New Visitor Entrance of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma
Winery of Benedictine Archabbey
Winery, Benedictine Monastery of Pannonhalma, Hungary
The establishment of a new winery by the Benedictine Monastery of Pannonhalma awakens a thousand years old tradition. The purpose of the group of buildings, which is located on a World Heritage property in the immediate vicinity of the Monastery, is not only to house the latest technology, but to rethink its relations to the environment as well and to give an architectural embodiment, both in exterior and interior spaces, to the mysterious stations whereby wine is born.
The individual admittance for tourists visiting the world heritage building complex emerged in the short-term objectives of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma. The realization of such a system includes individual information transfer and a new route for the visitors, without passing through the private areas of the Abbey.
The Tourist Centre on Kosaras-hill still has preserved its welcoming function, however, after arriving at the Abbey, instead of walking through the main gate and the buildings of the high school, tourists now follow a forest path below the castle walls and enter through the New visitor entrance at the southern corner of Hóman bastion, getting directly to the main square in front of the Basilica.
An audio-guide system was implemented around the whole Abbey, including the Arboretum, the Winery and the Lavender Farm, providing multi-level information for individual visitors too. Group visits and thematic tours are still available as before.
The New visitor entrance incorporates a staircase and an elevator hidden behind the Hóman bastion, connecting the 10,5 m height-difference of the castles outer promenade and the raised square in front of the Basilica. The building is stretched in-between the medieval and the current castle walls from the 20th century, introducing the medieval walls lit from above with a well-like skylight. The reinforced concrete structure was built using planed board framework.
size of the site 26.649 m2
size of the building 175,5 m2