The walls of the old dungeon were also found during the construction of the Veszprém Dungeon exhibition

As an exhibition space of the Dezső Laczkó Museum, a prison exhibition opened to visitors in May 2015 on the legendary minus third floor of the Veszprém Dungeon, which was a prison not long before. Built in 1855 and managed by the Veszprém General Court since 2003, the lowest floor of the facility is now being renovated thanks to the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture (VEB2023 ECOC) programme to house a stunning new permanent exhibition in the place where prisoners lived until 2003, 20 years ago.

The implementation was carried out by Fejér-B.Á.L. Zrt. and VEMÉV-SZER Kft..

A castle walk makes a visit to the prison a wild experience

Like many other similar cultural projects in Veszprém this year, this development of the VEB2023 ECF was realised on a site that previously could not be used at all or not properly: it existed in the city as a rusting, empty or under-utilised site. The project also provided an opportunity to detach the exhibition space from the forensic building.

The minus third level has so far only been accessible from Castle Street via staircases opening from the inner courtyard of the Forensic Courtyard, but once the works are completed, the exhibition space of the Castle Prison will be accessible from the newly renovated and nationally protected monument on the valley side, under the castle wall, via a free-standing lift in the inner courtyard of the Ruttner House. The exhibition will then be exited via a newly constructed pedestrian walkway on the side of the castle wall.

The atmosphere of the cells is not lost with renovation

The museum is undergoing a complete interior renovation of 432 m2 to bring 150 years of diverse local history up to date.

The aim of the reconstruction is to preserve the building's integrity, with wall insulation and conversion works. The "elements of historical value" will be conserved, restored where necessary, and the exhibition function of the dungeon will be refreshed. Ventilation equipment will be installed to ensure proper ventilation.

During the reconstruction, several circumstances made the work difficult, Lóránt Csehi, project manager of VEMÉV-SZER Kft., told our newspaper. Due to the protected public function of the Forensic Building, the courtyard and staircases of the building could not be used for parade and access, so alternative goods and passenger routes had to be developed. The necessary organisation was finally arranged in consultation with the owners of the adjacent building.

These routes, however, were only suitable for pedestrian traffic, so conveyor belts, temporary ramps and stairs were installed to provide physical access to the site. Even so, materials had to be moved by hand over a length of 100 to 150 metres and lowered to a depth of 3 levels, and debris had to be picked up for removal.

As the project manager informed, the works necessary for the installation of the installation elements to be installed by the museum content provider were completed during the construction, which started in March 2023.

The final phase is the installation of the mechanical and electrical systems serving the exhibition space, some of which are located one level up in an enclosed courtyard.

The buried past: the walls of the old dungeon have been found

According to archaeological research and documents, it was assumed that the site of the dungeon was already a dungeon building before it was built, so the history of the site goes back much earlier.

This is why it was such a joy when, while demolishing the floor of the planned training room, the archaeological team discovered the foundations of what was previously thought to be an old dungeon. This meant that the plans for the area had to be redesigned, because the City of Veszprém County Council, as the investor, decided to present the archaeological finds unearthed in the context of the exhibition.

In addition, the contractor had other unexpected tasks: when opening up the sockets, he was faced with the fact that the sewage and stormwater drainage also needed a complete reconstruction, for which he had to prepare a cover plan (modified plan). Due to the dampness of the walls, the entire level had to be retrofitted with insulation and a complete replacement of the plaster.

The technical handover is expected to start at the end of November 2023 and to be completed in January 2024, as the electrical works can only be completed 100% once the content provider's installation elements are integrated.

Cooperation has brought results

The project has a relatively small footprint, but the very limited organisational possibilities, the challenges posed by the historic environment and archaeological work, and the unforeseen technical tasks that would emerge during demolition (e.g. sewer system) gave the VEMÉV-SZER team a task large enough for a project of this size and budget. As Lóránt Csehi, project manager, explains, the success was facilitated by the efficient, problem-free cooperation with consortium partner Fejér-B.Á.L. Zrt..

The project required the conscientious attitude of Veszprém 2030 Kft., the full-service contractor commissioned by the City of Veszprém, the helpful professionalism of the technical inspector V-BER Kft., and the enthusiastic work of the lead architects Soma Ránki and Dániel Eke and their specialist designers.