Located in Nógrád County, Szécsény town centre is one of the most historically significant areas of Northern Hungary. ERDF-funding has helped revive this important hub, which had suffered from years of neglect.
- 13 January 2016
Thanks to ERDF-support, the entire historic centre of Szécsény has been renewed, dragging it forward by several decades and closing the gap accumulated due to a lack of financial resources.
The works involved reconstructing both the town’s promenade – known as ‘Erzsébet tér’ – and its main street ‘Rákóczi út’. In addition, the walls of the town’s Lutheran church were reinforced and reconstructed, transforming it once again into a functioning place of worship for the town’s residents.
As a result of internal and external works, most notably on its façade, the so-called House of Culture was also revamped and today blends in perfectly with its historical surroundings, while successfully fulfilling its role of theatre, music school, library, and exhibition space.
More visual appeal
The reconstruction of Szécsény’s monumental town hall was key to the investment and has vastly improved the cityscape. The imposing building is now more energy efficient and consequently more cost effective and environmentally friendly.
The town’s fortress walls and bastions, which were in ruins, have been rebuilt and integrated into the fabric of the town. These works involved renovating existing walls and bastions, while reconstructing missing or damaged parts in keeping with the look and feel of the medieval fortress.
The investment has helped to develop both tourism and the local economy. In addition, the high quality of the urban renewal has also attracted investors to the town, creating jobs and further adding to the town’s competitiveness.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the “Rehabilitation of the historic town centre of Szécsény, Phase II” project is EUR 3 042 910, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 2 136 811 from the Operational Programme “North Hungary” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.