Fontana House in Váci Street as the Property of the Month of February

Fontana House in Vaci Street

A modern mixed-use development has taken shape in Budapest’s historic city centre at the corner of Váci Street and  Régi Posta Street. Developed by the Hungarian subsidiary of Germany’s Müller chain, the new 8,500-square-meter building houses retail spaces and 40 spacious rental apartments. The project, led by SWIETELSKY Magyarország Kft., is advancing at an impressive pace, with construction already completed not so long ago. The ground, first, and basement levels feature a new Müller store, while the residential floors span from the second to seventh levels.

Contemporary Design Timeless Location

The above-mentioned 40 apartments offer a variety of layouts, from studios to two-bedroom apartments, all designed with modern comfort in mind. Even tho the apartments are not furnished, every one of them features a fully equipped kitchen, ample built-in storage, ceiling cooling, and underfloor heating, complemented by luxury finishes. Many apartments have their balconies or terraces with stunning views of Váci Street. Residents benefit from excellent infrastructure, with restaurants, cafés, shops, and public transport just steps away, while the nearby Danube promenade provides a scenic retreat.

As part of the extensive redevelopment, a two-level underground parking garage has also been constructed. A remarkable engineering solution has preserved parts of the original Fontana House staircase, incorporating its concrete walls into the mechanical tower of the new building. The heated underground parking is available for rent at €150 per month per space. 

The history 

As our real estate agency mostly deals with apartments that are in historical buildings or located in historical areas, we cannot leave out a little bit of history telling. This project stands on historically rich ground, where buildings have evolved with the city’s ever-changing landscape.

At the corner of Váci Street, a site rich in history evolved over centuries. Originally home to a 17th-century bathhouse, it later became a three-story rental house designed by József Hild in 1833. The building underwent modifications by Ignác Alpár in 1912 and housed prestigious tailors and cloth merchants. Severely damaged in WWII, its upper floors were demolished in 1947, with some architectural elements repurposed in other buildings. By the 1960s, urban plans aimed to transform Váci Street into a pedestrian shopping hub, leading to the site's redevelopment and the eventual demolition of its remaining commercial spaces in 1970.

One of the most famous developments was the Fontana Fashion House, an iconic eight-story shopping centre that opened in 1984. A hallmark of the socialist era, Fontana became a sought-after destination, offering exclusive Western European lingerie and fashion items before the fall of the Iron Curtain. The structure, designed by architect György Vedres, was itself a product of transformation, replacing a long-lost historical gem.

This house was called  – as it was mentioned before – Fontana, in popular culture, was named after the fountain placed in front of it. The fountain and the Hermes statue that was inaugurated in 1983, is a replica of Giovanni da Bologna's Mercury. Originally, it stood in a niche on the second floor of a residential building at Duna Street 6. Architect László Wild designed the classical-style fountain base, featuring an octagonal basin and eight stone seats. The Hermes statue, originally installed in 1983 and made of zinc, was recast in durable bronze in May 1985.