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PS Kossuth
Kossuth at Budapest in 2004.jpg
Kossuth moored on the Danube in central Budapest in 2004 : Photo by Martin Roberts
Built by Ganz-Danubius at Budapest in 1914 as Ferencz Ferdinand Foherczeg for Danube cruises from Budapest
Machinery : Compound Diagonal
Length : 62.4 metres
Renamed Rigo (1919), then Leanyfalu (1930)
Heavily rebuilt after World War II and returned to service in 1953 named Kossuth
Reboilered in 1965 with second hand boiler from the sunken German paddle tug Regensburg
Withdrawn after the 1978 season
Koored at Ujpest and used as the house boat and refectory for employees of MAHART
In 1984 she became a floating sanatorium, but in 1986 she was converted to a museum ship
Eventually moored at the Chain Bridge (Szechenyi lanchid) in central Budapest as a restaurant with a small maritime museum owned by the Budapest Transport Museum
In 1995, due to lack of finances, the Museum subcontracted the ship's operation and maintenance to the private company, Kossuth Múzeumhajó Kft  (Kossuth Museum Ship Ltd)
The 5-year contract required the company to pay a monthly fee to the museum and to renovate the vessel before a 10-year extension to the operation contract was granted.
The hull was renovated in 2000 by SKL at Komarno.
Later water ingress led to contractual argument between the various parties as to the exact scale of work undertaken during the renovation contract which is yet to be resolved.
Now marketed as the Venhajo Restaurant, run by EURÓPA Rendezvényiroda Kft. who also operate modern vessels on Danube cruises.
The company are also partners in the ZOLTAN FOUNDATION, which owns the Nezmely Ship Museum, which provides technical management for the museum on Kossuth.
Entry to the small museum display on the engine room companionway is free. The ship is also a public restaurant with rooms available for private hire.
Taken to Komarno docks for major reburbishment work in the summer of 2008 : see internet site with photos of the work being undertaken  

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Kossuth seen in 1988

In 2006

Aboard Kossuth in 2006

In 2008, Kossuth was temporarily removed from her Budapest berth for attention to her hull. She is seen here in a photo by Zsolt Szabo under tow by the museum tug Sopron.

Website : http://www.europahajo.hu/venhajo/site_e.php
or http://www.zoltanalapitvany.hu/?content=betonhajo

KOSSUTH PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

2006

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