Ferenc Pfaff facts for kids

Ferenc Pfaff was a famous Hungarian architect and teacher. He was born as Franz Pfaff in Mohács on November 19, 1851. He later passed away in Budapest on August 21, 1913. He is best known for designing many railway stations.

Ferenc Pfaff's Career

Pécs railway station, one of Pfaff's designs.

Zagreb Glavni railway station, which Pfaff helped redesign.

Ferenc Pfaff finished his studies in 1880. He learned from a well-known architect named Imre Steindl. Pfaff studied at the József Nádor Technical University in Budapest.

Early in his career, he designed smaller buildings. One of these was a Roman Catholic church in Svábhegy.

Working for the Railways

Pfaff became very famous for his work with the Hungarian Railways. He joined them in 1887. Later, he became the director of building projects. This meant he oversaw construction all across the Hungarian lands. These lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.

Over the next 20 years, he designed about 20 large railway stations. He also designed many smaller ones. Most of these buildings were in a style called "Renaissance eclectic." This means they mixed ideas from the old Renaissance period with other styles. His buildings were often simple but looked very balanced and well-proportioned.

He also helped redesign many existing railway stations. Some of these were in Croatia, like in Zagreb and Rijeka. In Hungary, he worked on stations in Győr, Kassa (now Košice), and Miskolc.

Famous Railway Stations by Pfaff

Ferenc Pfaff designed or redesigned many important railway stations. These stations were vital for travel and trade. They connected cities and towns across the region.

The Tiszai railway station in Miskolc.

The Iosefin railway station in Timișoara.

The Jimbolia railway station.

Here are some of the railway stations he worked on:

• Arad Central railway station
• Bratislava main railway station (1905)
• Carei
• Celldömölk
• Cluj-Napoca railway station
• Chop railway station
• Debrecen
• Füzesabony (1893)
• Gyimesbükk (Ghimeș-Făget)
• Győr railway station (remodelling)
• Jimbolia
• Kaposvár
• Karlovac
• Košice railway station (remodelling)
• Leopoldov
• Miskolc Gömöri railway station (1899)
• Miskolc Tiszai railway station (1901, remodelled)
• Osijek railway station
• Pécs (1900)
• Rijeka railway station (1890)
• Satu Mare railway station (1899)
• Szeged (1902) – This station was restored in 2006 to look like his original plans.
• Timișoara North railway station (Iosefin, 1897)
• Vršac
• Zagreb Glavni railway station

Other Buildings Designed by Pfaff

Besides railway stations, Ferenc Pfaff also designed other important buildings. These included offices, museums, and palaces.

• Szeged, MAV Directorship (1894)
• Budapest, Transport Museum (1896)
• Budapest, Svabhegyi Roman Catholic church (1886)
• Budapest, Stefania Palace (1885) – This building hosted a national art exhibition. Later, it became the City Museum until 1945.
• Budapest, Exhibition hall