Tiles formerly adorning Budapest church sold as souvenirs

The Zsolnay tiles which were removed from the roof of Budapest's landmark Matthias Church during its renovation and replaced by new ones are being sold as souvenirs, reports stop.hu.

The revenue gained from selling the tiles will cover some of the renovation works, Balázs Mátéffy, assistant director of the cultural center of Matthias Church told InfoRádió. The tiles cannot be reused, and would otherwise become construction waste. Instead, the parish decided to sell some of them in ornamental wrapping which indicates its former place and the serial number. Not all of the 150,000 old Zsolnay tiles will be sold, of course, he added. The tiles can be bought for Ft 3,600 (€14.4) per piece.

Mátéffy said that the tiles hold intangible value as they spent 50 years covering the roof of Matthias Church, which according to him makes them similar to pieces of the Iron Curtain. Interest in the tiles has been scarce so far.

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