The two-story building was constructed in 1898 for residential and commercial purposes as a hotel with the name Hotel Bahnhof. The hotel was built four years after the Čakovec- section of the railway was put into service. The reason for the construction was certainly the increasing number of passengers traveling by train on the mentioned section, so the need to build a modern hotel was imposed by itself. The hotel was located right across from the train station, so it was mostly used by travelers. The owner of the hotel, at some point, was the well-known Jew and entrepreneur from Čakovec, Elmer Vajda, who was also the owner of another hotel, which was called Hotel Hackl, took up residence in the hotel with his wife Mariana, born Beck, and the rest of his family.
Elmer Vajda and his family
Elmer Vajda, who was born in , in 1882, worked at a company called Braća Strahija as an independent sales manager. Soon after, he founded his company called Vajda in , whose operations after the were transferred to Čakovec. In 1922, he built a cold storage facility with a capacity of 22 wagons, and in the following years, he gained a well-known name in Europe with his products and business skills and opened a sales office in . He placed the products on the markets of Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Egypt. He also exported heavy horses to Switzerland and imported noble horses from Belgium for the purpose of breeding domestic breeds. After his death, the business was taken over by his son Petar, who was arrested in February 1944 and imprisoned over time in two different camps. He survived the camp and returned in 1945, and the company was returned to him, but the company was nationalized in 1946. Hotel Bahnhof worked until the end of the , and later on, it was used for residential purposes. Due to poor maintenance, the building gradually fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1990, and the Royal restaurant was built on that site.
The building is shown in an old photo
The top gable that's placed on top of the part of the Art Nouveau building was crowned with a decorative vase as a finial. The top gable, which contained a mushroom-shaped window, features, like the friezes, some beautiful embellished with floral decorations. The avant-corps part also contained that were adorned with a lion head , several , and a that was placed on top of the first floor window.
An old photo in which the building is visible
Avant-Corps
An avant-corps, a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the corps de logis, often taller than other parts of the building. It is common in façades in French Baroque architecture.
Keystone
A keystone is a wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically a round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch or vault to bear weight. In arches and vaults, keystones are often enlarged beyond the structural requirements and decorated. A variant in domes and crowning vaults is a lantern.
Pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall surface, usually treated as though it were a column, with a capital at the top, plinth (base) at the bottom, and the various other column elements.
Protome
A protome is a type of adornment that takes the form of the head and upper torso of either a human or an animal. Protomes were often used to decorate ancient Greek architecture, sculpture, and pottery. Protomes were also used in Persian monuments.
Quoins
Quoins are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner.
Vienna
Vienna is the national capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city, and its cultural, economic, and political center. Vienna's ancestral roots lie in early Celtic and Roman settlements that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque city. It is well known for having played a pivotal role as a leading European music center, from the age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb is a city with a rich history dating from Roman times. The oldest settlement in the vicinity of the city was the Roman Andautonia, in today's čitarjevo. The name "Zagreb" is recorded in 1134, in reference to the foundation of the settlement at Kaptol in 1094. Zagreb became a free royal city in 1242. The etymology of the name Zagreb is unclear. It was used for the united city only from 1852, but it had been in use as the name of the Zagreb Diocese since the 12th century and was increasingly used for the city in the 17th century.
Zürich
Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. Permanently settled for over 2,000 years, Zürich was founded by the Romans, who, in 15 BC, called it Turicum. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6,400 years. The official language of Zürich is German, but the main spoken language is Zürich German, the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. Many museums and art galleries can be found in the city, including the Swiss National Museum and Kunsthaus. Schauspielhaus Zürich is considered to be one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.
First World War
The First World War began on July 28, 1914, and lasted until November 11, 1918. It was a global war and lasted exactly 4 years, 3 months, and 2 weeks. Most of the fighting was in continental Europe. Soldiers from many countries took part, and it changed the colonial empires of the European powers. Before World War II began in 1939, World War I was called the Great War, or the World War. Other names are the Imperialist War and the Four Years' War. There were 135 countries that took part in the First World War, and nearly 10 million people died while fighting. Before the war, European countries had formed alliances to protect themselves. However, that made them divide themselves into two groups. When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on June 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and declared war on it. Russia then declared war on Austria-Hungary, which set off a chain of events in which members from both groups of countries declared war on each other.
Second World War
The Second World War was a global war that involved fighting in most of the world. Most countries fought from 1939 to 1945, but some started fighting in 1937. Most of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two military alliances: the Allies and the Axis Powers. It involved more countries, cost more money, involved more people, and killed more people than any other war in history. Between 50 to 85 million people died, most of whom were civilians. The war included massacres, a genocide called the Holocaust, strategic bombing, starvation, disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons against civilians in history.
Sgraffito
Sgraffito, plural sgraffiti, is a technique of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip or glaze, and then, in either case, scratching to reveal parts of the underlying layer. The Italian past participle sgraffiato is also used, especially in pottery. Sgraffito on walls has been used in Europe since classical times. It was popularized in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries and can be found in African art. In combination with ornamental decoration, these techniques formed an alternative to the prevailing painting of walls. The technical procedure is relatively simple, and the procedures are similar to the painting of frescoes.
Letenye
Letenye is a town in Zala County in the center of the Letenye district. Traces of the Bronze Age were found on the site of the Árpád-era village excavated on Letenye-Szentkeresztdom. In the cemetery of the settlement, a simple altar made of Styrian marble was found, which Cajus Julius Flavianus erected for his daughter, Faustina. An Avar-Slavic cemetery from the late Avar period was excavated here, from which we can deduce the almost complete destruction of the traditions of bronze work, blacksmithing, and pearl casting.