- Noémi Vizi
- Photos: (RECHungary)
- Reading time: 2 minutes
From Manor House to Restaurant – The Revival of a Nearly 100-Year-Old Manor
In Budapest’s 2nd district, a manor house built in the 1930s has been transformed into a restaurant. The original concept was to create a family-friendly dining venue offering traditional Hungarian flavours, while the interior design would remain completely modern. The characteristics of the manor house were perfectly suited to this vision. The mansard-roofed building is surrounded by decades-old trees, beneath whose shade a beautiful garden area suitable for outdoor grilling can be created. The shutters on the windows add even more charm to the overall appearance. Inside, parquet flooring, wooden chairs, a fireplace, and bright beige tones enhance the feeling of a warm and welcoming home. The dream became reality, and the Remetekert Restaurant was born.
The nearly 100-year-old manor house has been completely reborn, transforming from a residential property into a hospitality venue. Its main architectural features have been preserved, while the building was adapted to meet the spirit of the modern era and its new function. The owners are committed to promoting Hungarian gastronomy and do everything they can to ensure that guests can experience authentic Hungarian flavours. The menu is continuously updated, and many locals choose the restaurant for lunch thanks to its weekly menu selection. The pleasant, elegant garden area has already hosted numerous events, including family celebrations and weddings.
Near Remetekert stands a church, the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity in Máriaremete (Kisboldogasszony Basilica – Máriaremete Parish), which attracts visitors with its carillon. Its short history dates back to the period after the Ottoman occupation, when Hidegkút became depopulated and was later resettled by German settlers. One of them, Katalin Thalwieser, married here and brought a painting of the Virgin Mary with her in 17131. She hung it on an ash tree. At first, she came here alone to pray, but soon more and more people visited the site. According to legend, the image performed a miracle: a blind woman praying beneath it regained her sight2. Ignác Terstyánszky, a landowner, seeing the need for a chapel, decided to build one from wood3. It became extremely popular, and soon the growing number of worshippers made the construction of a stone chapel necessary. It was built exactly where the ash tree had once stood. From 1808 until 1898, it welcomed pilgrims. In 1879, the Máriaremete Blessed Virgin Chapel Association was founded, which promoted the construction of a proper pilgrimage church. This became the previously mentioned Church of Our Lady of the Nativity in Máriaremete, consecrated in 1899. The church garden radiates tranquillity and invites visitors for a pleasant walk after lunch.
If you have time, visit Remetekert and, while sitting beneath the shade of the trees – as children play on the playground – imagine what life might have been like in this manor house during the 1930s.
The property is currently for sale. If this hospitality venue with outstanding return potential has attracted your interest, or if you are looking for a new function for the building, after renovation it could also be ideal as a smaller senior living facility (there are already three such facilities operating at full capacity in the area). If you would like to view the property in person, please contact Dániel Vitáry at hello@dandan.hu or call +36 30 618 2271.
