National Institute of Neurosurgery

The National Institute of Neurosurgery (Hungarian: Országos Klinikai Idegtudományi Intézet, commonly abbreviated OKITI) is a specialised healthcare institution in Budapest, Hungary, dedicated to neurosurgery and the clinical neurosciences. It is located at Amerikai út 57 in the XIV district of the capital. The institute is a national referral centre for complex neurological and neurosurgical care and is associated with clinical training and research in the field. The institution occupies a building with a distinctive history. The structure was designed by the young Jewish architect Béla Lajta and built between 1910 and 1911 for the Chevra Kadisha of Pest, which had originally intended a hospital for incurable patients. Lajta persuaded the building committee to construct instead a home for the elderly, which he named "Szeretház" (House of the Beloved). The building served that purpose for nearly four decades. In 1953, by decision of the Hungarian government of Imre Nagy, it was reassigned to house the Central Institute of Neurosurgery, the predecessor of today's National Institute of Neurosurgery. The building is an "E"-shaped structure whose long section runs parallel to Amerikai út. Its symmetrical façade is divided into five parts, with a main entrance flanked by double columns, side stair wings, and a nearly equilateral triangular gable at the centre. The interior was richly decorated, and the building was praised in the contemporary press as an example of Hungarian national romantic architecture. It remains a listed monument and a notable work of early twentieth-century Hungarian architecture. As a healthcare institution, the National Institute of Neurosurgery provides specialised neurosurgical and neurological services, including diagnostics, surgery, and inpatient care for patients with disorders of the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves. It functions within Hungary's public healthcare system and serves as a national centre for neurosurgical expertise. Its official website is okiti.hu.

The building that now houses the National Institute of Neurosurgery was constructed between 1910 and 1911 for the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society) of Pest, which also cared for poor Jewish patients. In 1907 the society announced a competition for a hospital for incurable patients. The winning design was submitted by the young Jewish architect Béla Lajta, who persuaded the building committee to build not a hospital but a home for the elderly, which he called "Szeretház" (House of the Beloved), intended for those who could not support themselves. The first submission plan was presented in autumn 1909, and final plans were submitted in 1910. Construction took place in 1910–1911 under the Bloch and Holitscher company. Both the floor plans and the submission plans were later destroyed, so only assumptions about the original floor plan are known. The building is "E"-shaped: the long section of the letter ran parallel to the axis of Amerikai út. In the middle, behind the main entrance with its 2x2 Doric columns, was a main staircase extending toward the rear courtyard, while at the two ends of the building there were also prominent staircases facing the street. The symmetrical façade consisted of five parts: the main entrance section, the side staircase sections, and the connecting side wings. At the top of the central section was a nearly equilateral triangular gable. The side auxiliary staircase wings were closed by roofs in a folk architectural style. The interior of the building was richly decorated. In the May 1911 issue of the Budapesti Hírlap, an article praised the building: "This House of the Beloved is also a house of art, pure, noble, Hungarian art with every drop of blood. The designer, Béla Lajta, invested all his talent, knowledge, brilliant technical skill and stubborn perseverance into one great goal: to show how Hungarian folk motifs can be developed into monumentality without losing their originality... The perfect and complete triumph of his efforts is this palace, in which artistic unity and style are merged so surprisingly with the practical sense that serves the purpose. The façade of the House of the Beloved captivates the viewer with the lively momentum of its lines, with the power of the composition expressing the idea. In the centre of the triangular façade is the statue of Moses in calm dignity. The work of the sculptor Édes Téla, the outstanding 'plastic sculptor'. To the right and left of the main entrance with double columns, a gate leads to the men's wing and the women's wing... On the upper floors friendly arcades let in sunlight in broad beams. Inside, the white walls are clean and easy to clean, serving as the strictest watchword of hygiene. The white walls of the staircase, the departments and the rest rooms are decorated everywhere with original, folk Hungarian ornaments." The building served its original purpose as a home for the elderly for almost forty years. Following the decision of the Hungarian government of Imre Nagy in 1953, the building received a new designation with the intention of establishing the Central Institute of Neurosurgery there. This institution became the predecessor of the National Institute of Neurosurgery, which continues to operate at the site today as a national centre for neurosurgical and neurological care.

• 1954

  Central Institute of Neurosurgery begins operation, predecessor of the National Institute of Neurosurgery.

• 1953

  Hungarian government of Imre Nagy decides to establish the Central Institute of Neurosurgery in the building.

• 1911

  Building completed; praised in Budapesti Hírlap as a work of Hungarian national art.

• 1910

  Final plans submitted; construction begins under Bloch and Holitscher.

• 1909

  First submission plan by Béla Lajta presented in autumn.

• 1907

  Chevra Kadisha of Pest announces a competition for a hospital for incurable patients.

National specialised healthcare institution for neurosurgery and clinical neuroscience in Hungary.

Product categories. Neurosurgical care · Neurological diagnostics · Inpatient neurological treatment · Clinical training and research

1. 1Wikidata: National Institute of Neurosurgerywikidata.org
2. 2Hebrew Wikipedia: בית אבות סיעודי לקשישים (בודפשט)he.wikipedia.org