Ganz Ábrahám Öntödei Gyűjtemény

About the museum

The museum operates in the sawtooth-roofed brick building of Ganz Ábrahám’s former factory in Vízváros, Buda. Production in the foundry continued into the 1960s: here, on the basis of Ganz’s patent, the world-famous chill-cast railway wheels were made, and Mechwart András also worked here; the construction of the Ganz industrial empire is linked to his name. The factory closed in 1964, and in 1969 the first foundry museum in Central Europe opened within these walls.

The building is today the only surviving listed foundry in Central Europe. In their original setting, the equipment and cupola furnaces (iron-melting furnaces) that operated from the late 19th century until the factory closed can be seen. Participants on the cupola tour walk through the remaining traces of the foundry and learn about the technical steps of moulding, melting, casting and finishing.

The permanent exhibition in the timber-framed hall presents the history of Hungarian foundry work from the earliest bronze casting to modern processes, presents the lives of Ganz Ábrahám and Mechwart András, and, through several thousand objects from architectural cast iron to finely detailed artistic castings, illustrates the memorabilia of foundry work. Particularly worth mentioning are the 50 artistic cast-iron stoves and the bell exhibition, where visitors can actually ring the bells. Since 2000 the museum has been researching the history of Hungarian bells; its database contains data on around 25,000 bells.

Highlights

• The only surviving listed foundry in Central Europe
• Original cupola furnaces and foundry equipment
• Cupola tour of the stages of casting
• 50 artistic cast-iron stoves
• Bell exhibition with bells that can be rung
• Park with a bust pantheon and cast-iron benches

Permanent exhibition

• A Ganz Ábrahám Öntödei Gyűjtemény állandó kiállítása – In the timber-framed hall: the history of Hungarian foundry work, the work of Ganz Ábrahám and Mechwart András, artistic cast-iron stoves and the bell exhibition; the original foundry equipment can be explored on the cupola tour.

Founded

1969

Operated by

Magyar Műszaki és Közlekedési Múzeum

Admission & discounts

Full-price ticket HUF 800; reduced ticket HUF 400.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The Magyar Műszaki és Közlekedési Múzeum (Hungarian Museum of Technology and Transport) offers museum education sessions, family weekends and birthday programmes; creative workshops are also occasionally held in the foundry.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

Cast-iron benches stand in the park in front of the museum for resting.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit