In the Hungarian city of Pécs stands a building that earned a spot in the Guinness Book of Records — but not for a reason anyone wanted. It's officially the tallest uninhabited building in Central Europe.
Locals simply call it the magasház, the "high-rise." For nearly half a century it has loomed over the city center: 25 stories of concrete, completely empty, and quietly falling apart. This is the story of how a symbol of progress became one of the country's strangest ruins.
How it all began
Construction started in 1974, led by a regional building company. The plans were ambitious for their time: 25 floors, 250 apartments, four elevators and four stairwells packed into a tower rising 80 meters (about 262 feet) and covering roughly 18,500 square meters.
The building was handed over in 1976. For a little over a decade, it was a genuine home to hundreds of people. Then, in 1989, everything changed — inspectors discovered the structure was dangerously unsafe.
Why did it become a hazard?
The tower was assembled from prefabricated concrete elements, held together using a post-tensioning technique. The problem lay in the sealant used to fill the gaps between them.
That material contained a compound that gradually weakened the tensioning pads holding the whole structure together. By 1989 — just 13 years after opening — the situation was so serious that all 250 apartments had to be evacuated.
In 2003, the local council spent around 1 million dollars trying to reinforce the building, then sold it off. It made no difference at all.
A building that only brought trouble
Over the years, this iconic tower became a political football, and perhaps that's exactly why nothing ever got done. It was never renovated. Restoring one of the city's most recognizable landmarks to a usable state would cost an astronomical sum that no one was willing to pay.
The danger wasn't only structural. Loose doors, windows and falling debris made it risky to even walk near the building during a storm. To make matters worse, the fence around it was damaged and full of gaps, and the council repeatedly fined whoever happened to own it at the time.
Because the property caused nothing but problems, it kept bouncing back into public ownership — again and again.
The abandoned tower that refused to stay quiet
For decades, no one officially lived there. And yet the building was far from lifeless. Legends and stories grew around it, and the 25 stories slowly turned into a symbol of a bygone era.
Young people, in particular, discovered the almost unguarded tower and everything it seemed to offer. They threw parties on the rooftop — an incredibly dangerous idea, given the open elevator shafts and complete lack of railings. Over time, the high-rise became a cult spot for the city's youth.
The only real option left
Since renovation simply isn't economical, demolition looks like the only way forward. But even that comes at a steep price: tearing the tower down and hauling away the rubble could cost close to 3 million dollars.
Many people have protested against demolition in different ways, including online campaigns. Meanwhile, work has already begun — crews have started stripping the dangerous doors and windows from the lower floors.
The building is currently owned by a private real estate developer, which has paid the city several fines over the safety hazard. Demolition is especially tricky because the tower sits right in the heart of the city, so every step has to be handled with extreme care.
More than just concrete
One thing is certain. When the last piece of the high-rise finally comes down, it won't only be Pécs that loses something — the whole country will feel a little poorer.
The building is a monument to a vanished age, and to the failures of the politics that followed. It's a bit like an abandoned child whose parents endlessly argue over its fate, yet never quite manage to make the right decision.
Maybe this tower has no real market value and will never turn a profit. But it has a history, and it has a soul — because trapped inside those walls aren't just decades of time, but fragments of human lives and memories.
Why is the Pécs high-rise famous?
It holds a Guinness record as the tallest uninhabited building in Central Europe. Standing 80 meters tall with 25 stories, it has been completely empty for decades.
Why was the building evacuated?
The sealant used between its prefabricated concrete elements contained a compound that weakened the tensioning pads holding the structure together. By 1989 it was deemed so unsafe that all 250 apartments were cleared out.
Why hasn't it been renovated?
Restoring the tower would require an astronomical amount of money, and it was repeatedly caught up in political battles. Even a reinforcement attempt in 2003 failed to solve the problem.
What will happen to the tower?
Because renovation isn't economical, demolition appears to be the only option, at a possible cost of around 3 million dollars. Work has already started on removing hazardous doors and windows from the lower floors.
