Gyula Sándy and the Postal Palace

A two-faced, mysterious, enchanting castle 
– this was one of the first professional reviews received by the Postapalota building, Budapest’s first office building, immediately after its completion in 1926.

Enthusiastic architectural critics already emphasized at the time that one of the greatest virtues of the building, designed by Gyula Sándy, was that it was both traditional and extremely modern. Thus, from the moment of its birth, the two-faced Postapalota carried within its walls the philosophy that the Money Museum, which will move into the renovated building in 2022, also embraces.

The building's unique tower, visible from afar, is reminiscent of a medieval castle bastion, while Renaissance motifs appear on the façade and the plaster decoration is in the Hungarian Art Nouveau style – the list of architectural values could go on and on. Despite all this, history has not been kind to the Post Palace: at the outbreak of World War II, it was converted into a shelter, later it was hit by numerous bombs, and then the invading soldiers completely destroyed and burned down the building block that housed the telephone exchange. After the war, the critical damage was repaired, but the palace suffered severe damage again during the 1956 revolution.

Sixty years later, in 2016, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank purchased the building, and the following year, a comprehensive renovation began, with the main goal of restoring the building to its original condition. During the renovation, the primary consideration was to preserve the architectural heritage of Gyula Sándy. The Magyar Nemzeti Bank, as the developer, took great care in the reconstruction of the historic building. In addition to the exterior renovation, great emphasis was also placed on the interior renovation: among other things, the specially designed railings of the staircases and the oak doors decorated with wrought-iron handles were restored, and the paternoster elevator operating in the building was also preserved in working condition. 

The building, which has been a protected monument since 2009, has been rejuvenated inside and out through renovation, and its interior has been equipped with the most modern technologies of the 21st century, so today it is perhaps even more true than when it was built that the Post Office Palace is a real, two-faced, enchanting castle. 

The building's current name, reflecting the professional activities carried out in the office building, is MNB Supervisory Center and Money Museum. The MNB's Vice Presidency for Financial Institutions Supervision and Consumer Protection moved into the building at the end of 2021 from its former rented office building and began working there. 

The MNB Supervisory Center and Money Museum combines the requirements of a modern office building with the original Art Deco, Art Nouveau, historical, industrial architecture, thus remaining a jewel in the crown of Buda's busiest intersection.