János Csíki Vacation Sanatorium, Gyilkos-tó

This exceptionally important villa, built almost entirely of solid log construction, was tragically destroyed by fire in 1986. Today, only the rubble-stone base remains beside the lake at the foot of the mountain pass, bearing witness to Kós’s outstanding ability to place architecture sensitively within a picturesque natural landscape.

Designed for a local physician as a summer sanatorium for convalescing patients, the building consisted of numerous independent units opening onto terraces and balconies, all unified beneath a steep shingle roof. The approximately square ground plan was clearly expressed by the pyramidal roof form, from which a central gable and a semi-circular veranda projected.

The doctor’s private residence and consulting rooms were accessed via separate entrances on opposite sides of the building. The covered veranda opened from the combined dining and living room, with a staircase descending directly into the garden. The rooms on the two upper floors were accessed from a separate staircase at the rear of the building (the mansard level was added during construction).

The house was destroyed by fire in 1986. The stone base still survives, and a new police building has since been erected on the original foundations.