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Thousands were curious about the biggest architectural attraction of 2021 Probably the biggest architectural attraction of 2021 is the reconstruction of the southern connecting wing of the Buda Castle and the re-creation of the St. Stephen's Hall. On the festive weekend of 20 August, an unprecedented crowd waited at the palace courtyard to enter the now handed over part of the building. Krisztina Sikota, Deputy Director General of Tourism and Culture of the Várkapitányság, evaluated the events for our site.

The clock tower in Káposztásmegyer was renovated A nice and interesting highlight of the microdistrict in Káposztásmegyer is the clock tower reminiscent of the Transylvanian belfries. The building, made of oak by handicrafts, was renovated and cleaned in August.

The tumultuous fate of the small Pompidou in Pest - The former building of the Almássy Square Leisure Center is transformed into a hotel The Almássy Square Leisure Center has been sleeping its (second) Sleeping Beauty dream for almost a decade. The former popular cultural institution was sold by the municipality of Erzsébetváros in 2007 and although the hotel building plans at the time did not materialize, an application for a building permit was recently submitted to expand and transform the building, 35 years ago known as the small Pompidou in Pest, to a hotel.

The stations of Golgota Square were erected The rebirth and re-creation of a lost, destroyed monument is always a joy for the community. Especially when it comes to a work of special significance, such as the Calvary in Golgota Square in Józsefváros, which was demolished in 1971. The 14 stations are now visible again in their original beauty.

It was rebuilt, but its decoration and name were changed - the Liberty Bridge was handed over 75 years ago At the end of the spectacular fireworks held in Budapest on the occasion of the founding of the state, glowing Greek fires were started on the bridges, including the Liberty Bridge. At that moment, surely few thought it was the first bridge to be rebuilt after the devastation of World War II and handed over to traffic on 20 August 1946.

The migration of the Kossuth statue in front of the Parliament - They wanted to erect the monumental memorial opposite the main entrance of the Parliament The square in front of the Parliament has been called Kossuth Square since 1927, since the statue of the great statesman was inaugurated that year. The designation of its exact location provoked lengthy debates, and the finished work was tentatively erected at several points of the square by the time it reached its final location.

Inspired by the boulevards of Paris - in 1876 the present-day Andrássy Avenue was handed over The traffic between the inner city of Pest and the Városliget went through Király Street for a very long time. The narrow street was very crowded, as not only the normal traffic passed through here, but also those who wanted to go to the Városliget for a little refreshment. The Avenue [Sugárút in Hungarian], officially handed over 145 years ago, in 1876, today's Andrássy Avenue, along which lavish palaces were built in place of the one-storey houses, was made to aid this situation.

"The architects of the Royal Palace were geniuses" says the re-designer of St. Stephen's Hall As an architect, he redrawn every detail of the St. Stephen's Hall, which opens on 20 August: the windows, historic doors, and parquet floors of the southern connecting wing of the Royal Palace. Tibor Angyal has been recreating the historic ceremonial hall destroyed after World War II for six years and, with experience, he claims that the reconstruction of the Royal Palace, which was destroyed with mad rage and method after the war so that not a single square metre of original space remains, is a historic opportunity.

There was no place for it in the St. Stephen's Park - the statue of our founding king was erected in Kispest The work was originally intended to replace the statue of György Lukács in Szent István Park, but the Capital decided otherwise, so the 2.5-metre-high bronze statue of our founding king ended up not in the park named after him, but in the Templom Square of the 19th District.

The reborn St. Stephen's Hall of the Buda Castle was solemnly handed over The St. Stephen's Hall of the Buda Palace, which was once one of the most ornate rooms in the palace, was renovated with complete historical fidelity. The room, rebuilt in its original form, will be open to the public free of charge from 20 August until the end of the month, following today's official handover.

Budapest's oldest and most neglected pedestrian tunnel is finally being renovated The pedestrian underpass built in 1874 connecting Bajza Street in the 6th District with Bulcsú Street in the 13th District, which runs from the Nyugati railway station, has been in extremely poor condition for decades, and is also dirty and dangerous. However, the underpass, almost the same age as the capital, is now being renovated, so it will be closed to traffic on 23 August and will only reopen in the autumn.

The long-awaited reconstruction of the Museum of Applied Arts can begin During the works, the decorations of the beautiful Art Nouveau palace designed by Ödön Lechner will be restored inside and out, the foundation of the building will be strengthened, several internal partitions and courtyard annexes will be demolished, as well as the museum's 21-meter-high chimney.

The sky over Budapest - the observatory was moved to Svábhegy because of Trianon The construction of the new Budapest Observatory began on Svábhegy a hundred years ago, which replaced the Ógyalla observatory lost with Trianon. Despite the initial difficulties, a European-level research center was set up in a few years near Normafa, where the skies of Budapest are still being viewed in the observatory's typical domed building.

One tower or two? - The largest Orthodox church in Hungary was consecrated 220 years ago The tower of a church always has a special significance. It is an important part of the cityscape, it helps with orientation and of course a signal to the community as well. The tower (or towers) of the Greek Orthodox Church of Our Lady in Petőfi Square not only define the cityscape, but they are also signals in the history of the 220-year-old church.

The Adria Palace in the storm of history The book titled Hazának használj! Az Adria-palota története [Help the Homeland! The History of the Adria Palace] was recently published, which not only presents the history of the nearly 120-year-old building in Szabadság Square, which is currently under renovation, but also provides an insight into the lives of the former owners and celebrities who lived here.

The hospital specialist architect - Vilmos Freund was born 175 years ago The architectural versatility of Vilmos Freund, born 175 years ago, is characterized by the fact that in addition to the magnificent tenement houses and villas of Andrássy Avenue, office and sacred buildings, as well as several hospital buildings, are associated with his name. That is why he is also referred to as a hospital specialist. It is interesting to know that the literature knows only one of his work that was not built in the capital: the palace of the Adria Hungarian Shipping Company in Rijeka.

A part of the city has become uninhabitable - We still do not know who blew up the Csepel munitions depot 95 years ago A large-scale explosion shook Csepel and the southern part of Budapest on 12 August 1926, at quarter to seven p.m. The disaster 95 years ago caused severe damage to houses in Csepel and Budafok: it broke the window panes, swept the tiles off the roofs. Fortunately, the explosion did not claim human lives, the blaze and sound of which could be seen and heard throughout Budapest.

Miklós Borsos, who made the Zero Kilometre Stone, was born 115 years ago Miklós Borsos, who was recognised as a sculptor, medalist and graphic artist, was born on 13 August 1906, in Nagyszeben (today's Sibiu, Romania), Transylvania, 115 years ago. He lived in Győr, and then in Budapest from 1945. In winter, he worked in the Castle District, at 6 Úri Street, and in summer, in Tihany; his permanent museum can be visited in Győr. Several of his works can be seen in Budapest, and a few of his works involuntarily attracts attention.

What will Bakáts Square look like? The renovation of Bakáts Square in Ferencváros has been on the agenda for a long time, so we are very curious to see what this cozy area, surrounded by old trees, will look like. According to the district local government, there is no need to wait long for an answer, because the works will be completed by December. The green spaces, pavements and street furniture will be renewed, strengthening the city park function of the square. However, parking will be restricted, car traffic will only be allowed on the longer sides of the square.

The world-famous chandeliers of the Kissling Factory - The former ornate luminaires were re-created for St. Stephen's Hall Among the outstanding applied arts companies of the age of dualism, Rudolf Kissling and his son played a significant role with their chandelier and bronze cast factory. Thanks to their artistic work, many of the public buildings built in this era were decorated with their chandeliers and other bronze objects. The original chandeliers of the St. Stephen's Hall in Buda Castle were also made by the Kissling Factory, and the works of applied art were re-created after a long research work.

The local council is planning a community space next to the Árasztó Road dam The Danube Bank area on Árasztó Road in the 11th District would temporarily function as a new public space from the end of August. The local council and the City and River Association (Város és Folyó Egyesület - Valyo) would set up picnic tables and sunbeds to promote the shoreline, the Újbuda district newspaper reported.

Hotel to be built on Kertész Street vacant lot The 19th-century residential houses in the 7th District, 21 and 23 Kertész Street were sold in 2004 by the management of the 7th District in a case known as the Erzsébetváros real estate panama. Both buildings were demolished. Apartments were designed in their place, but the idea did not materialise. Now it turns out that a 254-room hotel is being built on the plot that has been empty for 15 years and has been operating as a car park.

Parking garages are being built on Mexican Road for the car-free City Park The creation of the car-free City Park will be facilitated by the P + R car parks to be built at the Mexican Road terminal of Kisföldalatti, the design contract of which was signed today by the Budapest Development Centre and the winner of the tender, Középülettervező Zrt. The creation of parking garages is integral to the renewal of transport in the area.

Sas Hill: a place surrounded by urban legends Hikers of Sas Hill ('Eagle Hill') in Budapest are in a very privileged position, as the area had been closed to the public for decades. Today, after prior registration, anyone can visit the hill that rises above the BAH junction. If someone walks around with professional guidance, it is safe to say that they will have an outstanding experience: a unique panorama and real plant rarities await them.

They wanted to call the first suspension bridge in Pest the István Bridge, eventually it was called Dróthíd (Wire Bridge) Wire bridge. It’s a strange name, though that’s how the little bridge, which was handed over 195 years ago, on 9 August1826, in the Városliget, near today’s George Washington statue, was called. The small footbridge was a new technology at the time, as it was a cable bridge and the first suspension bridge in Pest.

The Pest Zoo opened in the City Park 155 years ago People have always been curious about special, exotic animals: the stuntmen who appeared in Pest-Buda in the 18th century and travelled with an army of animals have always enjoyed great popularity. However, the real zoo had to wait a long time: it opened its doors on 9 August 1866. The beautiful park quickly became popular among the citizens of Pestbuda, where they could see kangaroos, parrots and reindeers. Giraffes did not arrive at the Zoo until 1868, through the intervention of Queen Elisabeth (Empress Elisabeth of Austria).

István Széchenyi introduced rowing to the Hungarian capital almost 200 years ago At the Tokyo Olympics, Hungarians once again performed very well in water sports, in keeping with tradition. Rowing became established in Hungary thanks to István Széchenyi, who became acquainted with this sport in England. At the end of the 19th century, competitions were held regularly on the Budapest section of the Danube. Moreover, every year since 1925, university sports clubs have compared their skills on the Danube between Margit Island and the main entrance of the University of Technology, thanks to which countless photographs have survived in which we can see the old pre-war city behind the rowers.

An almost concealed plane crash in Budapest - the tragedy in Zugló took place 60 years ago A terrible accident happened 60 years ago in Budapest: a plane crashed into a house in Zugló. The causes of the tragedy, which claimed 30 lives, and the official handling of the accident are more than interesting, as the authorities at the time were trying to cover up the case. Today, however, we know the sad story that put an end to the sightseeing flights over the capital for a long time.

For the first time, we can see in photos what the reborn St. Stephen's Hall looks like For the first time, we can see in photos what the new St. Stephen's Hall in the Buda Castle looks like, which will be opened to the public on 20 August, in two weeks. In the newly taken photographs, we can see several details of the historic ceremonial hall, including the new Zsolnay fireplace, new floor and wall coverings, new pyrogranite images of kings and Hungarian saints, and even a close-up of an armchair and a curtain upholstery.

The first lion statue was taken off the Chain Bridge During the renovation of the Chain Bridge, the removal of the stone lions at the Pest bridgehead was started. The three-piece sculptures will be removed and restored, with plans to return them to their place at the end of next year. During the renovation, only those parts of the works that originally existed are restored.

The Buda Castle under constructionwas also visited by Maria Theresa, who visited the capital in 1751 Although she gave permission to expand the Buda Castle, Maria Theresa visited Pest and Buda only twice. Her first visit took place in August of 1751, the 11th year of his reign, 270 years ago. This was when the diet was held in Bratislava and during that time the royal court spent a few days in Pest and Buda.

Reconstruction of the former Red Cross headquarters begins in Buda Castle During the reconstruction of the building, which was built for the Red Cross Society and then housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was demolished after the Second World War, it will faithfully follow the original corner dome in its outer features. However, the interior of the building will house modern technology. The partial renovation of the neighbouring Batthyány Palace is also being carried out.

An ancient swastika was found on the grounds of Buszesz The excavation work has entered a new stage in the area of the former distillery in Óbuda, the archaeologists of the Budapest History Museum found Roman coins, a crescent-shaped military mounting made of bronze, and a bronze clothespin depicting a swastika.

New residential building completed on Erkel Street 5 years after the demolition of the classicist building Although during urban development it is often the case that some of the old buildings are demolished and replaced by new ones, it is very painful to lose a value that is unique or rare and to replace it with a building which has not got the same values, in addition, the more or less uniform street view is sacrificed as well. The new residential building was completed five years after the demolition of the classicist residential building at 18 Erkel Street in the 9th district. Pestbuda now shows the readers what it turned out to be.

Life before the Chain Bridge The pontoon bridge between Pest and Buda was built due to the visit of Archduke Albert Casimir and was closed, with a little exaggeration, due to the trip of Count István Széchenyi. The pontoon bridge between the two banks of the Danube was built 255 years ago and was demolished 171 years ago.

The first horse-drawn railway of Pest started 155 years ago On 1 August 1866, the regular services of the city horse-drawn railway started in Pest. The first route led from today's Kálvin Square to Újpest, the journey time was 35 minutes. The new means of transport advocated by Count Sándor Károlyi was successful, and the horse-drawn railway contributed significantly to the development of Újpest. A few years after the handover of the first track, Pest and Buda were almost enmeshed by horse-drawn railway tracks.

The Neo-Renaissance facade hides a classicist interior in Hercegprímás Street, Lipótváros The house, built in 1844 in the classicist style by Hild József, remodelled in the neo-Renaissance style at the beginning of the 20th century, is now one of the most beautiful buildings in the square surrounding St. Stephen's Basilica at 7 Hercegprímás Street. The facade itself is special with the decorations alternating from floor to floor, and the cosy inner courtyard has retained its classicist touches. What overshadows the history of the palace is the history of the former owners.

Pestbuda recalls how much Budapest has changed in 100 years with 6 interesting pairs of pictures It is always exciting to follow the change, especially when it comes to Budapest. Old photos faithfully document what a house, street or square in the capital used to be like. With their help we can recall the former Haas Palace in Gizella Square, marvel at how - in the 1880s and 1890s - barren the Rózsadomb was, and today's Margit Boulevard were more like the streets of a small town. Factories stood on the banks of the Danube in Pest, next to the Parliament building under construction.

Ferenc Novák designed first an electric cogwheel railway and then a hydraulic funicular on Gellért Hill In the last decade of the 19th century, architect Ferenc Novák presented to the public the plan of the Gellért Hill funicular, which was connected with the intention to demolish the Citadel. According to Novák's idea, not only a funicular would have been built on Gellért Hill, but also a lookout, an illuminated statue and the National Pantheon as a millennium monument. The architect would have built first an electric cogwheel railway and then a hydraulic funicular, for which he also received permits. Yet his dream did not come true.

The Saint Emeric Dormitory in Pest not only provided housing but also raised students At the turn of the century, Saint Emeric's Dormitory was established on a private initiative to alleviate the housing problems of Catholic students and college students, which later developed into a national network. The dormitory operated first in Irányi Street and then on Üllői Road. The Saint Emeric Dormitory in Pest finally found a permanent home under 43-45 Ráday Street in Ferencváros. The renowned dorm suffered from the period of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, but its nearly half-century-old history ended with the turn of the post-World War II era. The building still houses a dormitory.

The final touches are being made in the St. Stephen's Hall of the Buda Palace As a result of the years of work of many experts, from 20 August we can admire the St. Stephen's Hall in the Buda Palace in its old light. The years of work are now coming to an end, almost all the former decorative elements have been put in place. Once again, the bust of St. Stephen stands on the world-famous Zsolnay fireplace, the pyrogranite images depicting the kings and saints of the Árpád dynasty have also been placed, and the huge chandeliers and special wall sconces have also been installed. After the opening on 20 August, it will be free to access the St. Stephen's Hall for a few days.

Vajdahunyad Castle was rebuilt for The Museum and Library of Hungarian Agriculture, founded 125 years ago Vajdahunyad Castle, located on the former Széchenyi Island of the Városliget Lake, has been very popular since 1896. With its special appearance and unique atmosphere, it attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Walking between its walls and characteristic parts of the building, one can travel a long way in time and space from the Highlands to Transylvania, from the Romanesque to the Baroque period. And the walls hide one of Europe’s largest agricultural collections and museums, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

By the end of the year, the plans for the new campus of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University will be completed The monumental values of the Károlyi Palace and the Esterházy Palace must be preserved and the spirituality represented by Catholic education must be displayed - these conditions must also be met by the 12 architectural firms that were given the opportunity to design the campus of Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Józsefváros. The task must be completed by September, and the results will be announced in November.

Several people have already planned a funicular to Gellért Hill, but neither the cogwheel nor the steam cable car has been built What could be the explanation for the fact that despite the approved plans since the second half of the 19th century, the construction of a Gellért Hill funicular has never started? Guido Fuchs already in 1884, then in the 1890s Mór Balázs, Vince Ede Miller and Ferenc Novák put their own ideas on the table. However, none of them came close to implementation.

The residential house on Rákóczi Road still stands today, the corner of which collapsed 85 years ago A collapsing house in Budapest in 1936 could have caused a huge tragedy. In vain did the residents signal to the owners that the walls were cracking, they did not feel safe, no substantive action was taken. The corner of the house at 73 Rákóczi Road collapsed on 23 July 1936, a few minutes before 3 pm.

The free beach on the Római-part will soon open From 30 July, we can bathe in the Danube in Budapest again. On the Római-part (Roman Beach), in the area on the banks of the Danube next 15–17 Kossuth Lajos üdülőpart (resort) a free beach will open, where until the end of August anyone can bathe in the Danube.

The sanctuary of the St. Anne's Church in Batthyány Square was built 275 years ago One of the most characteristic buildings on the banks of the Danube in Buda is the St. Anne's Church in Watertown (Víziváros). The building on Batthyány Square in the 1st District also stands out among the Baroque architectural monuments of the capital. The history of the church dates back to the 18th century, its foundation stone was laid in 1740 and then it was built for a long time. Its sanctuary was built 275 years ago, in 1746, and it was used as a church until the building was completed. On the anniversary, Pestbuda visited the patinated church building of Buda.

The Chain Bridge will be lighter after the renovation - the new deck plates are already being manufactured Instead of the old reinforced concrete, steel deck plates will be placed on the Chain Bridge during the renovation. The 94 new steel deck slabs will better fit the structure of the bridge and will also significantly reduce the overall weight of the crossing.