After the complete restoration, the iconic statue of the Buda Castle looks down on Pest next to the Habsburg Gate. The restoration of Gyula Donáth's work was started in February this year within the framework of the National Hauszmann Program, which could be followed by those interested in the open-air restoration workshop set up on the terrace of Savoy. The beautified statue has now been returned to its original location with the help of a 60-ton giant crane, the Várkapitányság writes in its statement.

The open-air restoration workshop on the Savoy terrace (Photo: Várkapitányság)

The sculpture of the sculptor Gyula Donáth was erected in 1905, in the final stage of the turn-of-the-century expansion of the Buda Castle Palace, on the corner of the fence next to the Habsburg Gate. The dimensions of the work are already great: its height is 5 meters, its width is 7 meters and its weight is close to 9 tons. The statue, the pedestal of which is decorated with the coat of arms of historical Hungary, has become one of the most popular sights of the Buda Castle District in the last 120 years.

The statue has been completely restored (Photo: Várkapitányság)

The work suffered more damage in World War II, and its condition has deteriorated significantly since its minor repairs. However, the work has now been completely restored as part of the National Hauszmann Program in an open-air restoration workshop set up on the Savoy Terrace.

The specialists carried out patina-preserving cleaning and restoration, this time, unlike the previous repairs, they repaired the damage to the bronze surface with it's own material, bronze welding. The inner frame of the sculpture has been reinforced, and now the work is held together by stainless steel screws.

The restored statue was lifted back to its original location with the help of a 60-ton giant crane (Photo: Várkapitányság)

As it is written, the work also revealed that the sculpture has a self-supporting shell, so in a special way the main function of the frame of the work is not to support the work, but to ensure the resistance of the wings in stormy winds. The restored statue was lifted back to its original location using a 60-ton giant crane.

The Várkapitányság will also complete the complete renovation of the Habsburg Gate and its stairs next to the market statue this year, which also suffered significant damage during World War II and has deteriorated significantly in recent decades. In the coming weeks, the renovation of the Fishing Kids Fountain and its terrace will also be completed. The ornamental well was created in 1900 by Károly Senyei, the group of sculptures depicts two boys struggling with a huge catfish and a little girl looking at them.

The work, damaged in the war, was returned to its original place after several moves. Due to its poor condition, it has not worked for many years, but by the end of the year it will be renewed and those interested can once again admire a popular work in the area renovated in its original form in the Palace District of Budavár.

Source: Várkapitányság

Cover photo: The Turul statue in the Buda Castle has been restored to its original location (Photo: Várkapitányság)