A Hungarian investor in the entourage of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has bought the Dacia Hotel in Satu Mare, a city in Northwestern Romania, local Digi24 reported.

The hotel, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century, has been left to decay for years and its former owner, local investor Vasile Tantas, even went to jail for allowing this.

The Romanian state was offered the opportunity to buy the hotel, which is a cultural heritage monument of national importance, but refused. The new owner is Hungarian millionaire Tamás Leisztinger, who is said to be close to PM Viktor Orban. He plans to renovate the hotel and change its name to Pannonia, which was its original name.

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(photo source: Wikipedia; photo by ferengra)