Milkó Palace – The Strawberry House

The story of Milkó palace, nicknamed Strawberry House by the people of Szeged because of its colour, started in 1874, when Szabadka-born Vilmos Milkó and his sons – Jakab and Sámuel – founded the Vilmos Milkó and sons timber trading company. By that time, the Milkó family had already proven to be successful in business: they had already owned a steam-sawmill in Törökbecse, and prosperous wood shops in Szabadka and Óbecse. Jakab and Sámuel Milkó acquired the property rights of two parcels facing the Rudolf square (nowadays Roosevelt square) in December 1881, in order to build a multi storey dwelling. The blueprints were created in April 1882, based on the concepts of two pioneers of Hungarian secession, Gyula Pártos and Ödön Lechner. The house standing at the corner crossings of Stefánia, Deák Ferenc Street, Vár Street and Híd Street was inaugurated in the following year. With its emblematic doorway, patio with loggia, corner balconies, ornamented windows, gloss tiles, the building clearly shows signs of French renaissance. In 1883, the building hosts the Menner and Schleuning music shop, Boscovitz’s optic store, and Zeisler and Co. wine, tea and rum store. With this building, the Milkó brothers – like many of their Jewish citizens – greatly contributed to establishing Szeged’s new ’palace-packed’ image after the Great Flood. In the summer of 1907, the Milkó family sold the estate for 450 thousand koronas to Dániel Holtzer, a local wholesaler. Afterwards, the Urania Theatre was opened in this house, with its entrance facing Híd Street. The central location and the accessibility of the building constitute a great advantage, which can not only be harnessed by the entities operating in it, but by tourists visiting Szeged as well.