. 

In this article, with the help of President and CEO Tibor Keszthelyi, we look back on the past decades, commemorating significant projects, individuals, and the cohesive power of FŐMTERV.

The anniversary of the FŐMTERV is not just a round number, but a special milestone in the history of Hungarian engineering culture and infrastructure development. Seventy-five years is an extraordinary period in Hungarian history: political systems, economic models and social structures have changed. However, one thing has remained constant throughout: a commitment to the engineering profession and a belief in quality.

„For engineers working on the FŐMTERV, professional excellence was the highest standard. This was not only the guarantee of performance, but also the key to resolving social and human conflicts. When the five-year plan was completed in three years, it created room for manoeuvre: it was not party membership that counted, but results. Performance was always the bridge that carried us through every change.”

A company that grew alongside the city

FŐMTERV was founded in 1950 by 19 engineers during the post-war reconstruction period. The founding director, Miklós Kiss, managed the company until 1972 as an outstanding professional and puritanical leader. His work was continued by such influential figures as Frigyes Kovácsházi, candidate and honorary university professor, and then Dr. Tibor Dalmy, who made a lasting contribution as technical director and government commissioner responsible for the renovation of the Danube bridges.

The list goes on: Miklós Rácz, György Issekutz, Baron Felícián Babarczy – all of them were leading designers who shaped the direction of the company with their professional authority. In the period following the change of regime, it was thanks to the efforts of CEO László Molnár and Technical Director János Schulek, later CEO, that the company survived the 1991 privatisation without any job losses and in one piece.

Generations of engineers

The history of the FŐMTERV is also impressive in terms of numbers.

• In 1950: 19 persons
• In 1972, at the peak: 625 engineers and specialists
• Stable since 1990: approximately 300 people professional community

During its 75 years of existence, it is impossible to count exactly how many engineering projects the company has worked on. Every year, 200–350 new designs are created, each representing a new project. There are works that had to be redesigned again and again as the city changed: the Nagykörút tram line, the renovation and extension of the Millennium Underground Railway, and the Ferenciek Square underpass, the design and subsequent demolition of which was also a FŐMTERV task.

Landmark projects over decades

The works of FŐMTERV have accompanied the development of Budapest and the country throughout most of its history. In each decade, there have always been projects that were of epoch-making significance not only from a technical point of view, but also in terms of urban architecture.

The design of the metro network – from the Váci út section of metro line 3 through the complete renovation to the implementation of metro line 4 – was not only a transport project but also a task on an urban structural scale. In the case of bridges, the name FŐMTERV is synonymous with quality: the Chain Bridge, Margaret Bridge, Liberty Bridge, Kvassay Bridge, Pentele Bridge in Dunaújváros and the third bridge in Szeged are all part of the company's professional heritage.

Motorway design, mainline railway tracks, tram and overhead line systems, as well as comprehensive public utility and urban infrastructure design all demonstrate that FŐMTERV always thought in terms of systems.

International presence

FŐMTERV's expertise has been proven beyond borders. The company participated in the design of the Doha Metro Green Line, motorway projects in Romania, contributed to the development of Croatia's transport strategy, and carried out design work in Germany and the Netherlands. These projects prove that engineering expertise based on domestic roots is also competitive at an international level.

Tradition and future

The current industrial revolution is also transforming the operation of the FŐMTERV: design technologies are being renewed, with AI not replacing engineers, but rather becoming their creative partner. The goal remains the same: to remain worthy in terms of knowledge and quality for the role that FŐMTERV has played for seventy-five years.

As Tibor Keszthelyi emphasised in his anniversary speech:

„This company still exists today because the team and its values were not just empty words, but defined everyday life. It was founded under Rákosi, and since then 18 prime ministers have come and gone – and FŐMTERV is still here today.”

From the perspective of seventy-five years, we can look to the future with both humility and confidence. Humility towards our work and community, and confidence in the face of all that is transient. The legacy of FŐMTERV is not only a thing of the past, but also a living compass for future generations.