Kemény Palace, Kaposvár

The Kemény Palace, built in 1904, is one of the architectural values of Main Street in Kaposvár. Today, besides other shops, the city tourist information office also operates here.

History

The palace was built by Samu Kemény, who came from a wealthy grain‑trading family, which is the origin of its name. On its site stood houses that previously belonged to Prince Esterházy; these were demolished directly before the start of the new building’s construction in early 1904. A minor scandal arose because the city gave its approval for the construction without consulting the county representatives, although the County House stood in the eastern neighbor, beyond today’s Museum Street: the deputy head of the county even questioned Mayor István Németh, who replied that there was no talk of neighboring because there was an eight‑meter‑wide street between the two buildings.

The plans of the palace were drawn up by Frigyes Kovács of Budapest, and the carpentry and locksmith work was also done in the capital, which caused a delay in the overall completion, even though a bokréta celebration was already held in July. The other contractors were local: the construction was overseen by Dezső Himler and Manó Borovitz, while the decorations were made by Imre Borovitz. According to a journalist of the weekly newspaper Somogy, the building might even be aesthetically questionable because of its excessive ornamentation, yet it was still called “one of the city’s most beautiful palaces among the private houses”.

In 1915 the newly reorganized music school led by Izsó Gyenes moved into the floor of the Kemény Palace, which had been founded by the Music Lovers' Association established in 1903. In the first school year 21 students attended, in the fourth year already 88, and by 1922 there were 230 students, but then the institution ceased to exist due to financial difficulties. Izsó Gyenes also left Kaposvár, and his music‑organizing activities were taken over in 1920 by Emil Soltész, who had moved to the city, and thanks to him on 1 November 1930 the state‑approved new music school could again begin its activity: and again in the Kemény Palace. A few years later, however, the school moved out from there.

The building

The Kemény Palace has two street façades: the northern, more ornate side faces Fő Street, the eastern, less ornate side faces Múzeum Street. Like many Kaposvár buildings, it is located on a corner cut at a 45‑degree angle, and above the main entrance a towered closed corner balcony was built, which has already lost its original decoration, but even today the plaster portraits of the two brothers of the building’s founding family, Samu Kemény and Albert, can be seen on it. Also observable on the building are male and female faces, as well as angelic cherubs, just as twisted small columns characteristic of Gothic style. The two storeys of the building are separated by a cornice, into which the smaller balcony of the northern façade is also incorporated. The lower level’s arched doors and portals are surrounded by a thin molding, the upper‑floor windows are framed by decoration reminiscent of quadrangular stones, with red‑brick wall surfaces visible around them. The roof level is adorned by an attic wall broken through a cornice with shell decoration, and on the northern side five attic windows were placed in five structures: the two outer ones larger, the three central ones smaller.