Historic monument renovated with modern Mapei solutions

The Ursziny-Beliczey mansion in Békéscsaba, built in the 1840s, is one of the historic buildings of Békéscsaba. The condition of the mansion has deteriorated significantly in recent decades, but the local government of Békéscsaba finally decided to save this valuable building. The general contractor for the renovation, Galéria Invest Kft., used Mapei Hungary Kft. products for groundwater insulation, cold flooring and flat roof insulation, thanks to which the Békéscsaba Napsugár Puppet Theatre found a new home there.

Another piece of Békéscsaba's colourful past renewed

The Ursziny-Beliczey mansion, located in the Munkácsy district of Békéscsaba, is one of the most important buildings of historic value in the city. The ground floor, free-standing, neoclassical mansion on Gyulai út was built by Andor Urszinyi in the late 1840s, when the owner died, it was bought by the Beliczey family.

The building has been associated with many famous people in its more than 180-year history, but the turbulent events of the 20th century - including two world wars and years of communism - did not favour it. Over the years the property has fallen into disrepair and it was doubtful whether it could be preserved for posterity. The mansion was in a very dilapidated state, with a wet cellar, weathered plaster, deteriorated windows, falling plaster ceilings and waterlogged buildings.

But recently, as part of the Munkácsy Quarter project, with the help of the Modern Cities Programme, the Municipality of Békéscsaba Municipality saved the building: in 2018, it purchased, renovated and extended it.

The monument is now once again serving the community, and the space is constantly filled with the loud and happy chatter of children, as it is home to one of the city's internationally renowned institutions, the more than 70-year-old Békéscsaba Napsugár Puppet Theatre, which has been around for over 70 years.

Renovation of the mansion

The renovation, which took place between 2021 and 2023, aimed to restore the 350-square-metre mansion to its original state and to add a new wing for the Puppet Theatre. The design of the renovation and the new building was carried out by Fajzi Építész Stúdió Kft and the construction by Galéria Invest Kft..

Mapei products were used in several areas during the reconstruction:

1. Groundwater insulation – 1,600 m²
For the waterproofing of the building against groundwater – on a surface area of 1,600 m² – Polyglass Flexo S6 Premium modified bituminous waterproofing membrane and Polyglass Polyprimer fast-drying, solvent-based bituminous primer.

2. Cold flooring – 950 m²
For the cold flooring of the entrance hall, corridors and wet rooms, the contractor used Mapei Ultraplan Eco 20 self-levelling floor leveller. The ceramic tiles were laid in an adhesive bed of Adesilex P9 adhesive bed, and Keracolor FF Flex grout.

Waterproofing was also required in the wet rooms, where the contractors

• for the insulation of the Mapelastic a two-component, flexible cementitious mortar,
• for the reinforcement of bending Mapeband Easy tape,
• and for gap sealing, the Mapesil AC flexible silicone was used.

In addition, 550 m² of the slab roof were insulated. For the insulation of the roof of the building, the contractor Lipták Pál had to implement two solutions:

• one is a non-passable slab roof with a load-bearing layer of fractionated gravel,
• the other is a walkable flat roof, with a 40×40 cm frost-resistant stone pavement on top of the above-mentioned gravel layer.

For both solutions, the specialist used the following layering scheme:

• Polyglass Polyprimer  fast-drying, solvent-based bituminous primer
• Polyvap Radonshield P-AL 4 mm bituminous sheeting
• thermal insulation board,
• Polydrene PL 200 g geotextile
• Mapeplan TM 15 synthetic TPO waterproofing sheet

Where history meets art

The renovation of the mansion building has allowed visitors to admire not only a historic building in the future, but also a successful cultural institution that links the past with the future.

The Mapei is proud to have been able to contribute to the rescue of this historic monument.

A spectacular video of the renovation was also made on site: