The Aranybika (Golden Bull) Hotel

The plot and stone house of the Bika (Bull) family, who had been living in Debrecen since 1536, was purchased by the town in 1690. In 1699 it was converted into an inn and a second storey was attached in 1799.

The signboard, which is made of iron and coated with brass and depicts a goring bull, was placed on the facade in 1810. This is how the inn of János Bika turned into the Aranybika Hotel. In 1882 a one-storey hotel was built according to the plans of Imre Steindl, who was the architect responsible for the Parliament, but due to the need for more space it had to be pulled down in 1913. In its place the old wing of the present hotel was built in 1915 according to the plans of the master architect Alfréd Hajós and Lajos Villányi. The relief artwork on the facade is by Italian stonecutter master-craftsmen. The Hotel’s concert hall was named after Béla Bartók. In 1976 the hotel was enlarged with a new wing. Such famed personalities as István Széchenyi, Ferenc Deák, Miklós Wesselényi and Zsigmond Móricz stayed at the hotel.

In the house at No. 8 is the county library and Gábor Bethlen Secondary School of Economics.

Forrás: www.debrecen.hu