The Copy of a Building in Zagreb, Pecs

At Alpaca Street 11 in Pecs, a curious architectural tale unfolds—one involving demolition, reinvention, and an uncanny resemblance to a structure in Zagreb. The original house on the site, known locally as the "God’s Eye House" due to a distinctive facade painting depicting the eye of God, was demolished in 1903. An ambitious innkeeper purchased the property, intending to construct a new building and open a restaurant. However, what emerged was something entirely unexpected.

Archival records suggest that the approved construction plan initially followed the conventional architectural style of 19th-century Pecs. Yet, somewhere along the way, a significant shift occurred. Instead of the proposed traditional structure, a striking Art Nouveau-style building took its place. The man behind the design was a young, relatively inexperienced architect, Andor Pilch.

In 1900, the Austrian architectural magazine The Architect published an image of a building in Zagreb, featuring a highly similar facade. The Zagreb structure housed a pharmacy dedicated to the "Holy Trinity," symbolized by a relief adorning its exterior—an element that also appeared on the newly built Pecs counterpart. The resemblance between the two buildings was too strong to be a mere coincidence.

While the precise reason behind this replication remains a mystery, one theory suggests that the innkeeper sought to create a modern yet dignified successor to the "God’s Eye House." Perhaps inspired by the elegance and novelty of Art Nouveau, he opted for a design that blended contemporary flair with an air of continuity. Whatever the motivation, the result is a distinctive landmark in Pecs that stands as both an architectural curiosity and a testament to early 20th-century aesthetic ambitions.