Calvinist Church, Hall and Apartment, Szeged

In December 1940, Károly Kós prepared a competition entry for a Calvinist church complex in Szeged. In formal terms, the design shows clear affinities with the plan of the Exhibition Hall in Cluj, while its functional program is related to the Unitarian apartment building designed for Brașov. The sharp intersection of Tisza Lajos Boulevard and Földvári Street fundamentally determined the composition, which was conceived as an arrangement of separate functional volumes.

Kós placed the main entrance of the church at the emphasized corner of the site. The congregational hall faced the boulevard, while the church tower was located in the small courtyard between the two building masses; this tower also functioned as a side entrance. The side entrances of the congregational hall were likewise connected to this small communal courtyard.

At the junction of the two volumes along Földvári Street, Kós designed a staircase, with the sexton’s apartment located on the top level. The project represents a distinctly fresh and modern approach and deliberately dispenses with the small corner turrets that were otherwise characteristic of Kós’s church designs in Transylvania during this period.