The building housing one of our country’s first primary schools is set to undergo interior refurbishment

One of Tolna’s long-established institutions is the István Bezerédj Primary School in Szedres, whose roots are closely intertwined with the Hungarian educational endeavours of the Reform Era. István Bezerédj, a politician, and his wife were pioneers of Hungarian public education; around 1836, they founded one of the country’s first rural nursery schools here and on their neighbouring estate in Hidjapuszta, as well as a school dedicated to the education of serfs’ children. Since then, primary education has continued here without interruption – albeit in line with changing expectations.

Late-modern model schools have replaced the manorial estates

Accordingly, the current complex of buildings at the Szedres school bears the architectural and functional layers of several eras: initially, education in the village was linked to the historic town centre and the local manor houses; then, in the second half of the 20th century, the growing number of children made it necessary to construct – and subsequently expand in stages – the multi-storey school building, covering more than 2,300 square metres, which is still in use today.

Over the decades, the building has been extended to include specialist classroom wings, a sports hall and communal areas, in order to meet the requirements of an eight-year primary school. The recent public procurement contract, the comprehensive refurbishment aims to modernise this heritage building.

A comprehensive modernisation programme is set to begin

Interior refurbishment is set to begin at the Szedres branch of the Béla I Grammar School in Szekszárd. The Szekszárd Education District Centre has put the refurbishment of the István Bezerédj Primary School out to tender, and the construction work will be carried out by the local firm Ács- és Állványozó Kft., at a cost of approximately 141 million forints. The development will affect both the ground floor and first floor of the two-storey school building, which has a total floor area of 2,320 square metres.

The refurbishment will bring about a significant architectural and aesthetic transformation. Experts will replace the worn-out floor coverings and associated skirting boards across an area of nearly 450 square metres; in addition, more than 4,100 square metres of wall surface will be primed and repainted. To protect the existing features and the surrounding environment whilst the work is in progress, protective sheeting covering more than 1,200 square metres will be installed.

In addition to modernising the interior spaces, the mechanical and electrical systems are also being upgraded: to improve heating efficiency, 87 new panel radiators and the associated fittings are being installed. At the same time, the electrical network is being completely overhauled, involving the replacement of several thousand metres of wiring, the installation of a new distribution board, around 260 modern, energy-efficient light fittings, and ceiling-mounted presence detectors to optimise lighting, so that pupils and teachers will be able to spend their days in a safer, more comfortable and more modern environment.