„Erőd a VIII. kerületben” – A Ganz-MÁVAG kolónia öröksége
Fortress in District VIII: The Heritage of the Ganz-MÁVAG Community in Budapest

Summary/Abstract: Fortress in District VIII: The Heritage of the Ganz-MÁVAG Community in BudapestThe so-called MÁVAG community, situated in Budapest’s eighth district, was originally built by the Machine Manufacturing Plant of the Hungarian Royal State Railways between 1908 and 1910. The fortress-like building complex served residential as well as communal functions, especially in the community hall, where the company hosted its cultural events. After its nationalization, the centre assumed the Ganz name and from that point on it functioned as a cultural centre. After the change of regime the community lost all its ties with the factory that created it, the residential building is now a joint property townhouse and the cultural centre operates as the headquarters of a religious denomination. At the same time, new interpretations of the past have appeared in the memory of the site in order to demonstrate it value. The study examines the process of a place turning into a heritage site, especially industrial heritage, through the case study of the Ganz-MÁVAG community. The brief overview of built and intellectual environment as well as the process of heritagization is complemented by portraits of discourse-shaping actors and a study of the institutional framework of security. The discussion also revisits the memory of Fekete Lyuk (Black Hole), the iconic underground club operating on the premises around the time of the regime change, films that were shot at the site, and social practices appearing in connection with its heritage aspects. Finally, the com- munity’s history is used to shed light on the relationship between cultural and industrial heritage.

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