Wekerle Estate is a rectangular-shaped garden suburb (approximately 1.3 km by 1.3 km) located in Kispest, the 19th district of Budapest. It is one of the finest examples of the Garden City Movement founded by Ebenezer Howard. The estate is named after Dr. Sándor Wekerle, the Prime Minister of Hungary, who initiated the construction of the workers’ estate using public funds in 1908.
In 1908, a public invitation to tender was announced for the design of the estate’s layout and the architectural designs of the houses. Construction began in 1909 on a greenfield site, and by the start of World War I, 3,400 homes had been constructed. Construction resumed after the war and was completed in 1928. By that time, 1,007 houses and 4,412 flats had been built, based on 48 different architectural designs. The single-level buildings comprise 2, 3, or 4 flats, while the two-level buildings contain 6, 8, or 12 flats.
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In addition to residential dwellings, two churches, four schools, six kindergartens, four bakeries, as well as a police station, restaurant, cinema, and post office were built in Wekerle Estate. At the center of Wekerle Estate is the main square. A separate invitation to tender was issued for the design of the square and the neighboring buildings. The main square was constructed according to the design and instructions of the winning architect, Károly Kós, who also designed the second and third buildings, as well as the gate on the east side of the square. Today, the square bears his name.
1192 Budapest, Kós Károly tér, Hungary
