Great Provost's Palace, Eger

The Great Provost's Palace standing on the corner of Egészségház Street is one notable member of the baroque building ensemble on Kossuth Lajos Street in Eger (Kossuth u. 16). It is currently the building of the Bródy Sándor County and City Library.

History

The rococo palace was built by Count Ignác Batthyány, provost of the great provost, on the site of a house that had been constructed at the beginning of the 18th century. The building was erected between 1774 and 1776 according to the plans of Jakab Fellner. Ignác Batthyány himself probably never lived in the palace, because he died before its completion. Therefore the initials of his successor, Canon Miklós Dobronyay, were placed on the balcony railing.

The building

A rectangular‑plan, single‑storey building with a hipped roof, attached to adjoining constructions. The street façade is slightly recessed and divided by a two‑axis central and a single‑axis side risalits. The central risalit, spanning the full width, supports a rococo iron‑grated balcony on two columns. The courtyard façade features in the centre a pronounced, strongly projecting three‑axis risalit, from which a polygonal extension stands to the north. The ground‑floor rooms are vaulted, as is the staircase.

Notable features

Monument: register number 2001, KÖH identifier 5542 (cadastral number: 6563).

The wrought‑iron balcony grille on the upper floor and the ground‑floor windows are the work of Henrik Fazola.

A memorial plaque on the built wall records that on 26 February 1849 here the great provost‑canon Sándor Lévay hosted Henrik Dembinszky, Artúr Görgey, György Klapka and their chief of staff, and that the generals set out from here for the Battle of the Chapel.